His unit was part of the famed Flying Tigers, a name given to a small group of American pilots who flew combat missions in China during World War II to help Allied forces.By Shiryn Ghermezian, The AlgemeinerThe remains of a Jewish American fighter pilot in the US Army Air Force, who was shot down over China and killed in World War II, have been identified more than 80 years after his death and now buried in South Carolina, the US Department of War announced this week.Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Morton Sher was killed in action on Aug. 20, 1943, when his P-40 Warhawk fighter-bomber aircraft crashed and burned in a rice paddy in the Xin Bai Village during a combat mission over Hunan, China, during World War II.He was 22 years old. Sher’s remains were accounted for this summer and have since been buried at a cemetery in his native town of Greenville, South Carolina.A memorial was held for him that included remarks by his nephew and a flyover conducted by the Air Force’s 476th Fighter Group, according to the Department of War.Sher escorted bombers and flew dangerous combat missions in the 76th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force.His unit was part of the famed Flying Tigers, a name given to a small group of American pilots who flew combat missions in China during World War II to help Allied forces.After 82 years, the remains of Lt. Morton Sher, a WWII Army pilot KIA, have finally returned home. Lt. Sher passed on August 20, 1943, and was laid to rest on December 14 on what would have been his 105th birthday. pic.twitter.com/EOMy5h0yV7— Military Support (@MilitaryCooI) December 15, 2025“We never knew Morton, but he was larger than life in the stories our family told us, his photos, and his writings,” said Bruce Fine, Sher’s nephew.“He was certainly a man who filled his pages of life with meaning, and he lived every day to its fullest. In fact, the day before he died, on Aug. 19, 1943, he wrote a letter home telling his parents, ‘I let another pilot take that instructing job, for I find things too exciting here to leave right now,’ and the very next day, he was gone.”Sher as a “real hero,” Fine added, “the kind you read about and see on the big screen, except he was real. We hope his bravery and his courage will inspire the family members who follow us to believe anything you can dream can be truly possible if you’re willing to commit to it and work hard to achieve it.”During a mission in October 1942, Sher’s aircraft was forced to go down in a Chinese village because of engine damage.Grateful for American protection from Japanese forces, villagers embraced Sher as a hero and welcomed him with food and a celebration.He “entertained 15,000 with songs and a story, received a silk banner for his missions and was warmly escorted through nearby mountain villages back to his base,” according to the Department of War.“Lt. Sher was shot down on Oct. 25, 1942, and returned to the 76th Fighter Squadron to fly, fight and win another day,” said Mark Godwin, a historian of the Air Force’s 23rd Wing.“He had an opportunity to return home and become an instructor pilot but chose to stay and continue the fight. He personified the last two core values: service before self and excellence in all we do.”“[He] spent just over a year in China during World War II,” Godwin said. “He racked up three aerial victories before his untimely death. … He gave his life to protect his fellow Flying Tigers. He should forever be remembered for his courage and sacrifice.”Following Sher’s death, local Chinese villagers placed a memorial stone at his crash site. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in September 1943, which was presented to his mother in Greenville.The US conducted post-war search and recovery efforts, but a board of review concluded on Sept. 8, 1947, that Sher’s remains had been destroyed in the crash.They officially declared that he was killed in action and his body was unrecoverable, the Department of War explained.After a private citizen contacted the US government’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in 2012 with a photo of Sher’s memorial site in China, the government agency visited the site in 2019.They initially found nothing but, following a more extensive search in 2024, recovered the plane wreckage and Sher’s remains, which were transferred to a lab in Hawaii.The remains were positively identified using DNA samples from Sher’s nephew and more than eight decades after his death, Sher’s remains were returned to his family.“This was through team effort,” said Air Force Col. Brett Waring, 476th Fighter Group commander.“The teams that continue to scour the earth for our missing and KIA are beyond impressive. They’re part of that American commitment to individuals that endures across generations … when he was shot down, the local populace protected him when he survived the first [crash], and then prevented the enemy from taking his aircraft and body when he was killed in action. That speaks to the humanity that connects us all, even when other circumstances point towards adversarial actions.”The Department of War also honored Sher’s bravery and sacrifice.“Sher loved what he did and created a legacy that endures,” said the department.“His story, once unfinished, now stands a complete testament to service, sacrifice, and a nation’s promise to remember those who gave everything. That enduring legacy, woven from history, heroism and personal courage, continues to inspire both the families who remember him and the generations who follow.”The post Remains of Jewish American WWII pilot return to US for burial 82 years after death in combat mission over China appeared first on World Israel News.