A Jewish American fighter pilot who gave his life defending China from Japanese invasion during World War II has finally been laid to rest in his hometown, more than eight decades after his death.
The Flying Tigers Legacy#
Lt. Morton Sher was a member of the legendary Flying Tigers—the nickname for the American volunteer pilots who fought alongside Chinese forces against Japanese aggression during WWII. Assigned to the 76th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, 14th Air Force, Sher flew dangerous missions in the China-Burma theater, escorting bombers and engaging Japanese forces.
By the time of his death, the young pilot had logged three aerial victories. In 1942, his plane was shot down by seven Japanese fighters after a successful air raid on Hong Kong. Despite suffering a head injury, he returned to combat rather than accept a safer reassignment—a decision that reflected his deep commitment to the mission.
A Life Cut Short#
Born on December 14, 1920, in Baltimore, Maryland, Sher’s family later moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where they became active members of Congregation Beth Israel. As a teenager, he was a founding member of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization’s Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA) fraternity.
Sher studied at the University of Alabama, where he joined the Kappa Nu fraternity and managed the school’s basketball team. His love of flying led him to join the Air Force through ROTC.
On August 20, 1943, Sher was killed at age 22 while piloting a P-40 Warhawk fighter-bomber over Hunan province. His plane crashed and burned in a rice paddy in Xin Bai Village. His squadron arranged for a memorial stone to be erected at the crash site—a tribute maintained by local Chinese villagers who remembered the American pilots who fought to protect their homeland.
A Hero’s Connection to China#
In letters home and wartime interviews, Sher expressed genuine affection for the Chinese people he was helping defend. After engine trouble forced him to land in a Chinese village in October 1942, locals welcomed him with food and celebration. He later recalled singing American songs to villagers and being escorted back to base through mountain towns.
This warmth between the young Jewish pilot and the Chinese communities he protected represents a lesser-known chapter of Jewish-Chinese relations during one of history’s darkest periods.
The Long Journey Home#
For decades after the war, Sher’s family knew him only through letters, photographs, and stories. A 1947 army review concluded that his remains had been destroyed in the crash, and he was officially listed as unrecoverable. His mother, Celia Sher, received his Purple Heart that year.
The effort to bring him home began in 2012, when a private citizen contacted the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency with a photograph of the memorial stone erected by Chinese villagers at the crash site. After initial searches yielded no remains, a more extensive recovery mission in 2024 uncovered aircraft wreckage and human remains in Xin Bai Village near Hengyang. DNA testing confirmed Sher’s identity.
Final Rest#
On December 14, 2025—what would have been his 105th birthday—Lt. Morton Sher was buried in Greenville, South Carolina, where a headstone with his name and a Star of David had waited for decades. Family and friends poured dirt from Israel onto his grave, honoring both his Jewish heritage and his sacrifice.
“He filled his pages of life with meaning,” said his nephew, Bruce Fine, at the memorial service. He recalled a letter Sher wrote home the day before his death, explaining he had turned down a safer instructor assignment because he found combat “too exciting” to leave.
“Our family tree produced a real hero,” Fine said. “The kind you read about and see on the big screen, except he was real.”
Source: The Times of Israel
