Manuel Ortiz Mata was born on March 20, 1921 in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas. He was serving as a U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant in China, when he was killed during World War II.

On January 9, 1945, a group of B-25 aircraft departed the air field at Yang-ki, China for a bombing mission to strike Japanese targets located in French Indo-China (now Vietnam) As the formation approached the Red River valley, the ceiling suddenly lowered. Some aircraft attempted to climb above the overcast.

B-25 Mitchell #43-4361 disappeared into the clouds and was never seen to emerge. Later, French observers who had been in the area reported "That the aircraft flew into the ground." All 6 crew members were killed.

The French recovered all the bodies and buried them, using the wreckage of the aircraft as a marker. Staff Sergeant Mata's body was later recovered, returned to the U.S., and buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.

Manuel was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: https://www.togetherweserved.com