President Ma Ying-jeou on Sunday presided over the air force’s spring memorial service, becoming the first Republic of China president to do so. The Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan.
During Sunday’s service, the president lauded the contributions of the air force and its efforts to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. Ma said that while Taiwan is far removed from the battles of the past, the nation’s military strategies are unchanged, and that means there is still a need to be prepared for war.
Some 600 people participated in Sunday’s service, including Defense Minister Kao Kuang-chi, air force representatives, and families of the deceased.
President Ma spoke about how when he was a child, the bedtime stories his mother told him were not of Snow White or Robin Hood. Rather, he said, they were of an air force hero from the Sino-Japanese War named Gao Zhihang. The president said that had left a big impression on him.
President Ma said that some 4,300 members of the Republic of China air force lost their lives during the Sino-Japanese war, and that since moving to Taiwan, the air force had played an important role in maintaining cross-strait peace.