Daniel Leaf, former deputy commander of the US Pacific Command, looks at the inscriptions by US airmen on the wall of an air-raid shelter in Quzhou. [Photo/IC]

Daniel Leaf, former deputy commander of the United States Pacific Command, paid tribute to the Chinese people who helped rescue US aircrew members during the Doolittle Raid in World War II, saying he wished to offer 250,000 flowers in memory of the Chinese people who lost their lives, when he visited Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province on July 9.

More than 80 years ago, the Japanese military carried out retaliatory attacks against the Chinese people after they helped US airmen involved in the raid, causing heavy casualties in Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces.

Leaf visited the Memorial Hall to the Doolittle Raid in Quzhou, as well as the former site of the No 13 Air Station, which witnessed rescue efforts following the raid. The visit reviewed the history of the 1942 operation and the cooperation between the Chinese people and US aircrew members.

On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers led by US Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle carried out a bombing mission over Japan after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After completing the mission, some crew members bailed out or made emergency landings in parts of China, including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Fujian provinces, after running out of fuel.

Daniel Leaf ties a red ribbon with a message of goodwill on a tree in the US-China Friendship Forest in Quzhou. [Photo/IC]

Local residents risked their lives to search for and shelter the airmen, providing them with food and assistance despite the threat of Japanese retaliation. A total of 64 US crew members were rescued, becoming part of a notable wartime rescue effort.

Leaf said the rescue by the Chinese people was crucial to the success of the Doolittle Raid and helped maintain morale in the US during a critical period of World War II.

During his visit, Leaf also tied a red ribbon bearing the words "REMEMBER THE PAST, GROW THE FUTURE" to a tree in the China-US Friendship Forest near the memorial site for US airman William G. Farrow in Quzhou.