John H. Foster’s son, John Thomas Foster, was born on March 31, 1919, in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. In 1920, he went with his parents to Changsha, China, and returned to the United States in 1927. Afterwards, he attended Colby College and graduated in 1940, also becoming a pilot.
After Japan invaded China and World War II broke out, he enlisted in the military and became a member of the U.S. 14th Air Force (known as the Flying Tigers), serving as a member of a B-24 bomber crew on bombing missions in southwestern China. During one mission, the plane he was on was shot down, and he was forced to traverse large areas of China under the guidance of a local guide, avoiding Japanese pursuit. During this time, he happened to return to his childhood “hometown” — Changsha, only to find that everything had changed and he could no longer find the people he once knew.
Shortly thereafter, these injured pilots were awarded the Purple Heart and returned home. In May 1993, based on John T. Foster’s memories, this experience was published in the book China Up and Down.
Source from: China Up and Down, John T. Foster, May 1993