John Garrison Mersereau was born on July 12, 1917 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. He was the son of Eugene Leavens Mersereau and Lucile Parker Mersereau. He resided in Multnomah County, Oregon prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on January 13, 1942 in Portland, Oregon. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Secretary and also as Single, without dependents. John served as a First Lieutenant and Pilot on B-24J #42-109966, 373rd Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-24J #42-109966 took off on a night mission from Kweilin, China over the the Yangtze River Valley. After takeoff they were not heard from or seen again. The entire crew was lost June 18, 1944. Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until February 27, 1946. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. He also has a cenotaph located in River View Cemetery, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.

First Lieutenant Mersereau 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 but death date is inscribed as 1944-06-26.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov