Allen Larsen

Born in October 1924, Allen Larsen is a veteran of the Flying Tigers and arrived in China 71 years ago.

He and William Dibble, a deceased member of the Flying Tigers, compiled an album titled China in the Eyes of Flying Tigers 1944-1945, which comprises photos he and Dibble took in Chinese cities including Kunming and Hangzhou.

"I hope that our introductions will inform you of the widespread interest and faith that we had in the alliance with China in WWII. This is a very important part of my life and I shall never, never forget," he said in his opening remarks in the news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

He also recalled that while in China, he asked his mother to send him a doll, which he later sent to a local 4-year-old girl in. About a year ago, the young girl who received the doll went to visit him in the United States.

They had a reunion on his 90th birthday. "So there were many people there who got to know the story of how the Americans and the Chinese interacted during the close of WWII," he said.

"I think that a military parade at the end of a war, such as World War II, is important for the recognition of those who participated in that conflict, who left their families, and some who never came back," he said.