Flying Tigers alumni gather for reunion
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_flyingtigers_050908/
SAN ANTONIO — Alumni of the Flying Tigers, the famed volunteer force of
U.S. pilots who fought in China at the start of World War II, had what
could be one of the last reunions for the group as its numbers continue
to dwindle.
The 300 Flying Tigers who made up Army Gen. Claire Chennault’s famed
group of pilots, are down to 19. Just eight of those made it to a
reunion in San Antonio on Friday.
“We’re the last of the Mohicans,” said Chuck Baisden, 88, of Savannah,
Ga., the second-youngest Flying Tiger alumnus alive. “That’s the way it
is. You come and you go.”
The Flying Tigers’ official name was the American Volunteer Group. The
unit was formed with the financial backing of the Chinese government to
help defend Chinese cities from Japanese attack before the United States
entered World War II.
The unit was credited with destroying 296 Japanese aircraft during seven
months between 1941 and 1942.
The pilots flew Curtiss P-40 fighters, first tangling with Japanese
pilots about two weeks after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.
They racked up a 15-to-1 kill ratio and likely stopped the Japanese from
conquering China and threatening British-held India.
“You know, they used to call us a bunch of renegades, but then they
found out the facts,” said Flying Tigers crew chief Ed Stiles, 88, of
Poland, Ohio. “Even though we were paid pretty good for what we were
doing, we were over there trying to protect a certain area from the
Japanese.”
Time has claimed almost all the Tigers, including their most famous
member. Retired Texas Air National Guard Brig. Gen. David Lee “Tex” Hill
died last year at 92 in San Antonio. He shot down more than 18 planes.
A crowd of military and civilian Flying Tiger aficionados gathered
Friday at the History and Traditions Museum at Lackland Air Force Base
in San Antonio for the reunion of some of the remaining members of the
unit. They were surrounded by dozens of adoring fans armed with photos,
posters, autograph pens and cameras.
“It’s something special — very, very, very special,” Gloria Cortez, 51,
of San Antonio, said after taking a picture of the Tigers. “It’s
history. History sitting right here in front of you.”
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Civis Romanus Sum
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