SO TAK
So Tak was born on July 22, 1911 in Canton, China according to his World War II draft card. The California and Social Security Death Indexes had 1908 as his birth year. A passenger list said the birthplace was “Chungshan, Kwangtung, China”.
Tak’s journey to the United States was told in Gung Ho, No. 8, February 11, 1944 (below). Tak was second cook on the ship Marietta. He joined the crew at Calcutta, India on August 22, 1942. The ship departed Trinidad, British West Indies, on November 22, 1942. It arrived at New York on December 4, 1942.
On December 15, 1942 Tak signed his draft card. His address was 12 Bowery in New York Chinatown. His description was five feet two inches, 111 pounds with black eyes and hair.
So Tak was born on July 22, 1911 in Canton, China according to his World War II draft card. The California and Social Security Death Indexes had 1908 as his birth year. A passenger list said the birthplace was “Chungshan, Kwangtung, China”.
Tak’s journey to the United States was told in Gung Ho, No. 8, February 11, 1944 (below). Tak was second cook on the ship Marietta. He joined the crew at Calcutta, India on August 22, 1942. The ship departed Trinidad, British West Indies, on November 22, 1942. It arrived at New York on December 4, 1942.
On December 15, 1942 Tak signed his draft card. His address was 12 Bowery in New York Chinatown. His description was five feet two inches, 111 pounds with black eyes and hair.
Tak was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tak and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
So Tak (Tak So)…..New York, New YorkIn the book Tak was mentioned on pages 9, 16, 18, 28 and 30. He appeared in the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55.
The squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 1, December 25, 1943, said
...Talk about getting Xmas cards, Pfc So Tak not only got loads of ’em from females he knows, but also from females he doesn’t know. F’instance, he’d like to know who Naomi and Valentine are. Only clues are that one is from Fairfield, and the other from nearby London....
And last but not least, the “Gung Ho” will serve as the informal historical record of the 407th, reflecting in its pages the life of its men. You will not find in it anything of a military nature, but if you are interested in learning how “Field Marshal” Chung L. Quan got his great title, or why Pfc So Tak gets so much fan mail, “Gung Ho” will undertake to supply you the answers.
Gung Ho, No. 2, December 31, 1943, said
…Popular Pfc So Tak showed up with a duo of Chinese lady friends, Bo Jun Wong and Yutreul Yee…Gung Ho, No. 3, January 7, 1944, said
…..there were all kinds of games to play, including a set of mah jong Pfc So Tak had borrowed all the way from Springfield….but nobody touched it….the boys rather play dominoes…..Gung Ho, No. 6, January 28, 1944, said
….Pfc So Tak whizzed over to Windsor, Ontario (Canada) t’ohter [sic] weekend and was thoroly [sic] entertained by a couple of friends, Mr. & Mrs. Lee Wing Jum….he enjoyed himself so much for a whole day he almost didn’t get back into the good ole U.S.A. in time….Gung Ho, No. 7, February 4, 1944, said
….Glimpses: ….Pfc So Tak repairing a buddy’s broken down watch….Gung Ho, No. 8, February 11, 1944, said
MEN OF THE 407TH—On February 13, 1944, Fong and So Tak’s interview with CBS correspondent Bill Slocum Jr. was broadcast on the radio program World News Today.
PFC SO TAK—SOLDIER OF TWO NATIONS
The time seems auspicious to speak of one Pfc So Tak. There is a soldier with distinctions. For one thing, he’s about the only 407th who speaks practically no English . His vocabulary is limited to about fifty words. And none of them, lest you jump to conclusion, are cuss words.
Pfc Tak is also the general watch repair man of the unit. With an ordinary tweezer, a nail file, and a thin wire, he’s able to doctor all faulty timepieces. He acquired this skill in one of Portugal’s far-flung Asistic [sic] colonies—Macao, a tiny peninsula off the South China coast.
