Letter from Beijing: Behind China鈥檚 warm welcome of two US vets
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Ann Scott Tyson Staff writer
| Beijing
Two American veterans who fought to defend China from Japan during World War II 鈥� retired Capt. Harry Moyer and retired Tech. Sgt. Melvin 鈥淢el鈥� McMullen 鈥� are flying high on a new mission.聽
In the 1940s, the young aviators joined the 鈥淔lying Tigers,鈥� the popular name for Americans serving with the 14th Air Force in China, commanded by Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault. With the benefit of that long lens, the 103-year-old Captain Moyer and 98-year-old Sergeant McMullen arrived in Beijing this week hoping to remind both Americans and Chinese of a powerful chapter in the countries鈥� shared history 鈥� one of extraordinary compassion and sacrifice 鈥� and encourage grassroots contacts despite tensions between Washington and Beijing.
During dire combat moments in China, 鈥渨e knew that the best way 鈥� maybe the only way 鈥� we could survive was to fly our plane ... far away from the target area so that we might be picked up by a brave villager,鈥� Sergeant McMullen said Monday at a ceremony honoring the visiting Flying Tigers delegation at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onIn Beijing, the honoring of two American veterans who fought for China during World War II 鈥� and their stories of courage and compassion 鈥� underscores the importance of people-to-people ties, especially as the U.S. and China aim to stabilize relations.
Highlighting such bonds is part of a recent ramping up of people-to-people ties by China and the United States. Both sides hope the exchanges will add ballast as they work to stabilize relations and prepare for a widely anticipated meeting 鈥� confirmed by the White House on Tuesday 鈥� between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.聽聽
Beyond possible agreements in areas such as counternarcotics, climate, travel, and technology, the U.S. and China have broad objectives for the meeting, experts say.
Washington hopes that a successful Biden-Xi meeting will 鈥渦nlock, especially in the Chinese system ... [a] clear signal by Xi Jinping that it鈥檚 safe to engage with the Americans,鈥� says Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
For its part, Beijing believes a meeting will 鈥減osition Xi Jinping well domestically,鈥� and that 鈥渟tabilizing the relationship ... gives them a better chance to moderate future U.S. actions,鈥� he says.
Warm welcome
As U.S.-China relations have sharply deteriorated, public opinion has soured as well, with surveys indicating most Americans hold negative views of China, and vice versa.聽
Both governments are now are working to counter this trend by strengthening cultural, educational, and business exchanges. The U.S., for example, welcomed a Beijing dance troupe to perform at a Chinese cultural festival in Washington this past September, and Mr. Biden sent a letter of congratulations to the Chinese Americans who organized the event.聽
Mr. Xi has also publicly advocated for increased exchanges between ordinary Chinese and Americans in recent months. 鈥淚n growing China-U.S. relations, the foundation lies in the people, and the hope,鈥� he said last week.聽
When Captain Moyer, Sergeant McMullen, and Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation Chairman Jeffery Greene together sent a letter to Mr. Xi in advance of their China trip, Mr. Xi wrote back. His letter featured prominently in China鈥檚 state-run media.
鈥淚n the past, our two peoples fought the Japanese fascists together, and forged a deep friendship that withstood the test of blood and fire,鈥� Mr. Xi wrote, according to a front-page article in People鈥檚 Daily, the Communist Party鈥檚 main mouthpiece. He called for 鈥渁 new generation of Flying Tigers鈥� to advance U.S.-China relations.
Against this backdrop, the visit this week by Captain Moyer and Sergeant McMullen created a bit of a Chinese media sensation. National television reports and posts on China鈥檚 popular social media platform Weibo showed them chatting with Vice President Han Zheng, strolling along the Great Wall in olive-green World War II bomber jackets, and saluting a statue of General Chennault, who died in 1958. Hailing the visit with unusually upbeat remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday called on Chinese and Americans from all walks of life to help 鈥渨rite a new chapter鈥� in U.S.-China cooperation.
An enduring love
Fanfare aside, listening to Captain Moyer and Sergeant McMullen鈥檚 down-to-earth accounts of their wartime China service, one can鈥檛 miss the compassion they felt for ordinary Chinese 鈥� and received in return.聽
Growing up in Ohio, Captain Moyer loved visiting his father鈥檚 friend 鈥淓ddie,鈥� a warmhearted Chinese man who ran a local restaurant. A 1937 film based on the novel 鈥淭he Good Earth鈥� by Pearl S. Buck also left a deep impression. 鈥淚t depicted the Chinese peasants tending their rice fields ... and the greenness,鈥� he told the embassy gathering. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 get that picture out of my mind.鈥澛�
When Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937, Captain Moyer was troubled by reports of Japanese atrocities. After being recruited in college by the U.S. Army Air Corps, he earned his fighter pilot wings, trained on the Curtiss P-40 鈥淲arhawk,鈥� and deployed with the 59th Fighter Squadron of the 33rd Fighter Group to combat German and Italian forces in North Africa and Italy. Then in 1944, when the 33rd received orders for the China-India-Burma theater, he had a chance to return to the U.S. 鈥� but, thinking of 鈥淓ddie鈥� and the overall suffering of China鈥檚 people, he declined.
鈥淚 told the commanding officer, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want any orders to take me home. I鈥檓 going to go to China,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what I did.鈥澛�
Upon landing in Kunming, China, General Chennault greeted him and the other 14th Air Force recruits, leaving a big impression on Captain Moyer. From there he flew to Sichuan province, with the job of defending the B-29 bombers striking Japan鈥檚 islands. He saw the rice fields. Chinese people 鈥渨ere so friendly,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey took care of us.鈥�
鈥淧eople are the same鈥�
Sergeant McMullen, too, put his faith in Chinese villagers. An aerial gunner and assistant flight engineer,聽Sergeant McMullen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service聽with the 14th Air Force鈥檚 308th Bomber Group (Heavy),聽which flew B-24 Liberators in support of Chinese ground forces. He heard many stories of U.S. airmen being rescued after their planes went down.
鈥淭hey would hide the airman by day, and by night, they would move him 鈥� from village to village 鈥� [until] they could finally be picked up by the Americans,鈥� he told the embassy gathering.聽
Sheltering Americans was dangerous work. When most of the U.S. bombers involved in the 1942 Doolittle raid on Tokyo had to abandon their planes over eastern China, families there successfully safeguarded the airmen. But Japan later launched a brutal retaliation campaign, wiping out entire villages.
鈥淭here are hundreds of airmen that owe their life to those brave, brave people,鈥� said Sergeant McMullen. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that we should all understand. People are the same. Governments may be different, but the people actually always have one desire, and that is to live and to raise their families in peace and in the customs of their predecessors.鈥�
In all, more than 2,000 members of the Flying Tigers gave their lives to defend China, while thousands of Chinese died protecting American pilots in distress, according to official Chinese figures. General Chennault鈥檚 granddaughter, Nell Calloway, and Mr. Greene, from the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, work to educate young people in both countries about that shared sacrifice.聽
鈥淎mericans don鈥檛 know that story,鈥� Ms. Calloway told the gathering.
Captain Moyer, too, has a soft spot for China鈥檚 people, under his tough exterior. Holding a Guinness World Record for being the oldest licensed pilot 鈥� he made a solo flight on his 100th birthday 鈥� the former Flying Tiger celebrated his 103rd birthday in Beijing on Monday, cutting a cake decorated with the blue-and-orange Flying Tiger emblem.聽
Returning once again to China, he said, 鈥渋s just like putting on an old coat. ... It鈥檚 a great feeling. They put out their hearts for you.鈥�
