Donald Grover Spurling was born on March 30, 1922 in Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington. He was the son of Grover Alvin Spurling and Nettie May Fletcher Spurling. He was a 1941 graduate of Ellensburg High School in Washington. He then attended a trade school in Yakima and went to work in the Portland, Oregon ship yards. He entered the service in March 1943, training at Kessler Field in Mississippi and receiving his wings in the Army Air Corps at San Antonio, Texas.

Sgt Spurling was the flight engineer on B-24J #42-78686 assigned to the 10th Air Force, 7th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Squadron. They were flying a load of fuel from Tezpur airbase in India to Hsinching airbase in Chengtu China. They encountered a bad thunderstorm upon arriving at their destination and while trying to land in the rain and fog crashed in the low hills northeast of Chengtu. All aboard were killed. Sgt Spurling is now buried in the IOOF Cemetery, Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington, USA.

Sgt Spurling 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