Thirdly, Tak is also a culinary expert of no mean ability. He has an almost uncanny talent in concocting Chinese dishes out of ordinary vegetables and plain beef. Not to forget his specialty—barbecued chicken.
But Pfc Tak’s primary distinction lies in the fact that he’s one Chinese-American soldier with over 10 years of active service in the regular army and air force of the Chinese Republic. Between 1929–39 he was a soldier of China, serving in many provinces. Shanghai, Nanking, Canton, Kunming, Ichang, Hankow, Hangchow—China’s great cities, where the soldiers of Chiang Kai-shek had battled valiantly against the Japanese invaders. Pfc Tak had seen his share of the smoke and heat and death and massacre of battle. For two years he was in the infantry attached to the Chinese 1st Army. Then he transferred to the air force as a mechanic. He participated in 7 battles, and learned what it was to kill. In Kunming he was shot in the left leg by an enemy agent.
He saw and felt the insensate cruelty and barbarism of the Japanese military, for six members of of his family were massacred by them in the battle of Hongkong. These six included his wife. His mother escaped into unoccupied territory in Canton. A faded picture of his family, taken shortly before Hongkong was attacked, is all the memory he has of most of his family. Now, once in many moons, he hears from his 65-year old mother.
Let out of the Air Force after he was wounded, Tak returned to Canton. Then, in 1941, his elder brother in New York sent for him. He made his way down to Singapore, through the Malay states, and then all the way to Calcutta, India. Later, he found a berth as ordinary seaman abroad a British cargo ship heading for the United States.
He landed in New York on Christmas Eve, 1942, and saw his elder bother for the first time in years. Six days later he enlisted in the U. S. Army and was inducted on New Year’s eve. He became a charter member of the 407th when this unit was activated last July. Pfc Tak was in the army again. And soon now he will be a naturalized U. S. citizen.
W.H.
*******
(The foregoing story is also published concurrently in the Patterson Field Postings).
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Daily Sentinel (Rome, New York),
February 11, 1944
Gung Ho, No. 9, February 18, 1944, said
407th Goes Over CBS Network.Gung Ho, No. 11, March 3, 1944, said
Last Sunday the 407th was introduced to the world over the air waves, via the Columbia Broadcasting System’s on-the-spot “World News Today” program.
Following reports from Algiers and London, the program switched to an improvised hanger studio in the field, where, beside a partly dismantled pursuit plane, Bill Slocum Jr. interviewed two EM of the squadron.
Those interviewed were Cpl Raymond K. Fong and Pfc So Tak, the first American-born, the latter having come to the U. S. From China only in 1942. With Bill Slocum asking the questions, Cpl Fong told of the work of the 407th, and of his own civilian background as a concert baritone. Pfc So Tak mentioned about members of his family who were killed by the Japanese in China.
….The item of the week was the broadcast featuring EM of the 407th....but Pfc So Tak’s nervousness before the microphone wasn’t due to worry about his lines....he had a date for that day at about that time, and was worried she’d miss him on the bus coming up to Osborn.
....Lt Bowers was having quite a time cleaning a very dirty soccer ball, employing the approved method of saddle soap and elbow grease....it was a very dirty ball, and it promised to be a long and tedious process....so when he delegated Pfc So Tak to this detail, he expected him to be busy for a few hours....So Tak tackled the assignment and in ten minutes short reported the job finished....he had dispensed with the saddle soap in favor of good old GI soap and water....Gung Ho, No. 20, July 15, 1944, said
...Herewith once more is our usual dish of il-literary beansprouts...It’s a far cry from Patterson Fld, Ohio to India, but chop suey is still chop suey wherever the locale..so here goes nothing...Gung Ho, No. 23, August 5, 1944, said
…And So Tak is having the time of his life these days going up in the air with our C.O....
