"Thank you for 1944" : a Chinese Mystery

[Story]

The postcard arrived in Ed Denzler's mailbox in Pearland last month, a mystery from his past nestled among the routine bills and coupons.

Addressed in neat block letters to Denzler, the handwritten note reads, in English: "It takes a strong man to save himself, a great man to save another. Thank you for 1944. From China."

http://www.chron.com/default/article/Thank-you-cards-from-China-pose-mystery-for-WWII-2217926.php

 

[HeyMoe]

Very cool!

 

[Steven180]

Intriguing and very poignant. It's good to know that these gentlemen were remembered by the children of those they sought to help.

M.

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

Very cool indeed. But actually not surprising. I took a semester of Chinese last year, and our instructor was a young Chinese post-grad student. While we had some strong differences of opinion on some things (just mention Taiwan or Tibet and watch the fun begin), there was one thing that we were pleasantly surprised by. And that was how emphatically grateful he was for American help in defeating the Japanese. I don't have the foggiest idea of specifically how many places in China pay respect to American war dead, but I know of two. The Nanjing Memorial Cemetery to the Anti-Japanese Aviator Martyrs (yeah, the name is wordy, but the sentiment is strong) commemorates dead pilots from the U.S., China, and the Soviet Union. There is also a museum (still in it's initial phase it appears) to the Flying Tigers in Guilin, China at the site of one of the Tiger's airstrips.
http://www.flyingtigerhistoricalorganization.com/