一百年多年前，国父孙中山(1866－1925)在为挽救民族危亡，领导中华民族推翻封建帝制的革命过程中，获得众多海外华侨在经济和道义上的大力支持。“华侨是革命之母，没有华侨，就没有中国革命。”这是孙中山先生对华侨在近代民主革命中的历史地位和功勋所做的高度评价。此赞誉在不同历史背景下经历过无数人的解读，但海外华侨、华人始终是连结母国的桥梁，这一点是确凿无疑的。
而在这些“革命之母”中，就有知名美国华侨侨领容嵩光（1870—1950）家族。容氏乃广东香山县斗门龙坛村人（如今的珠海斗门区）。父亲容泗卓是当地的小摊贩，性格温和又略通医术，常为村民们排难解忧，深受乡亲们的拥戴。伯父容斯馨曾资助太平天国，起义军失败后被迫逃亡。容嵩光自幼受伯父革命思想熏陶，1881年，年仅11岁的少年容嵩光以“契约劳工”身份，跟随伯父远涉重洋赴美谋生，其间历尽了人间疾苦。
In the history of aviation development in the early-20th century, Tom Gunn was one of the greatest Chinese aviation pioneers. He was the very first Chinese individual who achieved the “FAI – Fédération Aéronautique Internationale” license. He not only created a new type of hydroaeroplane, but also won the international award.
In order to revitalize Chinese aviation industry, American-born Tom Gunn crossed a long journey to China to follow Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s revolution to overthrow the feudal warlords.
This paper tells the heroic yet little known stories of some Chinese women who served in the US army during WWII and after.
Lau Sing Kee (1896-1967), a World War One hero who served in the 77th Division of US Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre. Although he was the first Chinese American to be decorated for his bravery in war, Lau Sing Kee is not even well-known in Chinese American Communities. Stevie Wonder, however, has immortalized him in his song “Black Man.” The lyrics are, “Who was the soldier of Company G who won high honors for his courage and heroism in World War 1? Sing Kee – a yellow man.”
While many people believe that Feng Ru was the father of modern Chinese aviation, there were many other people who had also made outstanding contributions to the aviation industry in China. Wong Tsu, for instance, was one of the talented students who had been sent by the Beiyang Government to MIT and was praised as “the first and best engineer” of the Boeing Company.
刘成基（Lau Sing Kee， 1896-1967）第一次世界大战入伍[1]，是第一位荣获勇敢奖的美国华裔军人[2]。然而即使在华人社区他的事迹也鲜为人知。美国70年代最著名歌星万德（Stevie Wonder）通过他的“黑人”（Black Man）名曲特别褒扬了这位杰出的华裔[3]. 歌词是这样的：“G连有这样一位战士，他在一战中英勇作战，赢得至高荣誉，他是谁？他就是刘成基，一个黄皮肤的男人。”
The first Transcontinental Railroad in America was built from 1865 to 1869, which connected the east and west coasts of the American Continent for the first time in history. More than ten thousand Chinese immigrants worked on constructing the most dangerous segment of this railroad. In the treacherous terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, while enduring all sorts of extreme weather, Chinese construction workers toiled from dawn until dusk to blast tunnels, chip away granite cliffs, and lay hundreds of miles of track. Many of these workers perished under such dangerous conditions. However they were erased in history as “silent spikes,” as no Chinese worker was confirmed to have attended the ceremony to celebrate the railroad completion in May, 1869.
After the Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931), staged by the Japanese army and followed by the Japanese occupation of all three northeast provinces of China, overseas Chinese communities launched various activities to support the Chinese people’s fight against the Japanese invasion. They donated a great amount of money and materials, and sent their children back to join the Chinese army. Some organizations in the United States also raised funds and set up a number of aviation schools and training centers. Many young men went back to join Chinese Air Force after their graduation.
John Angel Chu was one of these overseas Chinese youth who were from different parts of the United States but joined together in China to fight against the Japanese invaders. They gave the best years of their life to the anti-Japanese cause, some even sacrificed their young life for the peace of the world.
On December 17, 1903, after over one thousand failed attempts, the “Wright Flyer 1”finally flew into the sky and started the era of world aviation. The success of the Wright Brothers attracted many aviation enthusiasts all over the world. Several Chinese in the United States were among those aviation pioneers who dreamed of flying into the sky. Ru Feng (aka Fung Joe Guey) was the first one who made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese aviation history.
在遥远的美国德州米德兰“美国空军历史博物馆”（CAF-American Airpower Heritage Museum Midland, Texas），有一块记录第二次世界大战中做出卓越贡献的《美国空军战斗英雄名人录》。Arthur Chin（1913年10月23日－1997年9月3日）是令人肃然起敬的诸多英文名中瞩目的一位，他就是击落日机12架的美籍华裔空战王牌英雄陈瑞钿，也是惟一一位被记录在美国空军名人堂的华人飞行员。