增进中美人民友好情谊 美中航空遗产基金会主席及飞虎队老兵一行访渝

杨艳 黄仪

11月1日，坐落在嘉陵江畔的重庆史迪威博物馆迎来老朋友。应中国人民对外友好协会邀请，美中航空遗产基金会主席杰弗里·格林，飞虎队老兵哈里·莫耶、梅尔文·麦克马伦一行36人来渝访问。

今年8月30日，杰弗里·格林和哈里·莫耶、梅尔文·麦克马伦共同致信习近平主席，表示将传承和弘扬中美合作的宝贵精神财富。9月12日，习近平主席复信指出，中美关系的希望在人民，基础在民间，未来在青年，新时期中美关系的健康稳定发展，需要新时期飞虎队员的参与和支持，希望飞虎队精神能够在两国人民之间一代一代传承下去。

“人们追求和平生活的愿望始终没有改变”

1941年，美国陈纳德将军组建“中国空军美国志愿航空大队”（飞虎队），与中国军民共同在抗击日本法西斯的斗争中同仇敌忾，经受血与火的考验，结下了深厚的友谊。

代表团参观了重庆史迪威博物馆，飞虎队老兵哈里·莫耶和梅尔文·麦克马伦向史迪威将军雕像献花。参观了史迪威将军旧居、史迪威将军生平图片展、第二次世界大战时期美国援华空军图片实物展，仔细聆听讲解，并在友谊墙上签名。

哈里·莫耶介绍2018年，举世闻名的科蒂斯P-40战鹰战斗机退役前，他作为二战飞行员再次驾驶这架战斗机。今年10月30日，莫耶在北京度过了103岁的生日，他的生日愿望是：“我能想到最好的事，就是世界和平以及各国人民和谐相处。”

98岁的飞虎队老兵梅尔文·麦克马伦是美国陆军航空队技术中士，曾担任B-24解放者轰炸机机炮手和助理飞行机械师。2015年9月，他来华参加庆祝中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法斯战争胜利70周年系列活动。此行再次来到重庆，他说：“80多年过去了，这座城市发生了翻天覆地的变化，但人们追求和平生活的愿望始终没有改变。”

“飞虎队精神就像连接美中关系的纽带”

一幅幅照片、一件件实物，让飞虎队老兵及其后代感触颇多。

陈纳德将军外孙女嘉兰惠表示：“飞虎队精神就像连接美中关系的纽带，提醒着我们不忘战斗岁月结下的深厚友谊，要开创合作共赢的美好未来。”

飞虎队老兵理查德·奥尔尼的女儿罗宾·奥尔尼，在重庆史迪威博物馆内的一张老照片中发现了父亲的身影，她激动地上前亲吻了照片中的父亲，感慨地说：“没想到能在万里之外的重庆见到父亲的照片，我很高兴。”

“以前我并不知道我的曾祖父还有这些事迹。”15岁的杰克逊·隆是飞虎队老兵克利福德·隆的曾孙，也是代表团中年纪最小的成员。他认真地说：“我认为我们应该更加深入地了解那段歷史，它让两国人民之间形成了一种非常牢固的关系。我愿意成为延续两国友谊的一员。”

美中航空遗产基金会主席杰弗里·格林表示，在中国，很多人知晓飞虎队的故事，但很多美国年轻人却不了解这段历史。近年来，美中航空遗产基金会通过创立“飞虎队友谊学校”、组织飞虎队老兵及其家属到访中国等活动，传承两国先辈的合作精神，为两国民间交流合作贡献力量。明年，将组织百余名美国学生访问中国，让他们更清楚地了解飞虎队的历史。

美中航空遗产基金会成立于1998年，是旨在促进中美航空历史事件研究和纪念的美国民间友好团体。一直致力于在中美两国人民间普及和传播飞虎队、驼峰航线相关历史，纪念两国人民在抗击日本法西斯的斗争中的友好合作，促进相互理解，加强友好关系。

Promoting Friendship Between Chinese and American People

Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and Flying Tigers Veterans Visiting Chongqing

By Yang Yan and Huang Yi/The World and Chongqing

On November 1， Chongqings Stilwell Museum， nestled on the bank of the Jialing River， welcomed old friends of Chinese people. Jeffrey Greene， Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation， along with his party of 36 Flying Tigers veterans， including Harry Moyer and Melvin McMullen， came and visited Chongqing， at the invitation from the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC）.

