Our Veterans
C.K. Wong - Army Air Forces
C.K. Wong’s military service spanned three decades. Graduating from the Chinese Air Force Academy under the supervision of U.S. Army Air Corps instructors in 1935 under Major General C.L. Chennault, C.K. Wong was selected to join the American Volunteer Group, known as the “Flying Tigers,” in Rangoon, Burma. C.K. Wong received a direct commission as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps on June 4, 1943. Assigned to Headquarters, Fourteenth Air Force during World War II, C.K. Wong served as a combat pilot, maintenance officer, and chief of salvage operations. Following the war and transition to the newly formed U.S. Air Force, Wong continued his service as an instructor, interrogator, Chief of Technical Service Division, and Chief of Engineering Division, deploying to Korea for the Korean War and later Thailand in the early stages of the Vietnam War before retiring in 1966 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Kim Wing Ngai - Army Air Forces
Kim Wing Ngai (aka Ngon Ping Fong) came to the US at age 12 in 1934 along with two other boys from the same village, south of Canton, China. After a month’s journey, first by ship across the Pacific Ocean; then by train across transcontinental Canada; then by another ship from Halifax to New York, they arrived at Ellis Island where they stayed for about 3 weeks before they were allowed to join their families in New York City. Eight years later, in 1942, all three cousins would volunteer for military service and join the 14th Air Force 14th Air Services under Claire Chennault and serve in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre, defending China against Japan in WW2. Kim Wing Ngai (aka Ngon Ping Fong) served with 1157th Signal Corp Air Service Group and was part of the Chinese American Technical Unit. With the 1157th unit, he flew over the Hump from India to Yunnan, China in 1944. He served as a Radio Repairman for Airborne Equipment; he fixed radios on Flying Tiger aircraft in the Flying Tiger airbases in Yunnan, Guiyang and Chongqing. For his service, he was awarded the American Service Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and a World War II Victory Medal. A year after honorable discharge from military service, Kim Wing Ngai (aka Ngon Ping Fong) returned to his home village near Canton, China and got married to a girl from a nearby village. Five years later, he brought his wife to the US; and the two raised a family in New York City. In the 1960's, Ngon Ping Fong legally changed his name to Kim Wing Ngai, and his family also changed their last name from Fong to Ngai. After retirement, Kim Wing Ngai walked to the American Legion - Kimlau Post 1291 almost daily until age 93. Today, Kim Wing Ngai continues to live in New York City, at a Senior residence near the Seaport. He is 97 years old.
Doo You Wong - Army
Doo You Wong was born in Guandgong Province, Toishan, China in 1907. At 13 years old, he immigrated to the United States to attend school. He lived in Fairbank, AZ with his father and uncle and went to school in nearby Tombstone, AZ. In 1922, Doo You went back to China to start a family. His son, Lung Gay Wong, was born in 1925. Doo You returned to the U.S. in 1926 settling in the greater Los Angeles area to work for local families as a houseboy. Doo You was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1943, serving with the 4th Service Command at Fort McPherson, GA. He also served at the Venice Army Airfield in Venice, FL with the 14th Service Group, a team of 400 that was exclusively Chinese-American. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945. Doo You was reunited with his son in 1951 when Lung Gay immigrated to the U.S. Upon Lung Gay’s arrival to Los Angeles, Doo You helped his son purchase Sing Loy Laundry in Beverly Hills, CA and the Wong family home in L.A. Doo You passed away in 1965, survived by his wife Soon Hay, son, daughter-in-law Ngai Ying and his four grandchildren, Suey, Bowen, Edward and Arthur Wong.