...The sight of the week was Eugene Mongoy, So Tak & Kwong D Hom, who went out on a bamboo hunting expedition... Somebody told the hunters they had to wade into a nearby jungle to get at their object...so what did they do? Hom armed himself with a carbine...Mongoy took along his first-aid kit...Precautions, said they. Well, the only “jungle” they traversed was a field of tall elephant grass...ho hum...Which reminds us that the 1st/Sgt went out monkey-hunting the other day, but brought only himself back...No simpletons, these simians...
...“General” So Tak, a mechanic of the unorthodox school, is able to fit carbine bullets into .32 revolvers...Tak was mentioned in William Hoy’s story, “Pvt. Wah Louie & The Crane”, which appeared in the CBI Roundup, October 19, 1944.
Tak was aboard the USS General A. W. Greely (AP-141) when it departed Calcutta, India on November 9, 1945. He arrived at New York on December 5, 1945. He is on the U.S. Army Veterans Final Registered List of the Chinese American World War II Veterans Recognition Project.
Tak returned to China where he married Lan Toy Quong. The couple was aboard the ship General William H. Gordon when it departed Hong Kong on August 21, 1947. They had been with Tak’s mother, Yip Shee, at “Dow Moon, Chungshan, Kwangtung, China”. The ship arrived at San Francisco on September 8, 1947. Tak’s San Francisco address was 115 Waverly Place.
Tak has not yet been found in the 1950 census.
On December 8, 1952 Tak testified in a case at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Tak passed away on January 25, 1992. The Social Security Death Index said his last residence was San Jose, California.
YEE D. TANG
Yee Dock Tang was born on July 17, 1915 in China according to his World War II draft card. His naturalization record had the birth date January 16, 1914. A marriage certificate said he was born in “Lin Nan, Toishan, Kwangtung, China”. Yee was his family name.
Teenage “Dock Tang Yee” was aboard the steam ship President Jefferson when it departed Hong Kong on July 30, 1929. The passenger list said he had been with his mother, Chee Shee, at “Ling Hang, Sunning, Kwangtung, China”. He arrived at San Francisco on August 21, 1929 and admitted on September 24, 1929. His Chinese Exclusion Act case file number was 28272/003-02. Tang’s final destination was to his father, Yit Sung Yee, at 875 Washington Street in San Francisco.
Tang has not been found in the 1930 United States census.
The 1940 census counted Tang in Detroit, Michigan at 13505 Linwood Avenue. He was the proprietor of a retail hand laundry.
On October 16, 1940 Tang signed his draft card; the middle name changed from Dock to Dick. His Detroit address was 13505 Linwood Avenue. He was described as five feet seven inches, 140 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
The Detroit Evening Times, September 29, 1942, listed 341 inductees, including Tang, who were assigned to Fort Custer.
Tang was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tang and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
Yee D. Tang…..Detroit, MichiganIn the book he appeared in the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55.
The squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 3, January 7, 1944, said Private Tang was promoted to Private First Class.
After the war Tang returned to Detroit.
On February 3, 1947 Tang began his travel to China. He married Yuk Yip Gee in Canton on June 2, 1947. His address on the marriage certificate was 5789 14th Street, Detroit, Michigan. The couple was aboard the ship General M. C. Meigs when it departed Hong Kong on August 7, 1947. They had been at “Lin Hung, Toyshan, Kwangtung, China” where his mother-in-law, Fong Shee, lived. The ship arrived at San Francisco on August 25, 1947.
Tang has not been found in the 1950 census.
The 1953 Detroit city directory listed Tang in the laundry category. His address was 13825 Hamilton Avenue.
Tang became a naturalized citizen on April 26, 1967. He changed his name from Yee Dock Tang to Yee Wing Mike.
Tang passed away on February 19, 1999. He was laid to rest at Mount Hope Memorial Gardens in Livonia, Michigan. His wife passed away December 10, 2010.
CLYDE H. THOMAS
Clyde Horton Thomas was born on September 25, 1911 in Madden, Mississippi according to his World War II draft card.
