The sinking of the British troopship HMT Rohna by a German guided missile in the Mediterranean on November 26, 1943, led to the greatest loss of US lives in a single incident at sea in our nation’s history. The Rohna was overloaded with 2,193 American military personnel, on their way to the China-Burma-India theater to aid in defense against invasion by Imperial Japanese troops, when she came under aerial attack. The ship was hit by an early "smart bomb"—a Henschel Hs-293 radio-controlled, rocket-boosted glide bomb, launched from a Luftwaffe bomber—that caused catastrophic damage. The ship sank in 90 minutes. Lost were 1,015 GIs, in addition to 123 of the ship’s crew. Yet the sinking of the Rohna is generally overlooked by naval historians, and most people have never even heard of the tragedy. 

In early October of 1943, newspapers across the US announced that the 14^th Air Force had officially adopted a new Flying Tigers emblem, with Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault's approval and endorsement. Former commander of the renowned American Volunteer Group that gained fame as the original “Flying Tigers,” as well as of the China Air Task Force that succeeded it, Chennault now served in command of the 14^th Air Force. Its effectiveness soon earned it the moniker, "the Fighting Fourteenth.” Carrying on the Flying Tigers legacy under Chennault’s leadership, the 14^th went on to win air superiority in China. In his memoirs, Chennault later praised the accomplishments of his air force and wrote, “It was a record of which every man who wore the Flying Tiger shoulder patch can be proud.”

SSgt. Otto W. Hutchinson was one of the vast numbers of China veterans who were heading home. After the formal surrender was signed and the Chinese-American Composite Wing was disbanded in early September 1945, men of the 3^rd Bomb Squadron were officially assigned to other units in preparation for their return to the Zone of the Interior.  Hutchinson was transferred to the 26^th Fighter Squadron, 51^st Fighter Group, 69^th Composite Wing stationed at Kunming. Along with others attached to the same unit, he was sent to Barrackpore Field near Calcutta before moving to Replacement Depot No. 3 (also known as Camp Kanchrapara), one of the processing centers for troops heading home. Then they spent a few days at Camp Hialeah, a staging for troops awaiting departure, before boarding SS Marine Angel on November 16. A Thanksgiving feast, overflowing scuppers, and collision with a whale were events noted in the ship’s newsletter. Arriving on December 12 in Tacoma, Washington, ship records indicate that 2,511 returning troops were disembarked, allowing them to be back home with their families for Christmas.