Kenneth Smith "Kay" Starcher was born on September 19, 1915 in Upshur County, West Virginia. He was the son of Hugh Starcher and Maude Smith Starcher. He entered the Air Corps 19 March 1942 at Clarksburg, West Virginia. At the time of enlistment he was living in Upshur County, West Virginia, had completed four years of college, and was a salesman in his civil life.

1Lt Starcher and his crew were lost on a 'routine' flight from Lingling Airbase on the late afternoon of 28 May 1944, departing during conditions 'overcast with thunderstorms'. The crew of B-24J #42-73309 'Trouble Maker'(v1) were lost somewhere on the short flight to Kweilin; the report lists the cause of the loss as 'unknown'. The crew are all listed KNB (died non-combat mission). He is now buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA.

1Lt Starcher 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