Legacy of flying tigers lives on

Unforgettable moments

Greene has dedicated decades to preserving and building on the Flying Tigers legacy, keeping close contacts with the veterans.

In Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Greene was brought to tears when speaking about Flying Tiger Arthur Chin, an American-born Chinese and the first American-born ace of the US Air Force during World War II.

Greene was talking to Flying Tigers family members at the Liuzhou Military Museum, which features a permanent exhibition showcasing more than 1,000 historical relics of the Flying Tigers.

"I'm not sure the date (when the) Japanese bombed Liuzhou. Arthur was too badly burned to move," Greene recalled.

"He was married to a Chinese woman. His wife was on top of him while the house was being bombed. She was killed. She saved his life," Greene said as he wept.

He added, "I don't know whether in history, any nation, any group, any country would risk so much for a group of people who had come from a distance to fight for them."

"It's only between the Chinese people and the American pilots. It means everything to our future. It means that we can cooperate. It means that we don't have to fight," he said.

Chin went to New York for plastic surgery, returning to China in 1945.

During the war, by flying over China's southern and southwestern borders, US pilots explored and developed the highly risky "Hump Route" over the Himalayas to provide critical supplies to the Chinese troops fighting the Japanese invaders.

As for Chin, "he was too hurt to be a fighter pilot, but what he was able to do was flying the 'Hump'. He was put in charge of directing the Hump operations", Greene said.

Josh Vinyard is grandson of another "Hump" pilot, Jay Vinyard, who completed 87 supply missions over the Himalayas.

He said he feels very touched by the exhibition of the Chinese people breaking down rocks on the runways.

"When the Japanese bombed the runways, the Chinese people would work hard, work together. They would have mothers with children on their backs break rocks, and the people were just pulling things.

"They didn't have the equipment, they didn't have vehicles … It's a real testament to how hardworking and industrious the Chinese people are," he said.

When touring the museum in Liuzhou, he wrote in the guest book, "On behalf of my grandfather and the Flying Tigers, this museum is incredible and moving. May our friendship remain together for generations."