14^th Air Service Group	987^th Signal Company
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2006 Reunion website: 14ASGand987SOC.org	Contact: Susan Yu syu9815730@aol.com (301) 963-5789 Contact: Laura Chin 301-365-5679

Two Chinese American Units from WW II Coming to Washington DC for Memorial Day Weekend Reunion

The only two all-Chinese American units of WWII will be holding a combined reunion May 25^th through 29^th 2006 in Washington, DC. This is the largest group of Chinese American Veterans from any era to hold a regular reunion, and is composed of the 14th Air Service Group (ASG), 14th Air Force, US Army Air Corp -- part of General Claire Chennault’s famous Flying Tigers -- and the 987th Signal Company (SC), US Army. A banquet will be held at the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport Sunday May 28, 2006 at 7:00 PM, honoring these men. The veterans will tour the Washington, DC area, including the Library of Congress, the Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum, Arlington Cemetery, and the WWII Memorial. Veterans will be on-hand for interviews in English and Chinese during the reunion. Call Susan Yu or Laura Chin if you want to reserve specific times for interviews, for more information, or to reserve a seat at the Sunday banquet.

Chinese Americans veterans of WWII, for the most part, were in integrated units, and served in every branch of the military in every theater of war, including Europe, the South Pacific, the North Atlantic, and the China Burma India (CBI) Theater. The GI’s of the 14th ASG and the 987th SC were exceptions. Serving in segregated units, with a mix of white and Chinese American officers, they were organized for service in China as part of a war aid package for Chiang Kai-Shek's Chinese Nationalist Government.

The l4th ASG performed ground crew and crash detail duties for the 14th Air Force in most of the airfields in China. They were often just a few miles from the front, and many of the veterans recall days of intense shelling and firefights. They drove the Burma Road, flew “over the Hump" (the lower range of the Himalayan Mountains) in air transports, often without bomber and fighter escort or ground support, and only carried side arms for protection. The 987th SC formed two and four-man communication field teams, for the purpose of assisting American Army Infantry Liaison teams working with Chinese Army units. They deployed to remote locations, many times on horseback, along China’s border with Japanese-occupied French Indo-China.

The 14th ASG and 987th SC were a cross section of Chinese America in the 1940's. About half were American born, the other half, Hong Kong and China born. Some were graduates of American colleges, others had Chinese educations. A few were still high school students while others had well established businesses or careers. They hailed from large and small Chinese communities across the US. Army records show that they ranged from 18 to 36 years in age, though in reality, the youngest was 14 and the oldest was over 50. Some of these men had been “paper sons” - immigrating to America with false papers, and reported for duty when drafted for fear that their families would suffer deportation.

Two unit histories have been published, In the Shadow of the Tiger, the 407th Air Service Squadron, the first book ever written about Chinese American wartime service by veterans, and The 14^th Air Service Squadron Unit Histories. An autobiography, American Paper Son, has been written by Wayne Wong, 987^th Signal Company veteran.

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