[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H7620-H7621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CHINESE GENERAL SUN LI-JEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Chinese 
General Sun Li-jen. He was known as the ever-victorious general, and 
fought with valor against Axis forces in Burma during World War II.
  General Sun's strategies on the battlefield were a combination of 
traditional Chinese military theory and American military training. He 
was an important ally for the United States and a popular figure among 
his people.
  He was born in Anhui, China, and was the son of a Confucian scholar. 
He moved to the United States to attend Purdue University on a Boxer 
Indemnity Scholarship, and graduated with a degree in civil 
engineering.
  As China fell deeper into political upheaval and war, General Sun 
believed he could be more useful as a soldier than as an engineer. He 
went on to attend the Virginia Military Institute, where he faced 
prejudice from other cadets.
  When he returned to China, he advanced to the rank of colonel. In one 
of his earliest battles in World War II, he led troops to the defense 
of Shanghai and was wounded while leading his own men to safety.
  After recovering from his injuries, he established a military 
training camp in southern China. The men at the camp were trained in 
both Eastern and Western military strategy.
  General Sun is internationally renowned for his extraordinary service 
during the Battle of Yenangyaung in 1942. He saved the British First 
Burma Division by leading a regiment in a flanking maneuver. His 
bravery protected Allied forces from encirclement by the Imperial 
Japanese Army.
  During this battle, General Sun was also given command of a small 
group from the British Second Royal Tanks, making him the first Chinese 
officer to command British troops.
  In recognition of his victory in Burma, he was knighted by the United 
Kingdom and awarded the Legion of Merit by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 
He was a friend of American Generals MacArthur and Eisenhower.
  In the report that recommended General Sun for the Legion of Merit, 
the U.S. War Department wrote the following: ``For exceptionally 
meritorious

[[Page H7621]]

conduct in the performance of outstanding service during the Burma 
operations in 1942. Under most trying conditions, General Sun displayed 
high qualities of leadership. The First Burma Division of the British 
Force at Yenangyaung was extricated by the attack of the 38th Division 
and saved from annihilation. General Sun held his unit together at all 
times during the retreat and brought it ready for combat to India. His 
example of courage and leadership reflect great credit on Allied 
Arms.''

  Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the FDR Library and the Congressional 
Research Service for finding this document. I include this document in 
the Record, along with a letter from the Virginia Military Institute.

                                               War Department,

                                Washington, DC, 20 September 1943.
     Memorandum for General Edwin M. Watson:
     Subject: Awards of the Legion of Merit.

       Submitted herewith for the approval of the President are 
     five awards of the Legion of Merit in degree of Officer to 
     members of the Chinese Army.
       Also enclosed are Certificates of Award for the signature 
     of the President.
       The State Department has been consulted and has no 
     objection to the awards.
       I recommend that the President give approval to these 
     awards.
                                                 Henry L. Stimson,
     Secretary of War.
                                  ____



                                                        W. D.,

                                Washington, DC, 11 September 1943.

                      Report of Decorations Board

       Convened pursuant to Paragraph 47, S. O. 167-0, War 
     Department, 1921, and paragraph 1, S. O. 64, War Department, 
     1942.
       1. The board having been properly convened and organized, 
     has considered the record in the case of Sun Li Jen.
       2. By decision of a majority of the board, the above-named 
     individual is recommended for the award of the LEGION OF 
     MERIT, is degree of Officer, with citation substantially as 
     follows:
       Major General Sun Li Jen, Commander of the New 38th 
     Division of the Chinese Army. For exceptionally meritorious 
     conduct in the performance of outstanding service during the 
     Burma operations in 1942. Under most trying conditions 
     General Sun displayed high qualities of leadership. The 1st 
     Burma Division of the British Force at Yananyanng was 
     extricated by the attack of the 38th Division and saved from 
     annihilation. General Sun held his unit together at all times 
     during the retreat and brought it ready for combat to India. 
     His example of courage and leadership reflect great credit on 
     Allied Arms.
       Copy for: The White House.
       Recommendation of the Board APPROVED By order of the 
     Secretary of War: E.S. Adams, Major General, U.S.A., 
     President.
       Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1: * * *, Colonel, A.G.D., 
     Recorder.
                                  ____

                                          Superintendent, Virginia


                                           Military Institute,

                                               September 22, 2017.
     Congressman Ro Khanna,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Khanna: Virginia Military Institute is 
     pleased to join you in remembering and honoring General Sun 
     Li-Jen, VMI Class of 1927. The Institute takes great pride in 
     the formative role it played in the leadership development of 
     the ``Ever Victorious General.''
       When General Sun returned to his native country, he 
     implemented training practices that would assist in 
     modernizing and preparing China for the challenges of the 
     1930s and 1940s. During those eventful decades, General Sun 
     received international attention as a leader of the Chinese 
     Nationalist Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the 
     Chinese Civil War, and World War II. In the latter conflict, 
     he has been credited with reclaiming Burma from the Japanese. 
     For his leadership in the China-Burma-India Theater, Sun was 
     knighted Commander of the Order of the British Empire by King 
     George VI and awarded the Legion of Merit by President 
     Franklin D. Roosevelt.
       One of the general's uniforms and his official portrait are 
     exhibited in the VMI Museum where they are seen by 40,000 
     visitors annually. Over the years, generations of Chinese 
     students have been inspired by the story of General Sun; many 
     have followed his example and attended VMI.
       Thank you for gathering to honor this illustrious member of 
     the Class of 1927.
           Sincerely,
                                        J.H. Binford Peay III '62,
                                     General, U.S. Army (Retired).

  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read very briefly from that 
letter from the Virginia Military Institute, which recognized General 
Sun for his leadership in the China-Burma-India theater, and recognize 
that his story has inspired many other Virginia Military Institute 
graduates since then.
  General Sun's legacy lives on through his family, including 
California Assemblyman Kansen Chu. I am pleased to recognize 
Assemblyman Kansen Chu and his wife, Daisy Chu, who have joined us here 
today with his family and our honored guests in the House gallery.
  The district that Assemblyman Chu and I represent are some of the 
most ethnically diverse areas in our country. General Sun valued 
diversity. He found greater strength as a leader by combining Eastern 
and Western ideas. He led soldiers with different ethnicities and 
religions. His accomplishments demonstrate that we are better when we 
embrace diversity.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage Congress to remember the contributions and 
legacy of General Sun and their importance to the people of the United 
States, of China, and those of Chinese-American ancestry.
  I want to end on this note. Several of us went a few days ago to the 
Library of Congress where Graham Allison was speaking. Graham Allison 
has this theory of the Thucydides Trap, which argues that two powers--
when one power is rising and another power is established--often are 
likely to face conflict and war. He said that Xi Jinping in China is 
familiar with Thucydides Trap.
  I would submit that General Sun's story is a reminder for why the 
United States and China can be allies and not adversaries. We often 
forget that China was critical in the United States' efforts in winning 
World War II, and General Sun's story is a reminder of that and an 
inspiration for us in this new century in finding common ground between 
the United States and China to help create a more peaceful world.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to avoid references to 
occupants of the gallery.

                          ____________________