CRI听力:China-Veteran Pilot Recalls World War II

99-year-old Zhang Yisheng was a captain during World War II.

He says it was the battle of Shanghai which prompted him to join the military.

"The Japanese were so detestable. They always bullied us. I hated them so much. I said to myself, if I have a chance, I want to fight them. So I made a decision to become a pilot."

Zhang Yisheng joined the air force after graduating from the Huangpu Military Academy in 1942.

From 1942 to 1943, he received flight training in the U.S. state of Arizona, qualifying to fly a B25 bomber, which was the best low-altitude bomber at the time.

He says his time as a B25 pilot took him all over the world during the war.

"From the U.S., I flew over Greenland, Iceland, Britain, North Africa, the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Middle East, Iraq to Karachi.".

Zhang Yisheng's son, Zhang Ang, says he remains very proud of his father's accomplishments.

"They didn't expect to return home once they received their combat missions. So before joining the battle, they always wrote their wills and made clear who would care for their remains, as well as who would receive their pensions."

At the age of 99, Zhang Yisheng is one of only a handful of Chinese flyers who remain alive to tell their tale.

For CRI, I am Wang Mengzhen.