PEACHTREE CITY, USA – For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI), Aventure honors Arthur Chin, a Chinese-American pilot who was America’s first World War II flying ace.
Chin was born in Portland, Oregon in 1913, and developed an early interest in flying. He attended Al Greenwood flying school in Portland, and left for China in 1933 to defend his homeland against the Japanese.
Chin participated in advanced fighter training and eventually became an instructor, squadron commander, deputy group commander, and eventually a Major in the Chinese Air Force.
In December 1939, he led an attack against the Japanese, shooting down two planes before being badly burned after bailing out of his aircraft. Despite his injuries, he continued to support the war effort through speeches and radio broadcasts.
Chin returned to flying five years later with the China National Aviation Corporation, where he transported U.S. supplies over the Himalayan “Hump” route between India and China.
After returning to Portland, Chin began a thirty-year career with the postal service, retiring in 1980. In 1986, he received his high school diploma alongside his grandson.
Chin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal in 1995. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 83. He was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Airpower Heritage Museum. In 2008, a post office in Beaverton, Oregon was named the Major Arthur Chin Post Office Building.
