Feature: U.S. veteran's memoir records Chinese band of brothers

A Chinese medical student's work stint in California this year turned up a remarkable decades-old bond with his hosts.

When Zhang Jin, a medical student from Beijing, came to study in San Diego, California, he had trouble finding accommodation.

Chief resident physician Matthew Thomson opened his home to Zhang, and revealed a wartime link - Matthew's grandfather had helped China fight the Japanese aggressors in southwest China during the Second World War.

"Just imagine - an American fighting alongside the Chinese against invaders, and 70 years later his grandson works with and kindly helps a Chinese medical student," Zhang said.

Another nice surprise is an unpublished memoir showed to him by Matthew Thomson. Written by Matthew's grandfather, it recorded the atrocities committed by Japanese troops and friendship between U.S. and Chinese soldiers.

JOURNEY TO THE EAST

Matthew's grandfather was U.S. Army Captain Leonard Thomson, who served in the U.S. Expeditionary Force in China. He signed up in November 1942 and trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as an artillery field officer.

During the war, many United States personnel served in air, artillery and military training units to support the Chinese army's fight against Japanese invaders.

In 1944, Leonard took a ship through the south Pacific to India, and then flew to Kunming, southwest China, via "the Hump" route over the Himalayas.

In his memoir - titled "China: An artillery officer's view of World War II" - he recorded his time as a first lieutenant with the 30th Field Artillery Battalion in China's provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Hunan.

EARNING RESPECT

Leonard was impressed by China's resolution to fight Japanese aggression, especially under harsh conditions. "Every person had suffered greatly and given much. All things were scarce or nonexistent, even Chinese herbs and salves were hard to find."

However, he found the Chinese to be "very quick to learn, and we were rapidly getting into good shape." Leonard trained his battalion on 75-mm Pack Howitzers and the troop was soon ready for combat. Visiting U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace praised them after watching a live-fire drill.

Leonard began to blend in with his men. He had learned Chinese at the University of California at Berkeley, from teachers including a lady-in-waiting of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In China, he learnt the culture and "spent many nights with my officers and families and villagers so I could become more like a Chinese in my thinking and actions."

He and his troops together marched along muddy roads, pushed mules loaded with Howitzer parts, and ate whatever they could forage. He asked his aide not to tell him what the meat was, but he knew they had eaten dog, rodents and even grasshoppers. "They were all edible and good. So it proves that a lot of our likes and dislikes are only in our minds."

The men grew to respect Leonard during their shared hardships. They helped each other and he knew his men would take care of him. "Real friendship is always something that one has to earn or win - it never can be ordered or purchased," he wrote.

ENEMY CRUELTY

He also recorded the cruelty of Japanese troops in China. When the 30th Field Artillery Battalion finally reached the frontline, Leonard found it "to be in a real mess".

The Japanese took "comfort women" with them, and if the women were unable to keep up or became sick, they were brutally murdered. The Japanese would use their swords to slit the women open from the crotch to the ribs, he wrote.

"It was revolting, I had never witnessed such outrageous, ruthless cruelty. ... it's no wonder the Chinese hated them so intensely. And the more I witnessed, the more I hated them."

In one hard-fought battle among very steep hills, the artillery had a particularly difficult task. The Japanese held several hilltops and had the advantage of height. Many men were killed or badly hurt. After two days Leonard's troops and the infantry had made no real progress.

After contacting the air force, planes of the "Flying Tigers", the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, bombed the Japanese positions. "So we could move forward and continue our fighting, and we were able to kill many Japs and force the rest to withdraw. A great victory!"

The Chinese counterattack in 1945 pushed Japanese army back eastward. Leonard and his battalion moved forward slowly and liberated small villages. "I found the Japanese to be the most savage, inhuman, cruel, wicked, depraved creatures alive. They absolutely hated to leave anything or anyone alive when they retreated."

CHERISHED MEMORY

After Japan's surrender, Leonard returned home and recorded his experiences. In 1978, he and his wife went to China as tourists, and visited Yunnan Province and other places. He died in 1998.

Matthew said his grandfather never talked much about the war. Now Matthew too has learned some Chinese, and plans to visit China to see where Leonard fought with his Chinese band of brothers 70 year ago.

Zhang's grandfather is a radio engineer who also served in China's air force in Yunnan Province during the Second World War. "It's amazing and quite moving to read this memoir. Such memories should be preserved and cherished by both sides," Zhang said.

China invited veterans and their relatives to join the V-Day parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the war's end. They included former "Flying Tigers" personnel. Endi