YORBA LINDA, California – Descendants of WWII veterans, community leaders, and officials convened at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum this week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II’s conclusion and celebrate pivotal milestones in Sino-American relations. The gathering served as a powerful reminder of the shared wartime history that continues to inspire cross-cultural exchanges between the two nations.
Nell Chennault Calloway, granddaughter of General Claire Lee Chennault who commanded the legendary Flying Tigers squadron, emphasized history’s role as a reliable guide for future diplomacy. “History records our past and offers inspiration for the future,” Calloway stated, recalling President Nixon’s groundbreaking 1972 China visit as a transformative moment after decades of estrangement. She reiterated Nixon’s toast to Premier Zhou Enlai: “We have great differences today. What brings us together is that we have common interests which transcend those differences.”
Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, highlighted the extraordinary significance of the Flying Tigers’ operations in China. “For the Chinese people and American pilots, this represents the most important chapter in our bilateral history—it brought our nations together in an unprecedented way,” Greene explained. He recounted how American volunteer pilots collaborated with Chinese forces against Japanese bombing campaigns, with Chinese civilians courageously rescuing downed US airmen despite facing lethal retaliation.
California State Senator Bob Archuleta framed the Flying Tigers’ legacy as a living lesson for contemporary global challenges. “History proves we accomplish more through cooperation than conflict, and through mutual respect rather than division,” Archuleta noted. “This story demonstrates the power of building bridges instead of barriers, and seeking understanding rather than suspicion.”
The commemoration also honored centenarian Flying Tigers veteran Mel McMullen and Zhang Sujiu, daughter of China’s renowned “peace general” Zhang Zhizhong, recognizing them as living connections between historical cooperation and present-day diplomacy. The event underscored how wartime collaboration established foundations for subsequent diplomatic breakthroughs, with Jane Zhang of the Nixon library observing that the Flying Tigers’ friendship helped enable Nixon’s “icebreaking” journey that opened a new chapter in US-China relations.