Harry Paul Becherer was born in 1922, in Connecticut. He worked as a mechanic before enlisting in the Army Air Corps on October 7, 1940. He served in the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, as a Corporal during World War II.

Cpl Becherer was captured by the Japanese Army during the Fall of the Philippines in April–May 1942. He was later held as a prisoner of war at Osaka Main Camp, also known as Osaka 34-135. During his captivity, he was reported Missing in Action and officially declared dead on August 15, 1945. His remains were not recovered. His name is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing in the Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA. Although the memorial lists them under Tokyo 13B, research indicates they were held at Osaka Main Camp; this discrepancy may be due to administrative errors, post-war misclassification, or regional recordkeeping that categorized prisoners under Tokyo's jurisdiction.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com aad.archives.gov