China visit underscores flying tigers' legacy

In 1937, Chennault carried out a survey of the Chinese military, finding that it had 500 airplanes, "but only 91 that could fly".

Four years later, he returned to China and recruited a group of young men, forming the First American Volunteer Group, later known as the Flying Tigers.

More than 2,000 members of the Flying Tigers made the ultimate sacrifice while helping China, while thousands of Chinese lost their lives rescuing US pilots in distress.

Calloway, also CEO of Chennault Aviation and Military Museum, said she has heard many accounts of US pilots being saved by Chinese after their planes were shot down.

"That may not be an easy thing to do, but those Chinese risked their lives," she said.

Calloway added that one of the founders of her museum was a navigator on a bomber, who was rescued by Chinese after his plane was shot down.

"While the Chinese were getting him back to where his people were, they went through many villages …The chiefs of every village they passed through signed a banner of good wishes to the US navigator," she said.

"When he got back, the intelligence people said, 'Do you realize the village chiefs were putting their own lives at risk if the Japanese had been able to get hold of that banner they signed? The Japanese would have gone back and wiped out the villages'."

Calloway added: "These Chinese wished this soldier well, even though it meant they could be destroyed for doing so. To me, that means so much."