On April 18, 1942, the U.S. launched operation Doolittle Raid to strike back against Japan after Pearl Harbor. The bombers conducted raids on Tokyo and other Japanese cities, then crash-landed in China's Quzhou, where local villagers risked their lives to rescue the downed American pilots, thus forging a bond of courage and gratitude that endured for decades. 

In 2008, Doolittle Raider William Bower had one last wish: to get hold of a piece of his wartime aircraft again. His son reached out to Quzhou researcher Zheng Weiyong on behalf of his elderly father. It was Zheng who eventually recovered a metal fragment of the bomber's wreckage and sent it to the U.S. – a heartfelt act of kindness that continues to inspire warmth and friendship. 

Does your family have a story of courage and survival in World War II? Share it with CGTN's global campaign, "Echoes of History: Our WWII Memories," and help keep personal histories alive for the world to hold on to.