Director-G​eneral Lai presents citation to WWII veteran William Seam Wong, U.S. Army, 14th Air Force (aka “Flying Tigers”), 407th Air Service Squadron

Last Friday, in Boston, MA, my father, William S. Wong and 2 of his fellow servicemen were honored for their service in World War II. My father was part of an all-Chinese American unit called the 407th Air Service Squadron.

The 407th Air Service Squadron was activated in November 1942 to support aerial operations in China. Army Air Force support personnel who were fluent in both the English and Chinese languages were needed to communicate easily with both Chinese soldiers and civilians. This service unit served a special mission: to assist American Flying Tigers pilots and to train Chinese Air Force ground crews to defend against Japanese invasion.

They flew the “Hump” (the lower range of the Himalayan mountains), drove the legendary Burma Road, performed troop transport, repaired planes, carried supplies where needed and did crash recovery. These Chinese American airmen contributed mightily to Allied success by maintaining aerial operations from airfields across unoccupied China.

I’m incredibly proud of my father and his fellow servicemen and I am so grateful for their service. But the thing that I am in most awe of is the strong bond and lasting friendship that these men created with each other.

Lasting friendships

My dad never really talked much about what he did when he served. Sadly, I didn’t ask too many questions. My exposure to this group was limited to the reunions these servicemen put together. Every 2 years, these men along with their spouses and family would reunite. They held reunions across the United States: New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle etc …. These reunions were pretty elaborate affairs that spanned 3–4 days. I was fortunate to be able to join my parents at several of these functions. What always struck me was just how close these men were decades after having served together. I’ve always marveled at the camaraderie and close bond they share.

Typically, bonds of friendship are formed with classmates, co-workers, our neighbors, etc…. My circle of friends encompasses all of those groups. Though I treasure all of my friends, I am sad to say that many of those relationships have dwindled simply to exchanging Christmas cards each year. It’s not that I don’t care about them because I do. That said, the bond that I share with them isn’t enough for me to make an effort to fly across the continent to get together with them.

Bonds formed in the military

This, however, is not true for my dad and many of the men he served with. Up until about 10 years ago, these men and their families made a concerted effort to get together every 2 years. I can count on one hand the number of friends for whom I would make that kind of effort.

Based on what I have observed with my father and his fellow servicemen, I think bonds forged in the military service are perhaps one of the strongest of all friendship bonds. My dad had spent a total of 5 years in the army; 3 of those years were spent with the 407th Air Service Squadron. In just 3 short years, my dad forged friendships that have lasted his entire lifetime. Friendships that are strong enough to motivate the men in the 407th Air Service Squadron to make the effort to get together for decades after they had served.

The legacy of their service

Is it lack of character on my part that I am not driven to maintain relationships in the same way as these servicemen? I don’t think so. I think that relationships forged in the military just cannot easily be recreated outside of that world. You could say that being in danger and being in combat is what cultivated that closeness, but I know from my dad that he was never in direct combat, so in this instance, that is not the driving factor.

Recipients Robert C. Hong, William S. Wong, Arthur Y. Wong

Regardless of the reason, these men served their country with honor and they chose to continue to honor each other and their accomplishments for many decades after their service. Their legacy is not only the service they provided to the Flying Tigers, but also the incredible connection they have to one another.

Photo courtesy of Istockphoto.com/allanswart

My name is Cheri-Ann and I have a new life. I’m migrating from a traditional career in engineering to a new career as a writer.

For me, writing a book was the easy part. Figuring out what to do with it once it was written is an entirely different story. Just to give you some background … I’m one of those people that likes to get their ducks in line before making a move.

This means when I set my mind on something, I tend to learn as much as I can about it. I’ve always believed that the more information you have the better off you are. So, in January 2014, I took on the task of learning as much as I could about publishing or self-publishing my book. I jumped on the Internet to research anything and everything to do with this topic. I bought multiple how-to books. I listened to a variety of podcasts.

You know what happened? PANIC STRUCK!

It was information overload; I had no idea where to start. Do I get a book editor? Do I get a literary agent? How do I find an illustrator? Copyright or no copyright? Don’t get me wrong; you can find answers to all those questions and more, but there are differing opinions and no definitive road map. My typical M.O. is to have a road map laid out with all the interesting points and hiccups that may be encountered along the way.

The road map to publishing was just too vast with too many detours and side roads you could take. It was overwhelming! So, rather than push through and persevere, I decided to take a different approach.

The road less traveled

The road that I’m on now isn’t one that I have tried in the past. By nature, I like to analyze and gather facts to make the best informed decision. I wouldn’t even venture down a path without at least some idea of where I was going.

This time, however, I’m trying something new. I started by putting my intentions out to the universe. “I am a successful author and I have many published books.” I trusted and am continuing to trust that if I take baby steps towards the goal of being a published author, doors will open and the path to take will reveal itself as I walk it.

Photo courtesy of Istockphoto.com/adamjit

Rather than lining up all the ducks, I’m choosing to swim with one duck at a time. By taking on just one element of publishing my book, I’m no longer feeling overwhelmed. I’m moving forward towards the goal and I’m staying flexible and open to things that come to me.

What will I be blogging about?

Through this blog, I plan to share:

1. The things I am doing to publish my book.
2. The things I am doing to establish myself as an author.
3. How changing one’s life isn’t as daunting as it seems.
4. Doors that open as I continue on this journey.
5. Who I am – so you have the opportunity to know me as a person as well as a writer.

Join me on this journey

Thanks for checking out my blog! Subscribe to my newsletter to find out what happened after I put my intentions out to the universe.

If you too are an aspiring author or you have navigated the well-trodden path of publishing I would love to hear from you.