巫少飛 胡晨敏
8月,是中國人民抗日戰(zhàn)爭、也是全世界人民反法西斯戰(zhàn)爭勝利之紀念。70年前的1942年,美軍杜立特行動后的中國營救活動,為此后的中美民間友好往來不斷續(xù)寫新的篇章。
受邀赴美
2012年5月2日晚上,鄭偉勇翻出了他從美國帶回來的各種紀念品及資料—就在兩天前,他還身處異鄉(xiāng)和一些有著共同關注點的美國人為了70年前那場驚心動魄的杜立特行動,交流資料,切磋體會,感受感動。
鄭偉勇是一名普通的浙江衢州人,從小著迷歷史,中學時代看了一本介紹杜立特行動的書,就開始對它產(chǎn)生濃厚興趣。大學畢業(yè)工作后,他利用閑暇時間致力于這段歷史的史料收集與研究。
他到過4個省,驅車8000多公里;他到過7架杜立特行動的飛機墜毀地點;他曾在2架飛機墜毀點找到飛機殘??;他到過30多位杜立特轟炸者降落的村莊……10多年來,鄭偉勇尋訪、考證,積累了300多萬字的史實資料與1000多張圖片,梳理了轟炸東京的16架飛機墜毀點,80名飛行員降落點,以及大量參與營救美國飛行員的中國人名單。
他通過互聯(lián)網(wǎng)、書信與杜立特轟炸者協(xié)會以及幸存者保持聯(lián)系,他甚至通過把12號機飛機殘片寄往美國,讓正在病中的12號機機長威廉·鮑爾得到慰藉。
鑒于鄭偉勇為研究杜立特行動所做的突出貢獻,杜立特轟炸者協(xié)會于去年年底發(fā)出邀請,請他參加“杜立特行動70周年”紀念活動。
處處是紀念
2012年4月16日下午,鄭偉勇到達美國俄亥俄州的代頓機場。未曾謀面的老朋友、杜立特轟炸者協(xié)會主任托馬斯·凱西熱情地邀請鄭偉勇坐上他的車,一同前往希望酒店。
一進酒店,5名杜立特轟炸者照片就映入了鄭偉勇眼簾。他們是:理查德·E·科爾、大衛(wèi)·J·撒切爾、托馬斯·卡森?格里芬、愛德華·約瑟夫·塞勒、羅伯特·L·海特。他們是杜立特行動仍然在世的成員,曾一起簽名感謝鄭偉勇所做的研究工作。鄭偉勇說,只有羅伯特·L·海特因身體原因不能參加這次紀念活動。
“美國人對參與轟炸東京的飛行員都很尊重?!编崅ビ禄貞?,4月19日,杜立特轟炸者協(xié)會受俄亥俄州厄巴納航空俱樂部邀請,前往參加早餐會。路上,警車開道。所經(jīng)之處,民眾車輛停下,厄巴納市民自發(fā)地站在路邊為他們一行人搖旗、鼓掌、歡呼?;爻痰穆飞弦嗍侨绱恕!懊绹癖妼Α?zhàn)老兵的尊重讓我深受感動?!编崅ビ抡f。
當年參加杜立特行動的有80名飛行員。杜立特轟炸者協(xié)會有一個折疊柜,這個柜子被分成了80個格子,每個格子里放著一只銀質的酒杯,每只酒杯上刻著一名飛行員的名字。其中,75只酒杯倒扣,5只酒杯正立,意味著行動親歷者現(xiàn)在只有5人還在世。柜子前放著一瓶行動指揮者詹姆斯·哈羅德·杜立特中校出生那年(1896年)生產(chǎn)的Hennessy葡萄酒?!暗鹊秸⒅木票€剩兩只的時候,那兩名活到最后的飛行員就可以把這瓶酒打開,開懷暢飲。”鄭偉勇說,這個柜子跟著協(xié)會四處展覽,見到它的人無一不唏噓感慨。
感受烽火歲月
4月17日一早,鄭偉勇一人先去博物館。一出門,他就遇到了坐在輪椅上的9號機領航員托馬斯·卡森·格里芬。兩人都對彼此的出現(xiàn)感到驚喜。盡管語言交流并不是很通暢,兩人還是緊緊靠在一起,拍下了珍貴的照片。
博物館草坪上陳列著20架與當年執(zhí)行杜立特行動同一型號的B—25轟炸機。除了鄭偉勇,現(xiàn)場還有很多美國的航空愛好者、普通市民正在參觀。一聽說鄭偉勇來自中國,馬上有人帶著他爬上了轟炸機,進入內部參觀。
一樣的發(fā)動機,一樣的艙內設施,鄭偉勇坐在機艙內,仿佛看到了當初那段驚心動魄的歷史畫卷。“以前只能通過資料,通過自己的想象去感受那次行動,這回是真的有了接觸?!标P于杜立特行動,鄭偉勇心中有了一個更為立體的概念。
4月18日,“杜立特行動70周年”紀念活動在俄亥俄州代頓美國空軍國家博物館舉行。鄭偉勇參加了系列活動,有B—25轟炸機飛行表演、電影《東京上空30秒》播放以及演講、簽名等。
