John Lee Gates was born on December 29, 1923, in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio. He enlisted in the service in 1943 and served in the 786th Bomber Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner of B-24J #42-110188 during World War II.

On February 6, 1945, B-24 #42-110188, piloted by 2nd Lt. Byron R. Johnson, took part in Eighth Air Force Mission 821, a major bombing operation over Germany. Poor weather obscured the primary oil targets, forcing the B-24 formations to attack secondary objectives instead. Of the 434 Liberators dispatched, 418 bombed the marshalling yards at Magdeburg using H2X radar. After completing the bombing mission, Johnson and his crew began the return flight to England. While flying over western Germany, their B-24 was struck by German anti-aircraft fire. The aircraft was severely damaged and could no longer remain airborne, eventually crashing near Bruckhausen in Germany's Lower Rhine region. B-24 #42-110188 was one of only two Liberators lost from the 434 dispatched on the mission that day. Of the nine men aboard, five managed to escape the stricken bomber by parachute. They survived but landed in German-held territory and were captured as prisoners of war. The remaining four crewmen were killed in the loss of the aircraft.

SSgt Gates was among the crewmen killed in action in the loss of the aircraft. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.aircraftinformation.info