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My Hero and the “Hump Pilot”:
Dr. Robert Moore
Honoring Veterans on the 80th Anniversary of WWII Victory in Asia
by Kun Shi
When we celebrate the World War II victory and honor the veterans, the focus is often on the European Theater fighting against the Nazis. But the Asian (Pacific) Theater against the Japanese is equally important to the victory of WWII. The collaborations between the Americans and Chinese were vital (in addition to the “A-bombs”) to the victory that forced Japan to officially surrender on September 2, 1945. President Truman declared that day as the “Victory over Japan (or V-J) Day”, while China (both PRC and ROC) has observed the WWII victory day on September 3.
The Hump Mission (Supply Mission over the Himalayas)
The American support to China during WWII was largely through airpower and military supplies, with significant loss of personnel. Many people have heard about the “Flying Tigers” in China during WWII, and OLLI members may have read my 2022 article in the OLLI Connects online magazine (a link is provided at the end of this article). But few people have knowledge of the “Hump Pilots” whose contribution to the war efforts was just as important.
When the Burma Road was cut off by the Japanese in May 1942, the only supply line for the Chinese forces and the American airpower inside China was through the Hump Mission, transporting military supplies from southeast India to southwest China, mostly to Kunming which was the headquarters for the Flying Tigers. The mission was essential in winning the victory but at high cost. Due to extreme weather and terrain in the Himalayan Mountains, almost 600 planes crashed from May 1942 to August 1945, with more than 1,600 personnel killed or missing! No wonder it was called the “Skyway to Hell.” According to records from the Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Park, 2,590 American names are listed as martyrs, and more than half of them were the Hump pilots and crewmen.
Dr./Lt. Robert Moore is a Hump pilot who flew 96 missions in 1944-45 transporting supplies over the Himalayan from India to Kunming, the city of my birthplace. I am grateful to people like Dr. Moore who risked their lives to help the Chinese.
Honoring My Hero and Friend – Dr./Lt. Moore
I have been fascinated by the stories of the Flying Tigers and Hump Pilots, and visited five of the six Flying Tigers Museums in China. I often tell my relatives and friends that we should be grateful to the Americans who supported China during WWII, saving countless lives of my parents’ and grandparents’ generations. Over the years, I met a few such heroes and became friends with two of them: General Arthur Clark in Chapel Hill, NC (who passed away two years ago after turning 100) and Dr./Lt. Robert Moore, aged 101 residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Dr. Moore’s life story was well documented by the Pinellas County Schools where he worked for 35 years as a teacher, principal and the school board president. He is such a humble person that few people knew about his heroic service in WWII. His legacy as a Hump pilot became known three years ago, at the age of 98, when he went to Washington DC to speak about the Hump pilots at the National Air and Space Museum.
I was honored to be invited to Dr. Moore’s 100th birthday celebration in February 2024. I shared my gratitude to him, and everyone was impressed that his contributions 80 years ago are still treasured by the Chinese. Since then, I have made numerous trips to see him at his home in St. Petersburg and listened to his stories from the war. He said he had little memory of Kunming because he would fly back right after the supplies were unloaded. The only time he was able to see Kunming was when his C-46 plane was damaged accidentally while taking off. He is also interested in learning about Kunming today and hearing my stories.
In addition to the pleasant conversations we enjoyed, I planned tea parties and live music for Dr. Moore and his family. The two tea parties were hosted by my friend Xinlu Li and my brother-in-law Tikang Ou, both of whom are licensed tea masters. He and his family were pleased with the unique tea experiences, but they were particularly impressed by the live music played by the retired musician Mr. Baozheng Li, who played music with three traditional Chinese instruments: erhu (two-stringed Chinese violin), dizi (bamboo flute) and Hulusi (gourd pipe). It was truly a mini private concert!
Two years ago, I visited the Guilin Flying Tigers Museum, which has a separate glass building displaying a C-47 plane used to transport military supplies from India to China during WWII. (Dr. Moore was pleased to know that it is on display for Chinese visitors.) It was donated by Florence Fang, and became the last Hump-era plane to fly over the Himalayan Mountains in 2016, before it reached its destination in Guilin.
It is worth mentioning the Nujiang Hump Mission Memorial Hall in Lushui County of western Yunnan province is the only place that displays a crashed Hump-era plane (C-53) which was discovered near Myanmar in 1996. The Memorial Hall opened in 2005, with a sign carved in the handwriting of Anna C. Chennault, wife of the Flying Tigers Commander, General Claire Lee Chennault. The pilot of the crashed C-53 was Jim Fox assisted by two Chinese crew.
Promoting the WWII Spirit and Peace
At almost 102 years old, Dr. Moore is admirable for continuing to share his WWII stories with peace in mind. A few years ago, he wrote to a Chinese diplomat, stating, “Friendly and cooperative relations between our two countries are essential to world peace and survival….”
On May 22, Dr. Moore and I gave a presentation on the Flying Tigers and Hump Pilots for the St. Pete World Affairs Council, attracting about 60 participants. His strong voice and unique story drew loud applause from the audience. I felt so honored to co-present with him to honor all WWII veterans, especially the Flying Tigers and Hump Pilots.
Dr. Moore was invited to China ten years ago to attend the 70th anniversary of WWII victory (called “Victory of War against Japan” in China). He went and received a medal. He is invited again to go this year for the 80th anniversary but is unable to travel due to his health. However, his daughter Wendy will go on his behalf. I sincerely wish that Dr. Moore’s relationship with me and other Chinese will have a positive impact on the relationship between our two peoples and help maintain peace. My best wishes to Dr. Moore and his family!
Kun Shi holds a Masters Degree in cultural anthropology from The Ohio State University. He worked as a program evaluator for an Ohio state agency between 1999 and 2005 and was program director at the OSU K-12 Chinese Flagship Program from 2006-2010 and for USF World from 2010-2019. He has taught OLLI classes since 2011 and was awarded the Faculty Roll of Honor in 2016. He is a co-coordinator of the OLLI-USF China SIG.
The Flying Tigers in WWII
By Kun Shi
Click the image above to access Kun’s article on the Flying Tigers. First published here in 2022, the article provides detailed written and video information about the history of the Flying Tigers and their commander General Chennault as well as a personal memoir from aerial recognizance photographer, General Clark, who had just celebrated his 100th birthday. Kun also shares the story of two American pilots who served as members of the Tigers. And to finish off our commemoration of WWII American airmen serving in the Pacific Theater of War, don’t miss this month’s Observer for another memoir by a tailgunner who ran 30 bombing missions over Japan, also flying the same route over the Himalyan “Hump.”
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