Robert H. Mooney was born on June 16, 1920. He served in the 16th Fighter Squadron as a First Lieutenant and bomber navigator of an aircraft during World War II. Mooney lost his life shooting down two Japanese planes, and he was largely responsible for breaking up a formation of enemy bombers and preventing them form reaching an American-Chinese airdrome in western Yunnan province. He had three confirmed air victories to his credit.

Making a head-on run at nine bombers, Mooney shot down one of them. His figher plane was smoking as he pulled away from the initial attack. A minute later he made for a Japanese fighter. They raced at each other, machineguns blazing. The Zero blew up, and Mooney's fighter was crippled. He bailed out, and suffered a head injury either in leaving the plane or when he landed. He was dying when he was taken to a hospital.

Hill, one of the youngest bomber crew members, was fatally wounded by terrific anti-aircraft fire on a low level attack which blasted an enemy troop and supply concentration at Mongmao in western Yunnan. A machinegun bullet struck him in the lower spine. He is now buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA.

1Lt Mooney 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