20 Oct Through the Eyes of a Tiger
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(2015) Through the Eyes of a Tiger: The John Donovan Story by Atlanta author Susan Clotfelter Jimison is about the legendary Flying Tigers, the small group of fighter pilots who went to China in 1941 to help them fight the Japanese. This “American Volunteer Group” (AVG) was led by Claire Lee Chennault, WWI aviator who had retired from the U.S. Army Air Corps before assuming command of this group.
These young men remind me of the volunteer U.S. pilots who went to Great Britain to fly with the RAF during the Battle of Britain before our country was at war. They were all adventurous and impatient to fly. They just couldn’t wait.
John Wayne’s movie Flying Tigers, came out soon after we had gone to war. The American public was yearning for good news and welcomed the story of courageous pilots who flew airplanes dramatically adorned with sharks’ teeth. Nominated for three Academy Awards for sound and special effects, the film was praised by critics more for the dogfights than for the script.
Beginning in September of 1941, AVG volunteer John Donovan wrote home detailed letters to his family, all which give a great deal of insight into the Flying Tiger experience. He also wrote about his exploits along the way. He predicted that “Japan is going to do something soon” and stressed that “war is messy business.” It was a chilling thought that he wanted to make sure his family kept his life insurance policies current.
Susan began to write this book after she found a letter in her grandmother’s scrapbook. Her Uncle John was about to embark on what he knew would be a very dangerous mission. He wrote home one last time. “Dear Folks, you must not feel badly about my death …”
The book Susan has written is important because she has been able to document John’s story in his own words, exactly what he was thinking about and living through during those two years, 1941 and 1942. Our country was suddenly at war, and the outcome was uncertain.
Last week, author Susan Clotfelter Jimison presented to the Atlanta World War II Roundtable the story of John Donovan and described these early adventurers in words and pictures. The audience posed many good questions, and there was even a young lady from mainland China in the audience who described the gratitude that people there feel toward the Flying Tigers. In fact, Susan explained, there are four museums in China dedicated to these brave men.
Susan Clotfelter Jimison presenting the story of The Flying Tigers at the Atlanta WWII Roundtable.
Through the Eyes of a Tiger at Deeds Publishing
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