General Claire Lee Chennault

Born in the 1800s, deaf, retired and not even slightly finished bringing war to the Japanese, Gen. Chennault was a Southerner from Louisiana who set Japanese interests in Asia on fire. Working with the Chinese government, he pushed for the creation of the Flying Tigers and got his request even before the Pearl Harbor attack.

His visionary tactics of using the inferior performing P-40B fighters’ strengths and acknowledging their weaknesses, showed that performance is not all encompassing. After the war Gen. Chennault created the CIA front Air America which operated during the Vietnam war. He was a leader in the armies of two countries, he fought for freedom for both and put his interests second to others. While remembered for the Flying Tigers, his contribution to the Nationalist China government and commitment to a free Asia lived on far after his death.

They told him no on almost everything he proposed: He proved them wrong. It takes Valor to stand up and go against the advice of your peers and fight for freedom.