WUHAN, July 9 (Xinhua) — At a ceremony held in central China’s Hubei Province, Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, offered commemorative flight jackets to the representatives of six newly named Flying Tigers friendship faculties within the province, marking a brand new chapter in an 85-year friendship between the 2 nations.
“This is the B-15 flight jacket worn by the Flying Tigers’ 14th Air Force pilots from 1944 to 1945. Wearing this jacket means you become part of the Flying Tigers family. Welcome aboard,” Katharine Greene, Greene’s spouse, informed the viewers in fluent Chinese as she defined the jackets’ significance.
The chairman led a delegation of almost 100 individuals, together with descendants of Flying Tigers veterans in addition to lecturers and college students from Flying Tigers friendship faculties within the United States, to Wuhan, the provincial capital, for an occasion commemorating the long-standing friendship.
This 12 months marks the eighty fifth anniversary of the institution of the Flying Tigers, formally often called the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, which was shaped in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault to assist China in its combat towards invading Japanese forces.
More than 2,000 Flying Tigers airmen misplaced their lives within the struggle, and the Chinese individuals, at nice private price, got here to their help, rescuing greater than 200 pilots in misery whereas 1000’s of Chinese sacrificed their lives in the course of the rescue operations.
In human historical past, there’s hardly any precedent the place the individuals of a rustic are keen to take such an enormous danger to rescue and defend overseas strangers who’ve come from afar to combat alongside them, mentioned Jeffrey Greene.
In 2022, the inspiration launched a program centered on Flying Tigers friendship faculty and youth management, calling on the youthful technology to hold ahead the historic legacy of China-U.S. cooperation and rise to new challenges collectively.
Six faculties within the province, together with Wuhan University of Technology, Hubei University and Hong’an County No. 1 High School, have been designated as Flying Tigers friendship faculties on July 3, bringing the entire variety of such faculties in China to 118. Meanwhile, 48 faculties throughout 11 U.S. states have additionally obtained the designation.
“The designation of Hong’an County No. 1 High School as a Flying Tigers friendship school has built a brand-new bridge for friendly exchanges between Chinese and American youth,” mentioned Wang Xulin, the college’s principal.
The principal added that the college will construct a two-way communication platform, prepare on-line and offline pupil exchanges between China and the United States, and set up actions on intangible cultural heritage analysis and technological innovation.
This summer season, the inspiration will set up 500 American college students to go to 14 provinces throughout China, whereas 60 Chinese college students will journey to the United States to attend a youth management convention and go to aviation museums and different websites, inspiring extra younger individuals on each side to hold ahead the legacy of the Flying Tigers.
More episodes of China-U.S. cooperation throughout World War II are additionally being commemorated. China has designated the Memorial Hall to the Doolittle Raid as a brand new nationwide patriotic training base.
In April 1942, 16 U.S. bombers led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle carried out a shock raid on Japan following the assault on Pearl Harbor. After the mission, a few of the aircrews ran low on gas and crash-landed in lots of areas occupied or threatened by Japanese forces in China. Of the 75 airmen aboard the planes, 64 have been rescued by the Chinese individuals.
In China, the Doolittle story has lengthy been considered one other image of the friendship solid between the Chinese and American peoples throughout their joint combat towards fascism.
Noting the United States and China are influential nations on the planet within the economic system, expertise and different fields, Jeffrey Greene mentioned each side have introduced the youth of each nations collectively and collectively opened a door to the longer term, constructing on the enduring friendship that the Flying Tigers solid with the Chinese individuals.