Former school teacher and principal Claire Lee Chennault became a distinguished military man and commander of the world-famous Flying Tigers during World War II.
Many talented educators have also earned distinction in professions other than education. One of these is Claire Lee Chennault, a former rural school teacher who became a brilliant military man. He is probably best known as the commander of the world-famous Flying Tigers during World War II.
Claire was born on September 6, 1890, in Commerce, Texas. He was raised in the town of Gilbert, near Waterproof. The young boy was just ten years old when Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first powered flight in 1903. This event gave birth to Claire’s lifelong interest in aviation.
As a young man, Claire attended Louisiana State Normal college, now known as Northwestern State College of Louisiana. He also participated in ROTC, the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, an organization that trains individuals to become commissioned officers in the US Armed Forces. After earning his degree, Claire inaugurated his career as a teacher in a one-room school in rural Athens, Louisiana. He also served as the principal of Kilbourne School from 1913 to 1915.
When Wold War I broke out, Claire enlisted in the US Army and was sent to officers training camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Lawrence Township, Indiana. When he completed his training, he accepted a commission as a first lieutenant in the Infantry Reserve. A short while later, Claire became both a pilot and a flight instructor. He continued to teach flight school until 1937, when hearing loss forced him to retire from the military.
After leaving the US Armed Forces, Claire decided to go to China. There he took command of the First American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, known worldwide as the Flying Tigers. Members of the group were pilots from the US Army Air Corps, the US Navy, and the US Marine Corps recruited under President Franklin D. Roosevelt prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The mission of these courageous aviators was to defend China from a Japanese invasion, but after the outbreak of WWII, they flew in combat against Japanese forces.
Claire earned many medals and decorations for his military achievements. Among these are the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal.
This former chalkboard champion succumbed to lung cancer on July 27, 1958. He was 67 years old. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington Cemetery. In December 1972, Claire was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.