Dan Petach poses on Monday with a sculpture of General Claire Lee Chennault, commander of the Flying Tigers, or the American Volunteer Group, during WWII in China helping the Chinese fighting Japanese aggressors. Dan's uncle John Petach served in the Flying Tigers in China. An exhibit, titled Welcome Home, Flying Tigers, is being held on July 27-28 at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. [Photo by Chen Weihua/China Daily]

Wei reminded everyone that former Chinese president Hu Jintao once said that the Chinese people would never forget the Flying Tigers, who risked their lives to help the Chinese.

US President Barack Obama also said the American people would never forget that when the Japanese shot down Flying Tigers, the Chinese people rescued and saved them.

"Our hope is that by showing the pictures and exhibits, more and more people will know about the stories and sprit of the Flying Tigers," Wei said.

"We want this to be a bridge for the growth of the friendship between China and the US,"Wei added.

Wei Xiuning is the daughter of Wei Lihuang, who was one of China's most successful military commanders in the fight against the Japanese invaders throughout WWII.

The program is jointly authorized by Sino-American Aviation History Heritage Foundation, the American Camellia Cultural and Educational Tour, Yunnan Flying Tigers Research Institute and the Hong Kong War History Research Association.

The Yunnan delegation has already been to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Chicago. Their next and last stop is New York.

On Sept 3, a group of Flying Tiger veterans will go to Beijing, where they'll meet President Xi Jinping, according to Greene.

Zhang Andi in Washington contributed to this story

leshuodong@chinadailyusa.com