Lee New Minor was born on September 3, 1916. He graduated from Eupora High School and went on to attend the University of Tennessee in Memphis and graduated with a pharmacy degree. Soon after graduation and following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Minor enlisted in the military in December 1941. At the time of his death, he was serving with the American forces in China, specifically with Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault’s successors to the famed “Flying Tigers.”

Chennault’s official citation that follows, and the order awarding Minor the Purple Heart posthumously, give details of his death. The document, dated Aug. 30, 1942, states that Minor was a Second Lieutenant in the Air Corps, 75th Fighter Squadron of the 23rd Fighter Group.

Citation “On Aug. 5, 1942, Lt. Minor lost his life when his flight of five planes courageously attacked a force of 15 enemy fighters, near Leiyang, China. After the initial attack the section broke up into a number of individual fights in which the enemy had superior numbers.“Without thought of personal danger and the great odds against him Lt. Minor continued to force the attack and to deliver fire against an enemy of the U.S.. “During the action his plane was hit and crashed. This aggressive attack against superior numbers, when his life was in grave danger, exemplifies those qualities of courage, fidelity and devotion to duty worthy of the best traditions of the service. Lt. Minor’s actions in the engagement in which he met his death, were and will be, an inspiration to both officers and men.”

Other Details Leading up to his death, the Japanese had massed fighter and bomber squadrons in late July 1942 as they were preparing to mount a major effort to wipe out the China Air Task Force, according to a history of the unit.

On July 31 (following other attacks), the badly outnumbered CATF P-40 pilots shot down 17 Japanese bombers and fighters, losing three P-40s in combat. The Japanese dispatched 30 Ki-43 Oscar fighters on Aug. 5 in an effort to smash Hengyang field and were intercepted by eight P-40s. During the ensuing dogfight, CATF pilots downed four Oscars, losing one P-40, flown by Minor. He is now buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, USA.

1Lt Minor 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