Captain Cherry was the pilot of a B-26C Invader bomber with the 34th Bomber Squadron, 17th Bomber Wing at Pusan Airfield East (K-9), South Korea. On July 23, 1952, while on a night intruder mission, the aircraft after completing its bombing run became lost. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on December 31, 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.