嘉兰惠：让飞虎精神永存

作者：嘉兰惠  来源：中美印象

感谢云南省外办主任浦虹女士，还有我的密友李岩竹，感谢她们安排我今晚与各位见面。

每个人都有深受激励的人或事。在了解到我的祖父克莱尔·李·陈纳德将军对我们世界的贡献时，我深受鼓舞。人们经常问我，祖父有没有对我说过他在中国的故事，或者他做过的伟大的事情，我的回答总是这样：对我来说，陈纳德将军只是一个祖父，是一个会听孙女讲故事的祖父。我是从母亲罗斯玛丽·陈纳德的口中才得知家人因祖父去中国而做出的牺牲。

我和母亲2002年第一次前往中国，出发前我们不知道在中国  等待我们的将是什么。当时中国人民的热情接待让我们大受感动，更重要的是，那次旅行让我们听到了中国人在日本占领的14年中所遭受的巨大痛苦和牺牲的故事。我们终于明白了为什么祖父当时觉得他必须留下来帮助中国人民。同时也认识到，鲜有美国人知道这些牺牲和故事，我们应该努力让这些故事不仅在中国，而且在美国得到讲述，这是非常重要的。

我的祖父不能亲口讲述自己的故事了，我的母亲也不能了。因此，代表他们发声对我来说尤其重要。

中美关系是当今世界最重要的关系。我祖父曾在1949年的回忆录《战士之路》中写道:

“我最大的希望就是看到飞虎标志作为太平洋两岸伟大人民为战争与和平共同目标而奋斗的象征，始终高高飘扬。”

我们必须记住，当像兄弟一样并肩作战，打败这个世界上最强大的敌人时，我们获得了什么。没有这场胜利，我们今天就不会在这里了。

今天，我们有责任共同努力来实现繁荣、稳定、尊重和理解的共同目标。这些目标并非不可能实现。我们曾经开山辟路修建补给线；我们学习外语以更好地理解彼此；我们跨越大洋，抵抗重力，保护我们的家园和亲人。我们都成功了。

今天，我们面临着巨大的挑战。因此这个75周年非常重要。我们必须继续巩固在战争和胜利中形成的关系，这样我们的后代才能够过上我们这辈人享受过的生活。我们可能没有山路要开，也没有大洋要跨越，但我们必须共同努力，建立对彼此文化差异的理解和欣赏，并教育所有年龄的人不仅要了解过去的历史，还要了解如何利用这段历史来改善子孙后代的未来。

我曾带家人来过中国。现在，他们也可以成为为中国人民的善意和慷慨发声的使者。各位也是可以发声的使者，你们的声音对我们两国的未来至关重要。国家关系是以人民为基础的。尤其是年轻人，他们将成为未来的领导者，我们必须告诉他们这段共同的历史。

我祖父的精神遗产使我意识到一个人可以做些什么来改变世界。我只是一个人，但我相信我们能够面对今天的挑战，克服分歧。我向各位保证，我将继续努力工作，做出改变。今晚，我想向在座的每一位发出挑战，希望你们也能做出自己的贡献。只要我们携手努力，就可以建造和平和理解的桥梁，为子孙后代创造一个更美好的世界。

嘉兰惠书面致辞（英文原文）

I want to thank Ms. Pu Hong, the Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office and of course my sweet friend Bernice Li for arranging for me to meet with you this evening.

We all have someone or something that has inspired them. As I learned about my grandfather, General Claire Chennault and his contributions to our world I have been inspired. People that I meet often ask me if my grandfather would tell me tales of his travels to China or any of the amazing things he accomplished and I always tell them, that to me, General Chennault was just a grandfather, he listened to my stories when I was a young girl. It was my mother, Rosemary Chennault, his daughter who told me of the sacrifices that were made by his family when he left for China.

When my mother and I traveled to China for the first time in 2002 we did not know what to expect. We were overwhelmed at the warm reception that we received from the Chinese people but more importantly we were told stories of the great suffering and sacrifice of the Chinese during the 14 years of Japanese occupation. We finally understood why my grandfather knew that he had to stay to help the Chinese people. We also understood that very few Americans know of these sacrifices and how important it was for us to work hard to see that these stories were not only told in China but also in the Unites States.

My grandfather no longer can tell his story and my mother’s voice has been silenced as well. This is why it has become so important to me to be their voice.

The relationship between China and the United States is the most important relationship in our world today. In my grandfather’s words that he wrote in his memoirs “Way of a Fighter” in 1949 he said;

It is my fondest hope that the sign of the Flying Tiger will remain aloft as long as it is needed on both shores of the Pacific as the symbol of two great peoples working toward a common goal in war and peace”.

 We have to remember what was gained when we fought together as brothers to defeat one of the greatest enemies the world has ever known. Without this victory we would not be here today.

It is up to us today to work together toward our common goals: prosperity, stability, respect and understanding. These goals are not impossible. We once moved mountains to build supply lines. We learned foreign languages to create better understanding. We crossed oceans and defied gravity to protect our homes and families and we succeeded.

Today our challenges are great. That is why this 75^th anniversary is so very important for us to remember. We must continue to build on the relationship that was formed during a time of battle and of victory so that our future generations will have a life like we have all enjoyed. We may not have mountains to move or oceans to cross but we must fight together to build understanding and appreciation for each other’s cultural differences and educate people of all ages not only about our history but how this history can be used to enhance the future for our children and grandchildren.

I have brought several of my family members to China. Now they too can be a voice for the kindness and generosity that was shown to them by the Chinese people. You all have a voice and this voice is vital for the future of our countries. It is the people where the relationships are formed. Especially our young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow that we must teach about our shared history.

My grandfather’s legacy is what has inspired me to realize what one person can do to try to change the world. I am only one person but I believe that we can face today’s challenges and overcome our differences. I promise you that I will continue to work very hard to make a difference and I want to challenge each and everyone here tonight to do the same. We can build bridges of peace and understanding to give our children and grandchildren a better world.

翻译：赵凌菲  李岩竹

来源时间：2020/9/25   发布时间：2020/9/25

旧文章ID：23074