Burton L. Watts was born on December 30, 1917 in Iowa. He served as First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces, 375th Bomb Squadron, 308th Bomb Group, (Heavy) during World War II. He was a crew member aboard B-24D Liberator #41-24238 "The Bad Penny."

They departed Chabua, India on April 1, 1943 for a flight to Chengkung, China. A little over an hour into the flight, the pilot radioed they were experiencing icing on the wings and returning to Chabua. The bomber never reached the base. It had crashed with the five crew members aboard and they were declared Missing In Action. The airplane was never located and the crew declared dead on December 13, 1945.

1Lt Watts 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.

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