Roland W. Wilkin was born on January 6, 1924 in Elgin, Cook County, Illinois. He resided in Kane County, Illinois prior to the war. Ronald served as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier on B-24J "Shootin' Star" #42-73249, 374th Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-24J #42-73249 took off, with a crew of 10, from Luliang Airfield, China on a long range reconnaissance mission over the South China Sea and Indochina Coast (Vietnam). After takeoff they were not heard from nor seen again.

Later documents noted that they thought they were being attacked, along the Indochina Coast, by Japanese fighter aircraft and fired at them. However the planes were actually three F4U-1D Corsairs from VMF-124, U.S.S. Essex (CV-9). The Corsairs, since being fired on and due to overcast weather conditions, thought the plane firing at them was a Japanese H8K2 Emily flying boat. They successfully shot down the aircraft and it crashed into the sea. The Corsairs camera footage later unmistakably identified the bogey as a B-24 Liberator.

Ronald was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash caused by friendly fire during the war. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. 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 but his name is inscribed as Ronald.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov