Joseph A. Tadych was born on January 29, 1919 in Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. He was the son of Joseph B. and Clara Tadych. He joined the United States Army Air Corp on January 18, 1941 as a Private. At some point he became an officer and a pilot. He was assigned in January 1945 to fly for the Air Transport Command out of Base Unit 1333, Chabua Air Base in Chabua, the state of Assam, in India in the China-Burma-India theater. His job was to fly supplies over the Himalayan Mountains (called The Hump)to China, an extremely dangerous trip due to enemy aircraft and/or weather. On March 13, 1945 his plane was reported missing in flight somewhere over the Himalayas and neither he nor the plane was ever recovered.

The Air Medal Award that he received posthumously read in part:
"Awarded for meritorious achievement by participating in more than 150 hours of operational flight in transport aircraft over the dangerous and difficult India-China routes, where enemy interception and attack was probable and expected. Flying at night as well as by day, at high altitudes over impassable, mountainous terrain through areas characterized by extremely treacherous weather conditions necessitating long periods of operation on instruments, often encountering severe icing conditions and mechanical difficulties requiring courageous and superior performance of their respective duties to overcome, they accomplished their missions with distinction."

2Lt Tadych's name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. He also has a cenotaph located in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Manitowoc, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. He was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is also 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, www.abmc.gov