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 My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco. (8 Replies, Read 15876 times)
puailihau
Posted on # August 10, 2010, 3:03 pm
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I was wondering if anyone would share a short story of San Francisco before leaving for Burma and China?

I went to the Hotel Bellvue, now The Monaco where according to RT Smith, pages 34-36, where CAMCO gave the AVG their "guises" and where some stayed.  I also went to the port where some of the AVG departed from.
Here is a link to pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/AVGLHG/AVGTOUROFSANFRANCISCO?feat=fl ashslideshow#5503672214928997778
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
chuckbaisden
Posted on # August 13, 2010, 2:26 pm | Post: 1
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:??:
Have no recollection of the hotel were we stayed, but remember going to the Top Of The Mark and recieving an 100 dollar advance payment and  buying an A4 leather flight jacket for $27.00.
I sailed with the first group of enlisted NCO specialists on the President Pearce. No pilots were with us. We arrived in Rangoon some time prior to the second group and was in Keydaw before they arrived in Rangoon.
Although we were allowed to keep our issued clothing, all U.S. government insignia had to be turned in.  Officers had to buy their own uniforms, which was theirs to keep. As the AVG was part of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, their dress uniform was worn by most of our pilots. I never saw anyone wearing a U.S. officers hat insignia until after our disbandment July 4th 1942.

Chuck Baisden
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
chuckbaisden
Posted on # August 15, 2010, 2:08 pm | Post: 2
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:cry:  Made boo boo on my flight jacket type. It was an A2. NOT A4
Sorry about that.
CHUCK B
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
chuckbaisden
Posted on # August 23, 2010, 5:15 pm | Post: 3
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My lasting impression of leaving the U.S. was seeing the impressive  Government Prison on Alcatrez Island followed by most of us stalwarts getting seasick and throwing up as we hit the open Pacific.  :squi:
Chuck B.
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
SilverDollar
Posted on # August 23, 2010, 9:46 pm | Post: 4
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Now that's a picture I'll be having trouble gettting out of my head tonight.  I can just see it now.  The world's greatest collection of volunteers all hanging over the ship's railing losing everything they ate for the last month.  :D

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Sometimes a handful of patience is worth more than a truckload of brains. Author unknown.  Found in a fortune cookie and that's the honest truth.
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
JohnnyJin
Posted on # September 20, 2010, 5:04 pm | Post: 5
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I am a Chinese American new to the forum. I am wondering how many of those heroes still alive today, strongly wishing to meet some of them and/or their siblings/children.
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
SilverDollar
Posted on # September 20, 2010, 6:49 pm | Post: 6
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Hey Johnny.  I believe there are 10 AVG members still with us.  If I've made a mistake, somebody please correct me.  Nice to have you here Johnny. 

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Sometimes a handful of patience is worth more than a truckload of brains. Author unknown.  Found in a fortune cookie and that's the honest truth.
IP: --   

My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
JohnnyJin
Posted on # September 21, 2010, 12:19 am | Post: 7
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Thank you so much and this website. I am currently living in Seattle, however going back and forth to Beijing. I work with the "China Friendship Association to the Foreign Countries " trying to reach an agreement with the leaders to restart the Hump Project from current mutual interests and perspectives. So far they have included me in the organizing committee for the 3rd session of the Project which means nothing but constant cultural and educational exchange and communication through younger generation to promote Sino-American friendship and relationship. I am a beginner myself willing to know and do more through future activities.
I need to study more from this site and go from here for my near future plans. If you or someone happen to know people in the US having been doing the same thing, please let me know. I'd like to get to know them to generate some common interests. I do have some literature from Chinese side both from China and Taiwan about Flying Tiger Missions. However, I do want to know more about how we can go together from there to the kids in the future.
If you have further info and literature to deliver through my email, I'd be so glad to collect them for my future work and research to help promote more activities for us now, and for those who were highly respected heros during the WWII.
Again, thank you so much.
zxjin2001@yahoo.cn
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My AVG Tour while visiting San Francisco.
SilverDollar
Posted on # September 21, 2010, 8:57 am | Post: 8
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That sounds like a great concern.  We can't let the Tigers go and get swallowed up by history and get lost.  Unfortunately, I'm not one of the site's experts on the AVG since I'm learning also, but there are a number of well informed folks that will be able to help you.  I don't know how much info you've accumulated, bbut one of the best places to start is the books written by some of the AVG members themselves.  I've got 4 of them and have finished one written by Charles Bond, a first squadron pilot.  I'm in the middle of Chuck Baisden's book, a third squadron armorer.  There's also one by Robert M. Smith and Frank Losonsky.  There are others but they're more difficult to find since a number of them are out of print.  There is one I wouldn't recommend and that's The Flying Tigers by Dan Ford.  According to the experts, there are too many inaccuracies to make the book unreliable.  Best to stick with thosse that were there and a number of members on this site.  Good luck with the project. 

                                                                Jeff

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Sometimes a handful of patience is worth more than a truckload of brains. Author unknown.  Found in a fortune cookie and that's the honest truth.
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