William S. Sanders was born on November 19, 1919 in Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas. He was the son of Sidney Coy Sanders and Ruby Jewel Gardner Sanders. He was the pilot on a C-46A, Aircraft Serial Number 42-3671, that had departed Sookerating, India, March 12, 1945, on a flight over-the-hump. The aircraft crashed near Sadiya, India, from causes unknown, however the weather was noted to have been 'thunderstorms, severe icing, turbulence with hail, visibility near zero'. 2nd Lt. Lyle F. Green, the co-pilot, was also killed in the crash. The other two members of the crew survived and were able to hike out from the crash site to a place of safety.

Lts. Sanders and Green were found dead at the crash site on March 27, 1945. They were buried on March 28 at the American Military Cemetery at Ledo, India. Lt. Sander's remains were repatriated from India and is now in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA. 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.findagrave.com