Lyndon Randolph Lewis was trained as an aircraft mechanic in World War II, he fell in love with flying and completed his education from the public library to qualify for pilot training. He eventually scored at least two combat victories against the Japanese over China including his singlehanded defense of the airbase at Hengyang in December 1943.

Lewis was born in 1920, in Frankfort, Kentucky. In June 1940, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and was sent to for training as an aircraft mechanic. While Lewis was there, Claire Chennault came to Chanute to recruit aircraft maintenance personnel and pilots for service in China. Chennault had been a hero of Lewis's since the early 1930s; only his barrack scarlet fever quarantine prevented Lewis from signing up for China duty. By the time the quarantine was lifted, the US government had stopped allowing personnel to be recruited from the military service.

During training, Lewis fell in love with flying. Occasionally the Maintenance Officer allowed him to fly AT-6s after their calibration work was done, but Lewis lacked the two years of college required for pilot training. He went to work, studied from library books, and passed the two-year college test with a grade of 86.

After flight training, he was sent to China to replace the American Volunteer Group Chennault's legendary Flying Tigers, which had been converted in July 1942 to the 14th Army Air Corps. While in China, Lt. Lewis flew 66 combat missions, totaling over 300 hours. He served with the 75th Fighter Squadron the "Flying Tiger Sharks" both as a pilot and as Maintenance Officer. During this period he shot down two Japanese Sally bombers, with an additional six probable aircraft downed, and he inflicted damage on several others.