As 14th Air Force planes, including bombers and fighters of the Chinese-American Composite Wing, prepared for a suicide mission, code name "Butcher," to attack the infamous Yellow Bridge in an attempt to destroy it "once and for all," a message from the tower announced, "Don't take off. The flight's been canceled." When the 3rd Bomb Squadron's B-25s turned around and taxied back in, someone ran out onto the runway shouting, "The Japs have surrendered!"

On August 14, 1944--Chinese Air Force Day--Capt. Mark T. Seacrest led a two-plane formation to skip-bomb a twin highway bridge located near Lashio, starting point of the Burma Road's south end. Hit by ground fire, both B-25s went down. Capt. Seacrest kept his A/C #714 in the air until he reached friendly territory, but it took eleven days for him and his aircrew to "walk out" and return to their 3rd Bomb Squadron.

Capt. Mark T. Seacrest led a mission from Dergaon Field to bomb and strafe rolling stock on the Burma railroad, when he unexpectedly encountered a train.. Cpl. James H. “Hank” Mills recounted his memories of strafing the length of it, blowing it into bits.

Mitchells of the 3rd Bomb Squadron provided air support to Chinese ground troops as they retook the city of Myitkyina following a 78-day siege. “They knew we were paving the way.”

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