China and the United States, which fought the Fascists together 70 years ago, should carry on the legacy of cooperation and friendship forged in the World War II, said Nell Calloway, granddaughter of "Flying Tigers" commander Gen. Claire Chennault.[Special coverage]
"During the dark days of WWII, American pilots provided hope, grit, military support and brotherhood to the Chinese people battling the scourge of an overwhelming, often brutal invasion," Calloway wrote in an atricle titled "Recalling the heroics of the Flying Tigers"on Monday's The Washington Times.
The "Flying Tigers" was a nickname given to the American Volunteer Group, which fought along with China against Japanese aggression during WWII.
The group of volunteer pilots from the U.S. Navy, Army and Marine Corps was set up by Gen. Chennault in 1941 under the authority of President Franklin Roosevelt.
"The Flying Tigers story is widely and emotionally commemorated by Chinese. Both sides risked their lives for each other, strengthening the bond between American and Chinese," she wrote.
"More than 200 U.S. military personnel were rescued by Chinese people at the risk of their own lives, as China fought as a steadfast and key ally," she added.
During the war, the Flying Tigers defended China's skies and destroyed over 2,000 aircraft of the Japanese air force.
Calloway said his grandfather's legacy "shows a path to better understanding to our countries."
"There is no reason our nations cannot once again look at today's challenges and find ways to conquer them by working together -- to fly 'over the hump' once again to victory," Calloway said.
"The hump" was a 840-kilometer-long cargo supply flying mission route which took pilots from India to southwest China over the Himalayan mountains.
Hundreds of planes crashed along the perilous journey from 1942 to 1945, which was also called as "the death route."
"Ordinary citizens continue to strengthen U.S.-China relations by building on the goodwill left by the Flying Tigers," she wrote.
"Today, more Americans and Chinese are traveling between the two countries and study each other's language. This (is) a bond with the power to transcend differences between our two countries," Calloway said.
In his memoir "Way of a Fighter" published in 1949, Chennault wrote,"It is my fondest hope that the sign of the Flying Tiger will remain aloft just as long as it is needed and that it will always be remembered on both shores of the Pacific as the symbol of the two great peoples working toward a common goal in war and peace."
"This way the Sino-U.S. friendship can flow forever, like the Yangtze and Mississippi rivers," Chennault said in his book.
