Joseph F. Kehrer was born in 1911 in New York. He resided in Erie County, New York prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on April 7, 1942 in Buffalo, New York. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Manager and also as Single, without dependents. Joseph served as a Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. He was a Passenger on C-46A #42-107386. The passengers were on a trip that would eventually see them back home in the United States.

Joseph died in the "Line Of Duty" when the C-46 he was on, which departed Chabua, India for Karachi, India, developed mechanical problems and caught on fire crashing near the summit ridge of a jungle-covered hill in Arunachal Pradesh, India and burned during the war. He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA on February 6, 1950. He is buried in a common grave with his crew.

Joseph 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