Why Chinese-Americans Flooded a Georgia WWII Veteran’s Funeral

The Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | June 13, 2017 | Joshua Sharpe

[Cecily]

When 1st Lt. Robert Eugene Oxford’s flight went down in 1944, he was carrying supplies from China over the Himalayas.

On Sunday, hundreds of Chinese-Americans poured into his tiny hometown of Concord, about 50 miles south of Atlanta, to honor him. His remains returned to Georgia last week 73 years after the mysterious plane crash in a remote ravine.

“These mourners went to honor a man who had sacrificed everything to defend a country to which he did not belong, a people that he did not know,” read a story in the Atlanta Chinese Life publication. “The 308th Bombardment Group that he was attached to carried out supply runs and bombing runs in support of Chinese ground forces.”

[DUMBGRUNT]

He clearly lived his beliefs.

His last will in China was recorded shortly before his death, reading:
Dear Commander Nie, Today I feel really bad. Probably I have to say farewell to you forever! Please send a letter to Tim Buck the General Secretary of Canadian Communist Party. Address is No.10, Wellington Street, Toronto, Canada. Please also make a copy for Committee on International Aid to China and Democratic Alliance of Canada, tell them, I am very happy here... Please give my Kodak Retina II camera to comrade Sha Fei. Norman Bethune, 04:20pm, November 11th, 1939.[22]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bethune

[Bookshelf]

Very nicely put.

[JoeProBono]

During World War II, Autry enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, and became a tech sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps. Holding a private pilot certificate, he was determined to become a military pilot and earned his Service Pilot rating in June 1944, serving as a C-109 transport pilot with the rank of flight officer. Assigned to a unit of the Air Transport Command, he flew as part of the dangerous airlift operation over the Himalayas between India and China, nicknamed the Hump.

[null and void]

You are so right and those words are all too seldom said.

I can't remember the last time I heard someone say "It's a free country" in response to "May I sit here?" (or some such)...

[zot]

Thank you for your posts #17 and #20 and for the links. Very interesting and informative.

[GreyFriar]

Thank you

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Holding a private pilot certificate, he was determined to become a military pilot and earned his Service Pilot rating in June 1944, serving as a C-109 transport pilot with the rank of flight officer.

I had not heard of the C-109. According to Wikipedea the C-109 was a "dedicated tanker version of the B-24 with six additional fuel tanks carrying 2,400 gallons of fuel." Hauling over 14,000 pounds of fuel over the hump sounds challenging.

[wetgundog]

My father and later some of his army buddies who became my uncles through marriage were members of the All Chinese- American USAAF Fourteenth Air Service Group stationed in China during WWII. I believe the 308th Bomb Group was a part of the 14th Air Force. It was Chennault’s command.

[GreyFriar]

Thank you. Several of the ‘Mississippi Delta’ Chinese-American soldiers were assigned to the 14th Air Force. They were among several ethnic Chinese in 3 support squadrons. I remember Ms. Cheng saying that one of the vets said “the Air Force expected us to speak Chinese, we did, but that of southern China, not from where we were assigned around Chunking.”