On August 30， Greene， Moyer， and McMullen jointly wrote to President Xi Jinping， expressing their willingness to inherit and carry forward the precious legacies of China-U.S. cooperation. On September 12， President Xi Jinping replied， stressing that “the hope foundation for China-U.S. relations lies in the people， the foundation lies among the people， and the future lies in the youth.” The sound and stable development of China-U.S. relations for the new era requires the participation and support of the Flying Tigers in the new era， and it is hoped that the spirit of the Flying Tigers will be passed on from generation to generation between the two peoples.

Never-Changing Desire to Pursue a Peaceful Life

In 1941， General Chennault of the United States formed the “American Volunteer Group” （known as Flying Tigers）， which fought side by side with the Chinese force and people in the struggle against Japanese fascists and forged a profound friendship between China and the United States that withstood the test of blood and fire.

The delegation visited the Chongqing Stilwell Museum， and Flying Tigers veterans Harry Moyer and Melvin McMullen brought their floral tributes to the statue of the late General Stilwell. Then they visited the generals former residence， the photo exhibition on General Stilwells life， and the exhibition of the American Air Forces aid to China during World War II. They listened carefully to the guide， and signed their names on the “wall of friendship”.

In 2018， Harry Moyer， a World War II pilot， flew the world-famous Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter again before its decommissioning. On October 30， 2023， Moyer celebrated his 103rd birthday in Beijing. He made his birthday wish of “happiness， blessing， and peace throughout the world， and companionship of people around the globe.”

Melvin McMullen， the 98-year-old Flying Tigers veteran is a technical sergeant of the U.S. Army Air Corps， who served as a B-24 Liberator bomber gunner and assistant flight mechanic. In September 2015， he participated in a series of activities in China to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. This time he visited Chongqing again， saying， “More than 80 years later， the city has changed dramatically， but peoples desire to pursue a peaceful life has never changed.”

The Flying Tigers Spirit as a Bond Connecting the U.S. and China

The photos and objects at the exhibition made the veterans and their younger generations very emotional.

Nell Calloway， General Chennaults granddaughter said， “The Flying Tigers spirit serves as a bond connecting the U.S. and China relations， reminding the two peoples not to forget the deep friendship forged during the war and to create a bright future of cooperation and mutual benefit.”

In the Stilwell Museum in Chongqing， Robin Olney， the daughter of Richard Olney， a veteran of the American Flying Tigers， spotted her father in an old photo. She excitedly stepped forward and kissed her father in the photo， saying， “I have never thought that I would see my fathers photo in Chongqing， thousands of miles away. I'm so happy.”

“I didn't know my great-grandfather had done these deeds before.” The 15-year-old Jackson Long is the great-grandson of the Flying Tigers veteran Clifford Long and the youngest member of the delegation. He said earnestly， “I believe we really should have a deeper understanding of that history， which has formed a strong bond between the two peoples. I am ready to be one of them who contribute to the enduring friendship between our two countries.”

Jeffrey Greene， Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation， said that in China， many people know the story of the Flying Tigers， while many young Americans dont. In recent years， the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation has carried out activities such as building “Flying Tigers Friendship Schools” and organizing Flying Tigers veterans and their family members to visit China， so as to keep alive the cooperation spirit between the predecessors of the two countries and contribute to the people-to-people exchange and cooperation between the two countries. Next year， the foundation will organize more than 100 American students to visit China and give them opportunities to learn more about the history of the Flying Tigers.

Since its inception in 1998， the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation has dedicated itself to communicating the history of the Flying Tigers and the Hump Route， commemorating the friendly cooperation between the two peoples during World War II， and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.