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President Ma attends opening ceremonies of ROC Air Force Academy's Aviation Education Pavilion
2015-09-19

President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of September 19 visited the Gangshan Air Force Base in Kaohsiung City to preside over ceremonies marking the inauguration of the Aviation Education Pavilion at the ROC Air Force Academy. In addition to explaining the sacrifices and contributions of the ROC's armed forces in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the president also expressed hope that the establishment of the Aviation Education Pavilion will offer insight into this epic period of history so that ROC citizens will always remember the spirit of their forefathers, loyal and brave, in defending their country.

In remarks, the president stated that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROC's victory in the War of Resistance and Taiwan's retrocession, thus making the completion and opening of the Aviation Education Pavilion this year all the more historically meaningful.

President Ma remarked that during the War of Resistance, the ROC fought for eight bloody and bitter years despite their inferior equipment and insufficient forces compared to the well-trained Japanese. The ROC ultimately emerged victorious thanks to the determination of the armed forces and citizens who vowed to fight to the death. The Japanese military, he said, surrendered to the ROC military on September 9, 1945 in the China theater and on October 25 in Taiwan, ending 50 years of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan and returning Taiwan to the Republic of China.

The president said that some people believe that in the China theater, the number of Japanese casualties was comparatively small in what amounted to a Pyrrhic victory for the ROC, unworthy of celebration. In fact, however, Japan had a strong, modern, well-equipped army far superior to the ROC's. To be sure, of the 22 major battles in the War of Resistance, the ROC military lost more than it won. The Japanese military suffered just over 400,000 casualties in the China theater while ROC forces had 3.22 million casualties, including 268 commanding officers and over 20 million innocent civilians who lost their lives. The ROC's property losses were incalculable, he said.

However, the president stressed that during the eight-year War of Resistance, the ROC's armed forces and citizens were unwilling to surrender or compromise, and fought to the bitter end. They used a strategy of trading space for time, pinning down over one million Japanese troops and thus preventing them from entering the Pacific Theater. Former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said that one of the keys to victory in World War II was that the ROC went all out in its fight against Japan, preventing Japan and Germany from joining forces to create a unified front spanning Europe and Asia. That kind of spirit, the president said, wherein "it's better to die with honor than live in disgrace," and a willingness to pledge one's life in the name of resistance is what really shattered the enemy.

President Ma commented that the government's decision to hold a series of activities to commemorate the War of Resistance Against Japan was made not only to provide a record of the brutality and suffering of war, but also to teach a lesson. He said that expansionist aggression is a mistake that may be forgiven, but the truths of history cannot be forgotten. The government, he stated, has to date awarded over 7,000 commemorative medals marking the ROC's victory in the war, with over 500 medal recipients in mainland China. While the War of Resistance transpired many years ago, the sacrifices and contributions of those warriors on behalf of the nation will never be forgotten, he remarked.

The president also mentioned that in recent years the diaries of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) were made public, which has increased research into the history of the War of Resistance by local and foreign scholars. Over the past two weeks, quite a few foreign mainstream media sources have described this period of history, and have all noted that it was the Nationalist Government under the leadership of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek that led China in the fight against Japan. This is extremely important, the president said.

The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, also expressed his deepest gratitude and respect to Gao Yao-han (高耀漢), the son of Kao Zhihang (高志航), a martyred ace in the ROC Air Force, as well as veteran officers and airmen in attendance who were part of the Red Fox, Black Cat, and Black Bat squadrons.

The president then discussed the history of the ROC Air Force. He stated that in 1920 the nation's founding father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, established the Aviation Bureau in Guangzhou, marking the formal organization of the nation's air force. Generalissimo Chiang in 1929 established the Aviation Class in Nanjing, which in 1932 was expanded, renamed the Central Aviation School, and relocated to Jianqiao, Hangzhou. Many outstanding pilots were trained at this school, he said. Then on August 14, 1937, the Japanese Kanoya Naval Air Group invaded Jianqiao, and Kao Zhihang led a squadron of ROC planes that annihilated the Japanese forces. Four Japanese fighters were shot down, while the ROC didn't lose any, lifting national morale in the initial stages of the War of Resistance. This, the president explained, is how August 14 became known as Air Force Day.

The president stated that recently, on Armed Forces Day, the Ministry of National Defense held commemorative activities and screened a film it produced describing the formation of the Chinese-American Composite Wing, comprised of pilots from the ROC Air Force and the United States. The film depicted the composite wing's attack on a Japanese air base in which 42 Japanese fighter planes were destroyed in three minutes. The president mentioned that he was extremely pleased that descendants of pilots who were in the composite wing were in attendance, including the daughter of David Lee "Tex" Hill, Squadron Leader of the Flying Tigers, and the son of Flying Tigers Squadron Vice Leader Lee Hsueh-yan (李學炎). Pilot Wei Hsien-wen (韋憲文) was also present.

The president said that the Aviation Education Pavilion has been in the planning and construction phase for five years, with many interesting items now on display. The pavilion has eleven display areas including an airplane display area, aviation education display, and a multimedia theater. A total of 15 aircraft are on the display floor, with 19 aircraft suspended from the ceiling. The military aircraft on display are examples of airplanes used since the founding of the ROC Air Force, he said.

President Ma stressed that the Aviation Education Pavilion was established to pass down this historical heritage so that citizens will forever remember the loyalty and bravery of their forefathers in defending the country, and their spiritual example of sacrifice and contribution. The president also expressed hope that members of the air force will maintain their esprit de corps, devoted to manning their posts and making a contribution to the nation.

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