I wasn't aware that there were still living members of the Chinese-American Composite Wing, successor organization to the famous American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, of World War II. Sadly, as time passes the veterans of these organizations are leaving us, and we're the poorer for their passing. The latest casualty of time was Captain Ho Weng Toh, who died earlier this week at the age of 103.
He was born in Ipoh in 1920.
CACW was a joint venture by the U.S. Air Force and the Chinese Air Force to fight against the Japanese invasion during World War II (WWII).
During the war, he flew 18 missions and operated a B25 Mitchell Bomber.
He was known to be one of the last surviving members of the Flying Tigers.
After the war, he resigned from the Chinese Air Force.
Ho returned to Malaya in 1951 and flew for the now-defunct Malayan Airways, which then split to become Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA).
In his time at SIA, he became the chief pilot for the Boeing 737 fleet in 1974.
He retired from flying six years later.
In November 2019, he launched his very own autobiography titled "Memoirs of a Flying Tiger: The Story of a WWII Veteran and SIA Pioneer Pilot".
There's more at the link. You can read more about Capt. Ho's wartime adventures in a two-part series in Singapore's Mothership newspaper: Part 1 and Part 2. Highly recommended.
Here's a video interview with Capt. Ho from 2011, with English subtitles. It makes interesting viewing.
There are so few of our World War II veterans left, and every one that dies leaves stories untold that will now never be remembered. I tried to chronicle something of my own father's experiences some years ago, but a great deal was left out. I've often wondered what more he could have told us . . .
Peter
6 comments:
Very interesting. I was interested in the Flying Tigers since I was a kid, and there was a Flying Tigers (or so themed) restaurant nearby.
I also realize, from recently watching a 50s Western, that someone in the 50s watching something set in Wild West in the 1870s would be like someone today watching something set in WW2, with just a few old timers remembering how it was.
A friend’s 101 year old father is a veteran of the Mighty Eight. Fortunately, he has been extensively interviewed by various museums and Air Force historians.
I used to live on a street named General Chennault, but didn't know who he was until well after we moved (when I was 9, so it's not my fault). Everybody pronounced it the Texas way, as apparently he did, not the French way that Alex Trebek used.
Years later, in grad school, I found out that the PI in the neighboring lab was the son of a Chinese air force pilot who flew the hump in WWII. The father survived the initial Japanese invasion, and got out to keep flying. I didn't have to ask the question that immediately occurred to me, the son told me he'd asked his father - "Were you one of the few survivors because you were that good, or because you ran away first?"
The real takeaway in that story is one Westerners don't really seem to get very well.
A lot of Chinese success is due to extended family looking after each other and repaying favours and debts even if they be multi-generational. It goes a bit beyond that and also includes classmates and established business relationships. Outside those circles, Chinese society can indeed be quite low trust in the wider sphere... but it's not all atomised dog-eat-dog... And arguably family relations are better there than in the West. Oh... that goes for 2024 PRC too, O Barcalounger Boomers with your visions of Little Red Books from half a century ago.
Another bit to consider is that all media in Singapore is ultimately regime media. (Hint: this is true everywhere including the USA as the state apparatus can and will destroy you if you publish things it *really* doesn't like.) Note that the article is simple and straightforwardly written and has a message of perseverance through adversity leading to success. There is no Usual Suspect mediated hatred of host society which attempts to 'deconstruct' his life or to kvetch and moan about the hardships he suffered and blame it all on White People. Even the Japanese who were beastly to the Chinese just get matter-of-fact treatment. In other words... Amazingly State Media wants its Citizens to feel positive and happy and not wracked by unnecessary internecine racial hatreds. Who woulda thunk?
For a number of years ending 2017, I hosted college age foreign exchange students. Most were oriental from China, Japan, Korea.
Open conversation with few limititations was encouraged. A few times I had to step in due to overly heated exchanges. The one most heated topic was the treatment to other countries by Japan during the 1930s and '40s.
The various atrocities are not taught, or only marginally acknowledged, in Japanese schools. I've witnessed even students today come nigh to fisticuffs over the variances of how history is taught.
Yes, there is a good measure of nationalist pride involved but that is largely beside the point.
The USAF maintains complete service records of all service members, regardless of branch.
While the service remains alive, such records are accessible only by written permission of said member. After death, complete records are accessible by the public, permission from family or estate not required.
Needed is service member's service number, or after 1974 (IIRC) SSN.
Often, just knowing the first and last name of service member is enough of a lead to work up the required personal ID. There are some very helpful staff who know how to guide you to wait you're looking for.
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