我立即想起了飞虎队(Flying Tiger),问他是不是飞虎队成员。他说是,但不是最原始的飞虎队。最原始的飞虎队是在美国正式加入第二次世界大战之前,由美国志愿军组成的,并不属正式的美国空军。他们开的飞机大都是旧的。老先生说,疯了才会去开那种飞机。他开的都是较新的战斗机。美国的正规空军开进中国后,原始的飞虎队就解散了。但后来的美国驻中国空军都叫飞虎队,他们的衣服上都有飞虎队标志。他说,他的部队的头头就是大名鼎鼎的陈纳德将军(Claire Lee Chennault,1893-1958 )。
我问他是不是美国飞虎队协会的成员,他说他曾是,但因各种原因已失去联系很多年。难怪在前两年休斯敦 Chinese Community Center 给仍活着的约十多位飞虎队成员颁奖时,没有看到他。那时,他不知道有这种活动,组织单位可能没有找到他。那次十几位飞虎队成员聚在一起,穿着他们的军服,有的坐在轮椅上,场面非常感人。其中有一位代表飞虎队成员发言,很激动地告诉几百人的参会者,他从来没有这么感到荣耀过,很高兴几十年后,大家还记得那段历史。另外一位,可能是原始飞虎队活着的最后一位,在2007年11月的那次活动之前半年不幸去世,他的遗孀代表他领了奖。
我高诉他,前几年中国政府还组织过一批飞虎队成员去中国访问。我请他把他的名字和电话给我,我会和休斯敦中国领事馆联络。领事馆和Chinese Community Center 都应该请他和他太太去作客。他听到很高兴。
回复MichaelC的评论:
Federal Express purchased Flying Tigers in December 1988. On August 7, 1989 Federal Express merged Flying Tigers into its operations.
Fedex 在开拓中国市场时,找到了当时Flying Tigers的翻译,这翻译曾为王震工作,王震儿子这么巧又在管中国投资.... 没多久Fei Hu 又重回中国蓝天.
Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The company was started by Robert William Prescott. It was headquartered in Los Angeles, California.[1]
The airline was named after the Flying Tigers fighter unit of World War II, officially the 1st American Volunteer Group. Ten former AVG pilots formed the Flying Tiger Line (originally called National Skyway Freight) after returning to the United States in 1945, using a small fleet of Budd Company C-93 Conestoga freighters purchased as war surplus from the United States Navy. For the next four years, Flying Tiger Line carried air freight on contract.
Over the years, Flying Tigers carried a number of unique cargoes, including the famed orca Shamu and the torch of the Statue of Liberty.
My former co-wroker's father was ground maintenance staff for Flying tiger during 1940's. Her father even married an Asian girl at that time, but she was killed by Japanese bombing. He came back to States after war and married my-worker's mom. He died more than 10 years ago. Not many Flying tiger people are still alive now.