Photo exhibition in San Francisco honors China-U.S. cooperation in WWII

A photo exhibition opened on Friday in the San Francisco Main Library to commemorate CHINESE and American officers and soldiers who fought shoulder to shoulder against the Japanese invasion in World War II (WWII).

The exhibit, called "Looking for the Sealed Memories: U.S. CHINA Air Force Alliance -- War of Resistance," displayed photos that captured the lesser known stories of the CHINESE air force members who fought against Japanese troops not only on CHINESE territory, but also in the CHINA-Burma-India (CBI) Theater during the war.

The event was created by CHINESE American writer and WWII historian Ann Lee, whose uncle was a CHINESE air force cadet sent to Arizona for flight training more than 70 years ago.

A group of family members of CHINESE and American war veterans attended the exhibit and shared with the audience touching stories of how their fathers and grandfathers served both countries and displayed dauntless bravery in the war of resistance against the Japanese troops.

Lee said CHINA and the United States joined forces to fight against Japanese aggression in World War II, and one of their joint efforts was to send hundreds of CHINESE air cadets to the United States for flight training to become future pilots. Most of them went back to CHINA to fight in the Anti-Japanese War after their training.

John Easterbrook, grandson of Joseph Stilwell, commanding general of the U.S. Army Forces in the CBI Theater, said the exhibit is important because photographic evidence shines a light on the truth of historic occurrences, in this case U.S.-CHINA cooperation during World War II.

"It has been in darkness for too long," Easterbrook said, but "historical photographs are wonderful for documenting and exploring history, or developing or renewing friendships."

"We must all remember our history ... We must remember those who stood up for their countries in a time of need ... and their sacrifices," Easterbrook said.

He said that the exhibit demonstrated a segment of U.S.-CHINA cooperation during the war and that he hopes more people from both CHINA and the United States will know more about the episode in history.