Can you tell me about John Birch, not the Society?

John Morrison Birch (May 8, 1918 – August 25, 1945) was an American Military Intelligence Officer and a Baptist Missionary in World War II who was shot by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China. Many consider him a martyr as the first victim of the Cold War.

In April 1942, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and his crew had crash-landed in China after the Tokyo raid — they launched from an aircraft carrier, but flew from Tokyo to China because of lack of fuel, planning to land as best they could. For several crews, the mission ended badly. Some were captured by the Japanese, and a few perished. Colonel Doolittle and his crew were more fortunate; after bailing out, they were rescued by sympathetic Chinese and smuggled by river into Zhejiang province. Birch was told of the survivors, and went to meet them. He assisted them in getting to safety, and then helped locate and direct to friendly territory other American crews. When Doolittle arrived in Chongqing, he told Colonel [[Claire Chennault]], leader of the Flying Tigers, about Birch and his help. Chennault said he could use an American for intelligence duties who could speak Chinese and knew the country well. Chennault commissioned Birch as a first lieutenant on July 4, 1942 in the China Air Task Force of the U.S. Army. Birch joined the Fourteenth Air Force on its formation in 1943, and was later seconded to the OSS. He built a formidable intelligence network of sympathetic Chinese informants, supplying Chennault with information on Japanese troop movements and shipping, often performing dangerous incognito field assignments, during which he would brazenly hold Sunday church services for Chinese Christians. Urged to take a leave of absence, he refused, telling Chennault he would not quit China "until the last Jap"; he was equally contemptuous of communists. He was promoted to Captain, and received the Legion of Merit in 1944. On Aug. 14, 1945, V-J Day signaled the end of hostilities, but China was still in foment with armed bands of Chinese Communist guerrillas throughout the countryside. On August 25th, as Birch was leading a party of Americans, Chinese Nationalists, and Koreans on a mission to reach Allied personnel in a Japanese prison camp, they were stopped by Chinese Communists near Xi'an. Birch was asked to surrender his revolver; he refused and harsh words and insults were exchanged. Birch was shot and killed; a Chinese Nationalist colleague was shot and wounded but survived. The rest of the party was imprisoned but released a short time later. Birch was posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service Medal.

Birch is known today mainly by the society that bears his name. His name is on the bronze plaque of a World War II monument at the top of Coleman Hill Park overlooking downtown Macon, Georgia, with the names of other Macon men who lost their lives while serving in the military. Birch has a plaque on the sanctuary of the First Southern Methodist Church of Macon, which was built on land given by his family, purchased with the money John sent home monthly. A building at the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, is named The John Birch Hall. A small street in a housing development outside Boston is also named for him.

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