Hickam Airmen honored by China's #2 General

(Major Troy Cullen is a pilot assigned to the 204th Airlift Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawai’i)

On November 2, Major Anthony Davis, 204th Airlift Squadron at Hickam AFB, Captain Billy Dye 535th Airlift Squadron, Hickam AFB, and I met General Xu, the second highest ranking member of China’s military. General Xu Caihou specifically requested the opportunity to meet the aircrew involved in the recent United States humanitarian support of the earthquake and blizzard relief missions into China...

We met with General Xu at Camp H.M. Smith, United States Pacific Command’s Headquarters. We joked with each other about our surreal position while standing with the Joint Staff in a receiving line for General Xu.

Talking through an interpreter, General Xu thanked us, on behalf of the Chinese people, for providing the disaster relief and vital supplies to earthquake victims in China in May 2008. General Xu bestowed a great honor on the aircrew by presenting us with his personal coin along with a photo album of the relief missions titled “Timely Help from Afar.”

It was obvious to all present, this was a one of a kind event that probably would never happen again. Major Davis, Captain Dye and I felt honored to represent Pacific Command.

Photo used with permission from The Honolulu Advertiser