General Claire Lee Chennault And The Flying Tigers

Preface

A great accomplishment can only be achieved by a great man.

The smoke of World War II, and Japan's invasion of China, has long ago dissipated, but many heroic stories remain.

In the 1930's Japan's military was strong, and China was no rival. But the god of luck seemed to sympathize with China, sending a foreigner who had nothing to do with China - a retired American fighter pilot named Claire Lee Chennault.

Chennault's time in the military was marked by difficulty, including chronic health issues, such as partial deafness caused by prolonged exposure to the noise of plane engines.

Chennault loved flying. In the early 20th century, when bomber theory was main stream, Chennault followed his own unique insights and advocated pursuit aircraft. Sadly, his innovative thinking was ignored.

Soong Mei Ling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek, China's supreme commander at the time, sent an invitation letter to the retired Chennault. This letter changed both Chennault's and China's destiny.

This album of paintings is a tribute, dedicated to General Claire Lee Chennault, Flying Tigers, and all those who were willing to shed their blood and lay down their lives. It is because of their sacrifices and contributions, we may breathe in the air of democracy and freedom today.

The Beauty and Praise of Altruists Foundation

- Founder, Robert Young

前言

非常之功，必待非常之人。

二戰日本侵華戰火煙硝早已散去，但許多英雄事蹟至今仍然被人們傳頌。

1930年代，日本軍力雄厚，中國根本不是對手。但是幸運之神似乎同情中國，賜給她一位與中國毫無關聯的外國人-退休的美國上尉戰鬥機飛行員Claire Lee Chennault(中文名陳納德)。陳納德的軍旅生涯並不如意，且有慢性病的問題，例如長期受到引擎噪音影響，聽力受到損傷。

陳納德熱愛飛行，在20世紀初轟炸機理論為主流的年代裡，陳納德就有自己的獨特見解，提倡戰鬥機追擊術，但他的創新思維並未獲得重視。

當時中國最高統帥蔣介石的夫人宋美齡，給退休的陳納德一封邀請信。這封信從此改變他的命運，也改變了中國的命運。

我們製作這一本畫冊，向陳納德將軍、飛虎隊以及所有願意流血與失去生命的人致意，因為他們的犧牲奉獻，讓我們今天得以在民主的國度裡呼吸自由的空氣。

利他之美基金會 - 創辦人楊宜誠

楊宜誠（Robert Young）出生於台灣，並接受了早期教育，1985年來到美國，在中部密歇根大學獲得計算機科學碩士學位。

碩士畢業後返回台灣，受聘於Chevron台灣分公司擔任IT工程師。2008年，他從公司退休並移居美國，在洛杉磯期間他參與社區志工，為弱勢族群提供服務。

2016年，為了追求個人慈善理念，讓有需求的人得想更多資源，他創立了一個非營利組織─利他之美基金會，為鼓勵年輕人社區服務，基金會提供資源讓年輕人實踐自己設計的服務項目。作者與Los Angeles Mission, Youth Volunteer Corps, Katie's Krops, Chennault Aviation and Military Museum一直保持合作。

2021年是二戰期間美國來華志願隊，綽號"飛虎隊"成立80周年。作者邀請一位年輕的藝術家製作多張圖畫，描繪其指揮官陳納德將軍並予以紀念。

作者希望這些插圖能夠講述陳納德將軍與飛虎隊幫助中國抗日的英雄故事。此外，也向美國與中國人民之間建立的友誼表達致意，事蹟將永被銘記。