NANJING, China, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from JiangsuNow.

A commemorative event marking the 85th anniversary of the Flying Tigers' mission in China was held on July 16 in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province. The event saw the official launch of a specialized project dedicated to locating the remains and documenting the stories of Flying Tigers personnel who went missing while aiding China in the fight against fascism.

Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJseehEPkMs

In 1941, the American Volunteer Group (AVG) was formed, with members affectionately known as the "Flying Tigers." Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, the Flying Tigers and Chinese airmen shot down over 2,900 enemy aircraft and eliminated more than 66,000 enemy troops.

The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall serves as a solemn tribute to those who gave their lives. Its memorial monument is engraved with the names of 4,313 Chinese and foreign aviation heroes, including 2,605 American airmen who sacrificed their lives fighting in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

The newly launched project aims to collect historical materials and clues from both domestic and international sources to help uncover the fates of these lost heroes.

In his address, Jeffrey Greene, Chairman of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, stated that this transnational search project was a long and meticulous undertaking that would require long-term commitment and patient verification. He noted that if they could clarify the identities of the missing pilots and recover their remains, they would be able to provide comfort to the families who had been waiting for them across the ocean.

Founded in 1998, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation is dedicated to promoting the research and commemoration of aviation history between the United States and China.

The Foundation has provided a list of missing personnel to the Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall. Jiang Qinyuan, a staff member at the memorial hall, revealed that the list includes 113 names previously unrecorded by the museum, alongside approximately 300 entries that show strong correlations with existing records. The memorial hall and the Foundation will conduct joint cross-verification to complete the historical records of these airmen.