Jack Williard Pryor was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on 4 April 1918, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Willard C. Pryor. After finishing his early schooling in Asheville, he studied at Western High in Washington, DC, for a year. Jack attended West Point Preparatory School at Millard's from 1932 to 1935 and by serving in the District of Columbia National Guard from April 1934 to June 1936. He entered the Military Academy from North Carolina with the Class of 1940 and subsequently graduated 29 May 1942 eventually becoming a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps.

Immediately upon graduation Jack underwent basic and primary flying school in Colorado. He completed Advanced flying training at Roswell, New Mexico, in November 1942. In December came light bombardment training at Tarrant Field (now Carswell Air Force Base) Fort Worth, Texas. Moving to Del Rio, Texas, in February and back to Roswell in March, he completed medium bombardment training.

On 1 April 1943, Jack married Josephine Walker, daughter of Doctor and Mrs. Webb Walker of Fort Worth.

By mid-April Jack was en route to Columbia, South Carolina, for combat training in the B-25 aircraft. He departed the United States on 1 September 1943 for operational assignment with the 341st Bombardment Group (m), 10th Air Force in India. During late 1943 his group was reassigned to the 14th Air Force in China. He became assistant and later Operations Officer of the 491st Bomb Squadron and was promoted to captain. On 22 March 1944, Jack Willard Pryor was killed in action while leading a flight of aircraft on a low level attack against enemy supply lines over French Indo-China. Other pilots on the mission reported he crashed while making a strafing run on a Japanese troop/supply train near Phu Dien Chan.

He 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.westpointaog.org, www.findagrave.com