演講感動美國朋友
鄭偉勇此番前往美國,帶了不少中國方面關于杜立特行動的研究書籍、對外交流資料和衢州風光畫冊。他把這些書分別贈給了空軍博物館、厄巴納大學和辛迪(1號機副駕駛員理查德·E·科爾的女兒,杜立特行動研究專家)。而鄭偉勇也收獲了不少以前未見過的珍貴資料。
15號機機械師兼投彈手愛德華·約瑟夫·塞勒專門委托鄭偉勇幫助尋找當年救他的“游富安”(音)。老人寫下“U、FU、AN”后說:“當年救我的這位中國人約十四五歲,個子不高,在浙江?!?/p>
5月2日晚上,回到衢州的鄭偉勇打開電子郵箱,一封來自美國的郵件已經(jīng)在他的收件箱里。發(fā)信人名叫博·博納特,他的叔叔是80名參與轟炸東京的飛行員之一,他正在寫關于杜立特行動的書。電子郵件說,4月20日,鄭偉勇在空軍博物館的演講讓他深信,這位來自中國的年輕人絕對有能力幫助他。
原來,在那天的中餐會上,鄭偉勇做了一場生動的演講,介紹了他在中國所做的關于杜立特行動的研究成果。15分鐘的演講結束,全場掌聲雷動。之后,每個遇見鄭偉勇的人都稱贊:“我太喜歡你的演講了?!边@些人中就有博·博納特。
鄭偉勇在演講中提及:“在那些風雨黑夜,當普通中國民眾知道從天而降的杜立特轟炸者是美國盟軍時,就立即盡全力為他們提供一切幫助。雖然當時中國民眾自己也生活在困苦和危險之中。他們幫助美國飛行員轉移到安全的地方,躲開日軍的搜捕,為他們治傷,給他們提供食宿和衣服。有的中國人還為之獻出了生命。有的整個村莊的人都因此被日軍殺害……”
許多美國人聽了鄭偉勇的演講后,表示這是第一次聽到來自中國百姓對此事的論述聲音。他們懂得記得中國人民的仁愛善良:“我父親(查爾斯·奧扎克,杜立特行動參與者,已逝世)所接受的慷慨幫助別人的教育已經(jīng)傳承到他的孩子們身上……”一位美國朋友說。
延續(xù)合作和友誼
與鄭偉勇同期赴美的除浙江省人民對外友好協(xié)會相關人士外,還有衢州江山的廖明發(fā)和紹興的賀紹英兩位年過七旬的老人——老人的父親都曾營救過杜立特行動中的美國大兵。
“杜立特行動是見證中美友誼的一個歷史事件,是中美成功合作的范例,我們要把這種合作和友誼延續(xù)下去?!痹卩崅ビ掳l(fā)表他廣受歡迎的演講之前,中國駐美國大使館參贊查立友表揚了鄭偉勇所做的研究工作,希望他早日把自己的研究成果寫成書,并叮囑他將中美之間這種友好交流延續(xù)下去,延伸開來。
“我這次最大的心得就是交流了很多資料,并交了很多朋友?!编崅ビ掠浿鴸肆⒂训亩?,將帶回來的資料一一保存好。在美國接觸到的大量信息,他還需要時間好好消化,然后慢慢糅合,讓他的杜立特行動研究更加深入、完整、飽滿。
“戰(zhàn)爭是殘酷的,而當年結下的友情現(xiàn)在還在溫暖著我們。戰(zhàn)爭年代開啟的中美民間交往一直延續(xù)到現(xiàn)在。這友誼應該——我想也會——在新一代人身上得到延續(xù)?!编崅ビ略诖D的美國空軍國家博物館的聲音還在回蕩……□
(本文照片由作者提供)
新聞鏈接:1942年4月18日,為還擊日本偷襲珍珠港,美軍16架戰(zhàn)機轟炸了東京等幾座城市,史稱杜立特行動。行動結束,有15架飛機飛往中國,大都迫降或墜毀在以浙江衢州為中心的地區(qū)。美軍人員得到中國百姓營救、安置,后安全回國;犧牲者被妥善安葬。
Seventy Years of Friendship
By Wu Shaofei, Hu Chenmin
The brave and breathtaking rescue of Doolittle Raiders carried out by Chinese people and army in Quzhou, southern Zhejiang in 1942 is a big chapter in the history of people-to-people friendship between China and America.
