Chinese and foreign guests, including Nell Calloway, granddaughter of the founder of the Flying Tigers US General Claire Lee Chennault, pay tribute in front of the monument in the Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall in East China's Jiangsu Province on September 5, 2025. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall in East China's Jiangsu Province on Friday released the first batch of corrected and updated information for 62 US martyrs who fought and sacrificed their lives in the War of the Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), the Xinhua News Agency reported. Additionally, the names of 14 newly confirmed US pilot martyrs were also engraved on the memorial stele on the same day.

The revisions include corrections to the martyrs' names, dates of death, and official titles—many of which had been misspelled or inaccurately recorded due to incomplete historical archives. The supplements, meanwhile, include the newly added military ranks and dates of death for some martyrs, according to the report.

"Since the list of US pilots was published, individuals and organizations from home and abroad have voluntarily provided materials to us," said Xue Lian, curator of the Memorial Hall. "Based on years of research and through multi-channel inquiries and verification, we have compiled this batch of corrections and updated information."

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. 

During the War of Resistance, the Chinese Air Force received support from international aviation fighters from the US and other countries, and thousands of Chinese and foreign aviation warriors sacrificed their lives for justice, said Xinhua. The people of China and the US stood side by side against Japanese fascism, endured the trials of blood and fire, and forged a profound friendship, according to the report.

Foreign guests, including Nell Calloway, granddaughter of the founder of the Flying Tigers US General Claire Lee Chennault, visited the Memorial Hall on Friday. They toured a special exhibition on the history of US support for China and paid their respects at the aviation martyrs' cemetery. A collection of historical artifacts and documents donated by descendants of the aviators was also displayed.

Calloway paid respects to the statue of her grandfather, laying flowers at the Martyrs Monument, and donated an oil painting, according to the report.

"The Memorial Hall's in-depth research into the history of the Flying Tigers and the Chinese people's cherishing of the China-US friendship deeply moved me," said Calloway. She added that her grandfather's deepest hope was that the spirit of the Flying Tigers would endure on both sides of the Pacific and said that the younger generation has a responsibility to carry it forward.

The Memorial Hall is the first and only memorial museum in China dedicated to international pilots who fought against the Japanese aggression during World War II, Xinhua reported. It houses extensive historical materials about the joint efforts of the Chinese, Soviet, and US air forces in combating the Japanese invaders in China.

On September 3, 2024, the Memorial Hall first published a list of 2,590 US pilots who sacrificed their lives during the War of Resistance. The original names were engraved on memorial steles in 1995 and 2015, said Xinhua.

Global Times