Family members of a killed Chinese pilot pay homage to their loved one in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, the United States, May 12, 2019.(Xinhua/Liu Liwei)
EL PASO, the United States, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A formal memorial service was held Monday for 52 Chinese pilots killed during pilot trainings in the United States in the 1940s in a national cemetery in El Paso, Texas.
Sixteen Chinese relatives of the killed pilots as well as representatives from the event organizer, Long Yue peace charity development center in China, staff of Fort Bliss National Cemetery and local communities attended the event.
Ann Lee, relative of one of the killed Chinese cadets and initiator of the event, said at the memorial ceremony that every tomb of those killed Chinese cadets was engraved the words "Chinese air force," showing they were from China.
"Although they didn't have chance to be back to their homeland, their young lives were part of the history of Chinese air force fighting against Japanese invasion," she said.
James F. Porter, director of the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, told Xinhua that it's meaningful to commemorate those trained to go to war and gave lives for freedom.
"It's a great thing to have the families come here 70 some years later and get reintroduced to their loved ones and pay homage to them and find their resting place," he said.
According to Long Yue peace charity development center, there are altogether 52 Chinese pilots buried in Fort Bliss National Cemetery. After a year of hard work, the organization has managed to match 24 deceased pilot cadets with their family members.
People attending a formal memorial service for Chinese pilots pose for group photos in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, the United States, May 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)
Xia Hengfang, secretary general of Long Yue peace charity development center, said their mission is "to soothe the war wounds, advocate human care."
"I'm very touched today to see these people are finally able to pay respect to their beloved ones," she said. "Every life in war needs to be respected."
Xia said her organization is committed to finding relatives of other Chinese pilots buried in Fort Bliss.
The Fort Bliss National Cemetery is a land of 83 acres (about 33.6 hectare) within the Fort Bliss Military Reservation located near El Paso, U.S. state of Texas on the Rio Grande river across the U.S.-Mexico border. The adjacent Fort Bliss Army Post, with its headquarters in ElPaso, is the largest installation in United States Army Forces Command.