Zheng Weiyong, an ordinary citizen of Quzhou, first read about the 1942 rescue while he was in middle school. After college graduation, he began to study the rescue history and collect objects more seriously. He has traveled 8,000 kilometers through four provinces associated with the rescue and visited seven places where American bombers crash-landed. On the two spots, he found wreckages of the bombers. He visited villages that took in more than 30 Doolittle Raiders.
Over the past 10 years and more, Zheng Weiyong has collected objects and documents of more than 3 million words and more than 1,000 photographs. He sorted out the spots where 16 bombers crash-landed and 80 Doolittle Raiders landed. He has also put together a list of Chinese people who took part in the rescue operation.
He has kept in touch with the Doolittle Raiders Association and some raiders personally through letters and emails.
Zheng Weiyong received an invitation to participate the memorial events that would mark the 70th anniversary of the 1942 Doolittle Raid to be held in Ohio, USA. The invitation from the Doolittle Raiders was an expression of appreciation of Zhengs contribution to the study of the rescue history.
Zheng Weiyong arrived at Dayton Airport on the afternoon of April 16, 2012. He came with a delegation of Zhejiang province to honor the 70th anniversary. The delegation included Liao Mingfa from Jiangshan, Quzhou in southern Zhejiang and He Shaoying from Shaoxing, in eastern Zhejiang. Both were in their 70s and their fathers rescued Doolittle Raiders. As soon as the Zhejiang delegation stepped into the hotel, they say the pictures of the 5 survivors of the 80 raiders: Lt. Col. Richard Cole, Maj. Thomas Griffin, Lt. Col. Robert Hite, Lt. Col. Edward Saylor and Master Sgt. David Thatcher. They are now in their 90s. Zheng Weiyong said the five once wrote him a letter expressing their appreciation of his research of the rescue history.
Doolittle Raiders Association has a folding display cabinet. Inside the cabinet are 80 small cubicles, each for each of the 80 raiders. Inside each cubicle is a silver goblet. Each goblet has a name engraved. 75 goblets are placed upside-down but the heroes names can be read in the right way because each name is engraved twice. The five goblets still stand for five still alive: their names can be read right-side-up. In front of the cabinet is a bottle of Hennessy produced in 1896 the birth year of General Doolittle.
Zheng Weiyong explains that the cabinet has been exhibited in many places. People find it awe-inspiring.
Four days of celebration were planned April 17 through 20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force near Dayton.
On the early morning of April 17, Zheng went to the museum alone. He ran into Thomas Griffin in wheelchair. They recognized each other. They shook hands. On the lawn of the museum were 20 B-25 bombers, used by Doolittle Raiders in 1942. When people learned that Zheng was from China, someone immediately offered to take Zheng into a bomber for a tour. Zheng Weiyong had a historical moment. Looking at things inside the bomber, Zheng felt as if he had been back to 70 years ago.
On April 18, a series of commemorative events were held at the museum. Zheng Weiyong participated. At the lunch of April 20, Zheng gave a 15-minute talk about his research on Doolittle Raiders. There was long applause after the speech. Zheng mentioned in the talk that Chinese people did they could to help the Americans, giving food and clothing and medical help, providing shelters and rushing them to safety. Angered by the rescue, Japanese invaders retaliated and, in some villages, they killed all the residents for helping Doolittle Raiders.
Many among the audience remarked that it was the first time they had heard an account from an ordinary Chinese citizen.
Before the talk, Zheng Weiyong met with Zha Liyou, a diplomatic official of Chinese Embassy to the United States. Zha praised Zheng for his outstanding research and hoped Zheng would write a book on the big rescue to best promote the people-to-people friendship between China and America for future generations.
Looking back at his visit to America, Zheng Weiyong says that the biggest gain of the visit is that he has made many friends and received a new collection of information from America. He will spend time reading, digesting .□