From November 11nd to 2rd, Jeffrey Green, Chairman of the US-China Aviation Heritage Foundation, Harry Moyer, and Melvin McMullen, veterans of the U.S. Flying Tigers, visited Kunming, Yunnan Province, where the Flying Tigers were once stationed, and visited the Kunming Flying Tigers Memorial Hall, the U.S. Air Force Guest House and the former site of the Flying Tigers Headquarters.

【Commentary】On the 3rd, the veterans of the Flying Tigers who went to Yunnan for exchange visits walked into the Kunming Foreign Chinese Language School, planted friendship trees with the students and Chinese representatives, and watched the musical "Cui Di Changhong" by the Opera Troupe of the Yunnan Flying Tigers Research Association. Subsequently, a song "Friendship Lasts Forever" sounded at the event, and the representatives of China and the United States sang in unison, and Harry Moyer couldn't help crying on the stage.

The Flying Tigers took to the air for the first time in Kunming, the headquarters was built in Kunming, and the terminal and material transshipment hub of the Hump route was Kunming. To this day, this city in the southwest border of China still remembers the sacrifice and dedication of the Flying Tigers, and elements such as the Flying Tiger Tower, the Flying Tiger Avenue, the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall, the Flying Tiger-themed restaurant, and the Flying Tiger cookies have always accompanied the lives of Kunming citizens, telling the deep friendship between the Flying Tigers and the Chinese people's lives and blood.

The youngest member of the Flying Tigers delegation, 15-year-old Jackson Long, is the great-grandson of Flying Tigers veteran Clive Long. The locations he visited, as well as the in-depth exchanges with other descendants of the Flying Tigers, helped him piece together a puzzle of memories of his great-grandfather and the Flying Tigers. Jackson admits that he will share what he has seen in China with his friends.

Descendants of Flying Tigers veterans Jackson Long

I've heard a lot of stories about my great-grandfather, and I've heard a lot of stories about the sons and daughters of the Flying Tigers about their parents. They (my friends) also asked me to share these stories, and I told them all the things I saw and learned from the first day I came here.

"Flying Tiger General" Chennault's granddaughter Jia Lanhui has been committed to the work of people-to-people friendship between the United States and China for many years, and she feels that many young people lack understanding of the history of the "Flying Tigers". She believes that the story of the Flying Tigers should be told well and more face-to-face exchanges between young people from the two countries should be encouraged.

Chennault's granddaughter Garland Hui

I interviewed many veterans, most of whom are now deceased, but before they died, they told me the story of all of them, what the Chinese did for them. I have never heard of anyone serving in China without being loved by the Chinese people. So this tells me that we really need to work on getting more Americans to experience China. Especially children, the contact of children is important. Children are used to getting information on (phone) screens instead of actually communicating with people. I think that we are here to encourage the Flying Tiger schools in both countries, that they can interact with each other.

Jane Bonner Scott's father, Steve Scott, J. Boner was a member of the Flying Tigers, and looking at the photo of her father in the Flying Tigers memorial, Jane was so emotional that she burst into tears. She said that the memory and history of the Flying Tigers belong not only to her and her family, but also to the people of the two countries.

Descendants of Flying Tigers veterans Jane Bonner Scott

We hope to promote the Flying Tigers in our schools and in many of your schools. Get to know the Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers are a very unique group of people who do this voluntarily. Nobody said, you have to go to China, you have to do it. It's something these people want to do because they don't like what's going on [at the time]. So it's all voluntary. They all have strong feelings about it. I want to come (to China) and want to help. My expectation is for them (the young people) to know why they (the Flying Tigers) came, why they did it, what they did, and hope and pray that it doesn't happen again.

Du Xiaoxiao and Chen Jing report from Kunming

Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]