Five of the Flying Tigers, who helped China stop the Japanese from bombing the country during World War II, were honored by a Chinese chemical company with gold medals Saturday night at Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe, a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana.
During the grand ceremony, which was attended by some 200 people from China, local government officials and community leaders, 92-year-old Jay Vineyard, 93-year-old Richard Sherman and 100-year-old Frank Burnside were awarded commemorative medals for their services rendered by their squadron, popularly known as Flying Tigers, during World War II.
Charles Baisden's son, Daniel, and Becky Brown-Hogan, Brown's daughter, received the medals on their fathers' behalf.
Wang Jinshu, chairman of Shandong Yuhuang Chemical Co., Ltd., said that the peoples of China and the U.S. are brave, industrial and great and are heros. General Claire Lee Chennault and the Flying Tigers made significant contribution to the victory of China's war against Japanese aggressors.
Li Qiangmin, consul general of the People's Republic of China in Houston, hailed the Flying Tigers as "a symbol of China-U.S. friendship" and "the trailblazer of China-U.S. cooperation."
Nell Calloway, granddaughter of a Flying Tiger and Museum director, said that she was proud of his grandfather and the Flying Tigers for what they did for China during World War II, and they could also been seen as a bridge to a better future.
Founded in 1986, Yuhuang now has 13 subsidiaries with more than 5,600 employees in China.
