Thaddeus Joseph Worley was born in 1920 in Perry, Noble County, Oklahoma. He graduated from high school and before WWII broke out he worked as a machine operator and clerk.

On 14 Apr 1942 he joined the US Army in Texas. Thad was trained to be a pilot of a C47 cargo plane. When his training was over Thad was given his wings and posted to the Pacific theater. Thad's mission was to transport troops, military supplies and food in Burma. On 18 Feb 1944, less than 2 years after joining the Army Thad was piloting his C47A on a food drop. Details of the mission are limited. For some unstated reason Thad's plane crashed. Two of the crew survived the crash and used a walkie-talkie to communicate with planes searching for them. Six others including Thad died at the crash site. He is now buried in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA in a common grave with his crew.

2Lt Worley 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