Capt. Thomas S. Simpson and a mixed Chinese and American crew of the 3rd (Spray and Pray) Squadron, Chinese-American Composite Wing, were shot down on a mission on July 4, 1944. The narrative that follows describes their miraculous escape from pursuing Japanese soldiers through the swamps and jungles of Burma.

My dad, then Corporal James H. Mills arrived in Karachi to begin training Chinese mechanics in early April 1944. I was born three weeks later in Arkansas. I met him in November 1945, when I was eighteen months old.

From the collection of James H. Mills, this wartime photo taken in Kunming shows the Green Rooster Arch in the foreground and the Golden Horse Arch in the background.