The “Chinese Republic Army Veterans Care Center,” a group in mainland China and the United States that focuses on caring for veterans who fought against Japan, is currently actively searching for the remains of an American soldier who supported the Chinese people during World War II.
According to a member of the organization, Wang Li, the incident occurred more than 80 years ago during World War II. A young American named James Brown, the only son of his family, had a passion for flying. One day, a friend of his at Pan American Airways told him about a distant country called China that was independently resisting Japanese fascists on the Asian battlefield during World War II. The friend said to him, “China needs you.”
Because of those five words, James was deeply moved and selflessly threw himself into the war against the fascists in China. Unfortunately, just over a month after arriving on the Chinese battlefield in November 17, 1942, the China National Aviation Corporation’s Flight 60, carrying weapons, crashed in the Cangshan Mountains of Dali, Yunnan, on its way back from India to Kunming. The three crew members, including Captain John (American), Co-pilot James (American), and radio officer Yang Guangliu (Chinese), all went missing.
“This is a tragic story,” said Wang Li. “More than 80 years have passed, and James’ relatives have been tirelessly trying to bring him back home. His 97-year-old cousin, Bob (also a World War II veteran), has been eagerly hoping for this.”
Wang Li hopes that as a public service organization, they can do their part and appeal to the Chinese government to bring the remains of the World War II hero pilot back home. At the same time, she calls on the U.S. government to elevate this act of family searching for loved ones to a governmental level and fulfill the wish of veteran Bob during his lifetime.
“This is not about politics, it’s about humanity,” Wang Li emphasized.
Those interested in supporting can contact the “Chinese Republic Army Veterans Care Center” at samsung6058nyc@gmail.com, or contact James’ cousin Bob at willettr@att.net, or call the Chinese phone number: 9297046058. In China, the person in charge of the search for remains is Sun Chunlong, reachable at 18669039681.