The 1920 United States census Thomas as the fifth of six siblings. Their parents were James, farm laborer, and Anna.
In the 1930 census, the Thomas family resided in Beat, Mississippi on Mandy Road.
According to the 1940 Thomas was a farm laborer who had one year of high school. He lived with his parents in Beat.
On October 16, 1940 Thomas signed his draft card. His address was Madden, Mississippi. He was described as six feet, 145 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Thomas enlisted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on July 24, 1942.
Thomas was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Thomas and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
Clyde H. Thomas…..Madden, MississippiThomas was discharged on January 8, 1946. He returned to Beat, Mississippi.
In the 1950 census Thomas lived with his parents in Beat on Madden & Zion Road, two miles west. He and his father were farmers.
Thomas passed away on January 13, 1982. He was laid to rest at Madden Community Cemetery.
PAUL TOM
Paul Tom aka Paul Tong was born on July 9, 1922 in China. The birth information is from his gravesite and enlistment record. His World War II draft card is not available. Tom’s immigration records have not been found.
Tom has not been found in the 1930 or 1940 United States censuses.
Tom enlisted at New York City on May 1, 1943.
Tom was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tom and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
Paul Tom (Paul Tong)…..New York, New YorkThe squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 2, December 31, 1943, said
…Sgt. Paul Tom Returns from DS.After the war, Tom returned to New York and used the surname Tong.
After a 16 weeks’ study of a most intricate subject—that of bombsight—Sgt Paul Tom successfully completed the course at a special school in Brooklyn, N. Y., and returned from detached service this week.
Sgt Tom left on his DS with only one stripe on his sleeves, but returned with three. He passed the bombsight course with high marks.
The 1950 census counted him in New York Chinatown at 178 Mulberry Street. He was an electronic technician at an electric gyroscope company.
Tom became a naturalized citizen on March 3, 1969. He changed his name from Chin Choon Tong to Paul Tong.
“Paul Chin Choon Tong” married Susanna S.W. Chan on April 14, 2015 in Manhattan.
Two months later he passed away on June 13, 2015 and was laid to rest at Calverton National Cemetery.
STANLEY W. TOM
Stanley Wing Tom was born on August 15, 1924 in San Francisco, California according to his World War II draft card.
On October 16, 1924 the Tom family began their trip from San Francisco to China. Two-year-old Tom, his parents Chone Him Tom and Wong Shee, and brothers Martin, 4, and Stephen, 3, were aboard the steam ship President Lincoln when it departed Hong Kong on August 15, 1926. They had stayed at “Ching Yuen, Hoiping, Kwangtung, China”. The ship arrived at San Francisco on September 8, 1926. Tom’s father and brother were admitted upon arrival. Tom and his mother joined them on September 29, 1926. Tom’s Chinese Exclusion Act case file number was 25318/009-17. The Toms’ final destination was to Tam Man Chan, a cousin, at Foo Wing, 825 Clay Street in San Francisco.
1930 United States census had the Chinese names for the Tom family. “Kau Sai Tom”, a dry goods salesman, and Wong Shee had four sons, Nam Yuk (Martin), Ben Yuk (Stephen), Wing Yuk (Stanley) and Foon Yuk (Jack); and one daughter, Har Till (Margaret). They lived in San Francisco at 1020 Stockton Street.
In the 1940 census the Tom family was at 1019 Stockton Street in San Francisco. Tom’s father, “Chong Him Tom”, was janitor at a society club.
In 1942 Tom graduated from the High School of Commerce.
1942 Commerce yearbook
On December 12, 1942 Tom signed his draft card. His San Francisco address was 1019 Stockton Street, Apt. 403. He was employed at the Richmond Ship Yard. Tom’s description was five feet seven inches, 170 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Tom enlisted on May 19, 1943.
Tom was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tom and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
Stanley W. Tom…..San Francisco, CaliforniaIn the book he appeared in photographs on pages 37, 45, 53 and the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55. He was mentioned on page 76.
The squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 3, January 7, 1944, said Private Tom was promoted to Private First Class.
Gung Ho, No. 4, January 14, 1944, said
“No Can Do”
He had one arm son the wheel
T’was quite a joyful ride—
For his other arm was wrapped around.
His sweetie by his side.
“Use both your hands,” a copper cried,
In a voice that sounded far.
“No can do” replied the driver,
“I have to drive the car!”
—Pfc Stanley To
Gung Ho, No. 5, January 21, 1944, said
KathleenGung Ho, No. 7, February 4, 1944, said
I’m working right now on a beaut,
And O boy—my baby’s cute!
She’s such a heavenly creature,
That I want you to meet her.
Her form is shapely, glamorous,
Tall, slender—just amorous.
A picture of beauty that’s rare,
Charming, graceful, debonair…..
Not of this earth is this creature fair,
She belongs way up in the air.
Yes, she’s an angel, this gal of mine
A celestial sight—divine.
My heart, my soul, my joy, my pride,
’Twas from her—I got my first ride.
Her name? Why, she’s just Kathleen,
Model F of a B-17.
Pfc Stanley Tom
Hits For GI Lips.Gung Ho, No. 8, February 11, 1944, said
“My shindig Hour”—Latrine detail on the brass.
“As Time Goes By”—We’ll still have guard duty and KP tho’
“It Can’t Be Wrong”—Sick calls every day if you can get away with it
“When the Lights Go Out Again”—Okay!….Get Up!
“They Asked About You”—Yeah, they had bed check last night.
“My Ideal”—Storeroom man on KP.
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”—Missed Reveille—restricted again.
“Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”—At 5:45 AM to go back to sleep again.
“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”—When cleaning out the ashes from the furnace.
Pfc Stanley W. Tom
My GirlGung Ho, No. 9, February 18, 1944, said
(Dedicated to our wives or sweethearts at Valentine time).
Her hair is black, her eyes are brown,
She looks so chic in her evening gown.
She dresses so nice, she makes me feel,
That she is perfect, and I.....a heel.
She comforts me, when I am sad,
She laughs with me, when I am glad.
She walks in elegance, so full of pride,
And when she talks, I always sigh.
When she is near, my heart is weak.
My tongue is tied, I cannot speak.
She is so perfect in every way,
I love her more, come day by day.
She’s so sweet, she’s sweeter than honey,
Yet little she cares for fame or money.
I feel like crying if she should cry,
If she should leave me, I would die.
She’s never jealous, she does not grumble.
She never quarrel ’cause she’s so humble.
I shudder when I meet her glance,
She looks like a model from beautiful France.
She is so slick, so neat and spry,
She’s like an angel from the sky.
She says she loves me—I wonder why,
There is no worse bum than I.
Pfc Stanley Tom
...and Pfc. Stanley Tom is sweet on a ’Frisco Rose.....Gung Ho, No. 10, February 25, 1944, said
MEN OF THE 407TH—The San Francisco Chronicle, March 3, 1944, said
MAKE MUSIC? CAN DO!
The 407th EM may never make history, but, by the beard of Confucius, they are determined to make music.
For several months now certain jive-loving squadron EM have been tooting their saxophones and strumming their string instruments individually in the peace and quiet (!) of their respective barracks after the sun goes down. Most of these music-loving souls hailed from San Francisco’s Chinatown, where the strident rhapsodies of old Canton vied with the jazzing of Duke Ellington to make life a wee bit trying to the older generation.
When some of these boys marched off to war and joined the 407th some months ago, their instruments came along with their GI duds. Three members who had played together on the same band in SF Chinatown found themselves side by side again. They yearned mightily to be in the groove once more, but the opportunities were lacking, and certain needed instruments were scarcer that the eggs of an ancient turtle.
