James L. O'Neal was born on May 17, 1918 in West Frankfort, Franklin County, Illinois. James' family moved to Maywood, Illinois in 1926. He graduated from Proviso Township High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was sent to Officer Candidates School. He was commissioned and went through flight training. In March 1943, he was sent to the Pacific Theater as a member of the 308th Bomb Group Heavy. During his time with the unit, he flew numerous missions over China and Japan.

On one mission, his plane was hit by enemy fire. The navigator could not bail out since his parachute was damaged. O'Neal and the plane's pilot chose to stay with the navigator as the plane went down. He died on October 26, 1944 at the age of 26 and is now buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA. 2Lt O'Neal 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: www.findagrave.com