People's Liberation Army welcomes 'Uncle Joe'
- Source: The Global Times
- [20:01 May 17 2009]
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The “Stilwell Road” links India to Kunming in Yunnan Province of China. It was built
during World War II so that the Western Allies could supply the Chinese.
Stillwell’s contributions to China’s successes in the war against Japanese invasion became symbolized by a supply road from India to China via Burma, later referred to as the “Stilwell Road”.
Recalled by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stilwell flew home with no ceremonies on October 19, 1944. He never had a chance to revisit his former companions-in-arms in China.
Stilwell died in Presidio, San Francisco on October 12, 1946.
With General Stilwell always remembered by the Chinese people, an exhibition room for General Stilwell was established in 1991 at his former residence in Chongqing, later refurbished into the Stilwell Museum in 2003: the only museum in China named after a foreign serviceman.
Established in 1992, the Stilwell Research Center is also located in the same city. The Stilwell International School and “Stilwell Post” website (www.sdwyz.com) have been established and a statue erected in Chongqing aimed at remembering the great friend of Chinese people.
Speaking on April 30 on China Central TV’s Dialogue show, Joseph Stilwell said, “As we have gone to Chongqing and other places, everyone has told us of their respect, friendship and admiration for him. The museum alone tells that because it’s the only one for an American in China.”
John Easterbrook, grandson of General Stilwell, said, “I’ve been to China many times since 1980. And without any exception, everybody we talked to and everywhere we go, when I mentioned my grandfather’s name, they all recognized him: from a 23-year-old tour guide in Wuhan to President Hu Jintao, who mentioned my grandfather in his speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the anti-Japanese war.”
The trip to China reinforced his belief that his grandfater is universally known and respected by the Chinese people as he respected and admired the Chinese people himself, Easterbrook reportedly concluded.