The simplified Chinese edition of "A Memoir by Lt. Donald W. Kerr," which recounts the story of a U.S. pilot rescued during World War II (WWII), was released Friday in south China's Guangdong Province.

The book details the story of Lieutenant Donald W. Kerr, a Flying Tiger veteran pilot whose aircraft was hit by Japanese forces over Hong Kong in 1944 during a mission to bomb Kai Tak airport. Kerr was rescued by local villagers and guerrilla fighters from the Dongjiang (East River) Column, a guerrilla force led by the Communist Party of China.

David Kerr, the second son of the late lieutenant, attended the release ceremony at a memorial museum in Dongguan. He said that his father flew in combat side-by-side with Chinese soldiers against Japanese forces from 1943 to 1944.

The memoir offers a valuable account of the rescue and the guerrilla fighters' operations from the perspective of an American soldier, providing important historical material for the study of WWII.

The Dongjiang (East River) Column, operating near Hong Kong and Macao during the war, was renowned for its collaboration with international allies. The rescue of Kerr remains an example of cooperation.

The bond forged during the war has endured across generations. David Kerr and his family first visited the Dongguan museum in 2009, donating his father's flight jacket and photographs. In 2015, they returned for the release of the memoir's English and traditional Chinese editions. This latest visit marks another milestone in preserving this chapter of history.

"Our father wanted us to know the story. We want our friends in China to know the story, with our thanks," David Kerr said.