[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.

____________________