But this week the glimmer of a 407th orchestra began to take shape. Ten EM—8 of them Californians—decided that a certain amount of jiving was possible with the material at hand. After some efforts, a set of drums materialized. And already available were saxophones, clarinet, and violins. Plus a ready-made voxcalist [sic] Raymond K. Fong, of Stockton, Calif., who has had radio and stage singing experience. Other members of this aggregation of celestial cacophonist include:
… The rest of the players are San Francisco Chinatownians all, with three of them former members of the Cathay Band, a fifty-men outfit with a 30-year old history behind it. This trio are Pfc Elwin W. Ong, drummber [sic]; Pfc Henry Leong, saxophonist; and Pfc Stanley Tom, tuba tooter and pianist. Ong and Tom have also played with the Cathay orchestra, the young off-shoot of the Cathay Band.
Chinatown in Ohio: Corporal William J. Hoy, former editor of the Chinese Digest and the Chinese Press here, is now editing “Gung Ho,” a weekly paper published by the enlisted personnel of the 407th Service Squadron at Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio. The squadron comprises men of Chinese descent who are bring trained as airplane mechanics.Gung Ho, No. 12, March 10, 1944, said
Many of its members come from San Francisco’s Chinatown, and last week they formed the 10-piece 407th Band, six musicians of which learned their scales within a stone’s throw of Grant avenue. Three of them, Privates First Class Elwin W. Ong, Henry Leong, and Stanley W. Tom, used to play with the 50-piece Cathay Band, and Corporal Albert Fong was a member of Chinatown’s drum, fife and bugle corps. The other San Franciscans are Corporal Arthur Wong, and Corporal Hoy himself, who plays the mandolin. The band’s theme song os “Chinatown, My Chinatown.”
“Sleep”A hospital admission card, at Ancestry.com, said Tom was admitted in March 1945 for nephritis (a kidney condition) and tonsillitis. A tonsillectomy was performed. He was discharged from the hospital in April 1945.
By Pfc Stanley W. Tom.
Sleep…“a periodic diminution of sensation and thought (which is normal but exceedingly temporary in the Army) culminating in heavy slumber, to almost a complete cessation of conscious life.”
Guards and CQ’s find its effects overwhelming…in a deluge as full and overflowing as the sick call lists on weekdays. To the KP’s sleep in something accomplished between roll-calls, a real achievement if successful.
A word of pity and sympathy to those unfortunate GI’s awakened mistakenly by an erring CQ, whose sad duty it is to arouse the KP’s. “Many are called, but few are chosen,” the fewer the better…
Reveille brings with it the end of our physical inactivity, Edison’s Mazda shattering the veil of darkness with its intense brilliance..the organs of sight suffering..and the hated exhortations to “Hit the deck!” [“]Get up!” “Let’s go, men!” “Up and at ’em!” etc., etc.
The proposal that we wake up one of these days ahead of the 1st/Sgt and bugler and yell, “Surprise” at them as they prepare to summon us to Reveille, is a wonderful thought. Those sharing the same miewpoint [sic], please contact the author.
****
Author’s Note: The foregoing item is a surefire cure for insomnia.
After the war Tom returned to California.
Tom graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in June 1947. He earned an Associate in Arts degree at the College of Letters and Science.
Tom and his parents have not been found in the 1950 census. Tom’s four brothers, Martin (bus driver), Stephen (assistant cashier), Jack (mail carrier), and Richard lived in San Francisco at 1019 Stockton Street.
In San Francisco Tom married Margaret Sen on February 21, 1954.
The Public Records Index listing, at Ancestry.com, had him as Dr. Stanley W. Tom. He was in the 1958 Directory of Optometrists.
3259 Tom, Stanley W., 209 S. First St., San JoseThe 1982 Blue Book of Optometrists had his listing.
Tom, Stanley W., 40 Hillsdale Mall, 94403I believe Tom passed away in March 2019.
