San Francisco, August, 31, (People's Daily Online)--Five Flying Tigers veterans took flight on Monday from San Francisco and Washington D.C.to China for the upcoming military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

Ma Kuanchi, vice president of the US-based Flying Tiger Historical Organization said that totally 16 veterans got invited to take part in the parade. Due to their health, 5 of them finally made the participation come true. He told the reporter that these flying tigers were invited by Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States.

David Thompson, a Flying Tiger fighter pilot flew P-51S out of China's northwestern city Xi'an. He was shot down in July ,1945 and then was rescued by Chinese. He said that he was excited and honored to get the invitation.

Bill Behrns, a 95-year old pilot cannot fly to China this time. He told the reporter that "I want to be in the parade. I am sorry that I cannot go. " He said that his friend from the church even asked him to stay good for the ceremony in Beijing. "Maybe sooner, next year, or at other time I will go to China," He laughed.

Of the five veterans, 3 flied over Hump and two were fighter pilots. Only David Thompson took off from San Francisco International Airport, the other four started their Chinese journey from Washington.

According to Zhang Ming, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, more than 100 foreign VIPs or relatives of wartime heroes from 15 countries will attend the parade in Beijing, including veterans of the Flying Tigers, and Japanese veterans who served in the Eighth Route Army, an anti-Japanese force.

The Flying Tigers, or "Fei Hu" in Chinese, was the name of the first American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force who originally earned their name from the shark designs on their plane noses.