Yuen Toy Chin (aka Edward CF Leung) - Army Air Forces
Yuen Toy Chin (aka Edward CF Leung) was born in China in November 1922. At age 15, he came to the United States, taking residence in Hempstead, New York where he attended high school. On January 27, 1943 Edward was drafted into the Army Air Force. He served at the Farmingdale Army Air Base, where his education continued in airplane and engine mechanics. Edward specialized in servicing the Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Following training, Edward was stationed in Greenville, Mississippi. Duties included inspection, maintenance and repair on the Thunderbolt warplanes. Edward is very proud of his work on the Thunderbolts: identifying damages and defects on the Thunderbolts, making repairs, rendering the warplanes airworthy for pilots and crews.
Edward spent 3 months in basic and specialized training (Private), then 12 months as a cook (PFC). He completed his military duty as an airplane and engine mechanic for 18 months (Corporal). He was awarded the American Service Medal and the World Wall II Victory Medal. On February 13, 1946, Edward received his Honorable Discharge, rank of Corporal, from the 4197th Army Air Force.
After discharge, Edward returned to China and married his first wife Soo Kuen Chin who passed in September, 1965. They had 4 children. In 1963, the family surname was changed from Chin to Leung.
In December 1966 Edward married Lai Ling Lee. They currently live in Brooklyn NY. Yearly, from January to April, they leave the chills of Brooklyn for a world cruise. Year 2020 being their 28th cruise!
Edward’s children (residence) are: son William (NY), wife Judy, granddaughter Marissa, husband Alvin and great-grandson Brendan. Daughter Verre (CA), husband Bill, grandson Robert and granddaughter Valerie. Son Gregory (NJ), wife Mei, twin granddaughters Aryelle and Eleya. Daughter Vera (NY), husband Hal, grandson Brian, wife Shannon and great-granddaughter Hayden, and granddaughter Nicole.
Schick Leung - Army
Early during WW2 Schick Leung worked in the merchant marine convoys supplying war materials to England. During 2 separate trips the ships were torpedoed by German submarines. Luckily, he escaped injury. He and other crew was picked up from their life raft by another ship. After escaping death twice, he decided to not risk another trip and stayed in New York. However, he was inducted into the Army April, 1943 and sent back to Europe to fight on land.
Records show he was in General George Patton’s 3rd Army, Battery A, 288th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. Battles and campaigns included Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge), Central Europe, and Rhineland. The 288th was sister battalion to the 285th which was massacred by the take no prisoners Waffen SS in Malmedy. Lucky to escape death again because there was a disagreement between the officers at a fork in the road. The 288th decided to take the road to Ambleve and the 285th took the road to Malmedy. Battle of the Bulge records show there were 19,000 deaths and over 85,000 casualties on the US side. German deaths were 15,700 and over 100,000 casualties. Battle of the Bulge was the largest and bloodiest single battle of WW2. Schick participated in the liberation of Paris, Dachau, and meeting up with the Russian army along the Elbe River.
Thomas Gee Kai - Army Air Forces
Thomas Gee Kai was born in Hok Village, Sun Ning District, Toishan, China and immigrated to the United States in 1932 at the age of 11. Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act he was detained alone at Angel Island for a period of 3 ½ weeks before being allowed to enter the United States. He joined his family in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he grew up, attending elementary, junior high, high school, vocational school as well as working in the family’s restaurant and laundry. When the United States entered World War II, Thomas joined the Army Air Force with basic training in Amarillo, TX, airplane mechanic school at Keesler Air Forces Technical School in Mississippi and post AM school at Venice Army Air Field in Florida. He was an airplane mechanic and attained the rank of Sargent serving in the 555th Air Service Squadron, 14th Air Service Group with the Flying Tigers. He was involved with the China Offensive and the India-Burma-China Defensive and received the WWII American Theater Campaign Ribbon, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon with 3 bronze stars, WWII Victory Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and 3 Overseas Service Bars. After the war, Thomas married Lorraine Pon of San Francisco and they had three children, Patricia, Timothy and Marion. The family moved from Santa Fe to Palo Alto, California in 1966 where he continued in the restaurant business. He was an active member of the Chinese Community Center of the Peninsula where he cooked for the Senior Luncheons, visited veterans and participated in service projects. He was able to attend several reunions of the 14th Air Service group and reconnected with service buddies. Thomas was grateful for the opportunity to grow up in the United States and was proud to serve his country.