Richard Myers, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks during a photo exhibition commemorating the Flying Tigers and Doolittle Raiders, Americans who fought Japan in World War II in cooperation with the Chinese people, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, the United States, April 18, 2024. The half-year-long exhibition recounts the stories of the Flying Tigers and Doolittle Raiders with around 100 photos and detailed narrations. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
by Xinhua writers Liu Yanan, Xu Xingtang
DAYTON, Ohio, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition kicked off on Thursday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force to commemorate the Flying Tigers and Doolittle Raiders, Americans who fought Japan in World War II in cooperation with the Chinese people.
The half-year-long exhibition recounts the stories of the Flying Tigers and Doolittle Raiders with around 100 photos and detailed narrations.
The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held on Thursday morning with the participation of some 150 representatives from various fields in the United States and China.
Over 80 years ago, these young American men went to China, fought a remarkable war against a very professional military and finally prevailed against the Japanese invaders, said Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and also organizer of the exhibition.
"So, that's why we're here today," said Greene, noting that Thursday also marks the 82nd anniversary of the Doolittle Raid.
Terry Branstad, former U.S. ambassador to China, said one of the highlights of his stay in China was visiting all the museums and monuments to the Flying Tigers.
Branstad recalled his visit to Southwest China's Yunnan Province and a meeting there with a group of Chinese who helped the Flying Tigers and built an airfield for them.
During those difficult times, China and the United States could work together, fighting together shoulder by shoulder for human dignity and human justice, said the Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping.
Huang said the Flying Tigers are, of course, heroes and "We are here to remember all those heroes."
"We hope that friends from various sectors of China and the United States will work together to present the Flying Tigers' stories to more people and solidify the foundation of friendship," said Jiang Jiang, vice president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
Visitors to the exhibition also shared their views and experiences at a meeting on U.S.-China friendship in World War II on Thursday afternoon.
The Flying Tigers, formally known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, was formed in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault. They came to China to help the Chinese people to fight the invading Japanese troops.
According to statistics, more than 200 downed Flying Tigers airmen were rescued by the Chinese people and thousands of Chinese were killed by Japanese invaders during the rescue missions.
The Doolittle Raid, planned and led by U.S. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle on April 18, 1942, was an air raid by the United States on seven Japanese cities, including the capital Tokyo, during World War II, as a retaliation for the attack on the U.S. Pearl Harbor.
The 80 U.S. Air Force personnel who took part in the Doolittle Raid were rescued by Chinese civilians and troops off the Chinese coast after running out of fuel on their return.