Robert D. Coker was born in 1917 in Texas. He resided in Hill County, Texas prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on January 6, 1942 at Camp Wolters, Texas. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Farm Hand and also as Single, without dependents. Robert served as a First Lieutenant and Pilot on C-47 #41-18518, 6th Squadron, 1st Troop Carrier Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

C-47 #41-18518 took off, with a crew of 3 and 1 passenger, from Mohanbari, India on a mission to Kunming, China. During the mission they radioed from the vicinity of Sookerating, India for a weather report at Yunnanyi, China. That was the last that was seen or heard from this C-47, it was July 13, 1943. Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until December 19, 1945. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

In 2008 this C-47 was found by MIA Recoveries (a non-profit group) northeast of a small village named Maruli in the Arunachal Pradesh providence in India. At that time no remain's were found.

Robert 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