WILLIAM TOM
William Tom was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tom and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
William Tom…..San Francisco, CaliforniaIn the book he appeared in the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55.
I have not been able to identify William Tom of the 407th. There are a number men with that name who served in the Army Air Corps.
1. William Tom, born March 23, 1923 in San Francisco, was a B-24 bomber flight navigator and 1956 gymnastic Olympian.
2. William Tom was a sergeant and instrument mechanic in the 1503rd AAF.
3. William Tom, born 1920, was a California native who resided in Georgia and enlisted in the Air Corps.
I was been unable to determine the military career of the following.
4. William Tom was born on October 13, 1907 in San Francisco.
5. William Tom was born on October 11, 1910 in California.
6. William Tom was born around 1923 in California. He was a San Francisco resident in the 1930, 1940 and 1950 censuses; an auto mechanic in 1950.
LEE L. TOW
Lee Luong Tow aka Edward L. T. Fong, a paper son, was born on November 30, 1923 in Kwangtung, China according to his World War II draft card. Most documents said Lung instead of Luong. A passenger list had his birthplace as “Toishan, China”.
Sixteen-year-old “Lung Tow Lee” was aboard the Empress of Asia when it departed Hong Kong on May 17, 1940. The passenger list said he had been with his mother, Quan Shee, at “Ku Lor, Toy Shan, China”. He arrived at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 3, 1940. He traveled by train to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tow was aboard the ship Fort Townshend when it departed on June 18, 1940. Two days later he arrived at New York. Tow was admitted on October 10, 1940. His final destination was to his father, Jung Lee, at 32 Mott Street in New York Chinatown.
On June 30, 1942 Tow signed his draft card. His address was 19 Mott Street in New York City. He was described as five feet four inches, 105 pounds, with black eyes and hair.
On June 30, 1942 Tow signed his draft card. His address was 19 Mott Street in New York City. He was described as five feet four inches, 105 pounds, with black eyes and hair.
Tow enlisted on May 1, 1943.
Tow was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Tow and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
Lee L. Tow (Edward L.T. Fong)…..New York, New YorkAfter the war Tow returned to New York.
Tow has not been found in the 1950 United States census. However, there was an Edward Fong at 10 West 83rd Street in Manhattan. His occupation was not stated.
On June 1, 1959 Tow became a naturalized citizen. He changed his name from Fong Lung Tow to Edward Lung Tow Fong. His New York address was 262 West 22nd Street.
Tow’s Social Security application tracked the changes to his name: January 1943, Lung Tow Lee; January 1946, Lee L. Tow; June 1959, Edward Leetow Fong; April 22, 1995, Edward L. T. Fong
Tow passed away on April 14, 1995. An obituary appeared in the Jersey Journal, April 18, 1995.
Edward L.T. Fong, 71, of Jersey City, died Friday at Christ Hospital, Jersey City.Tow was laid to rest at Rosedale and Rosehill Cemetery. (The interment date was used at Find a Grave.)
Born in Toy Shan, China, he moved to Jersey City in the early 1940s. He owned Canton Tea Garden, Jersey City, for 25 years.
Fong was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Flying Tigers 407th Service Squadron.
Surviving are his wife, Jean; a son, Milton; two daughters, Sue and Joyce, and three grandchildren.
Viewing will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Chinese Cheung Sang Funeral Home, New York.
GREY K. TOY
Grey Kwan Toy was born on August 8, 1923 in Casa Grande, Arizona according to his world War II draft card. On the birth certificate his name was spelled Gray Quan Toy. His parents were Dea Hong Toy* and Lee Shee who married on May 10, 1912 in “Chuck Hom, Hoi Ping, Canton, China”. The Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona), March 26, 1981, said Toy’s father
… came to territorial Arizona in 1909 from his native Canton and worked as a cook and waiter for the old American Kitchen in Phoenix before serving with the 164th Infantry in France from 1917 to 1919.
After the war he returned to China to claim his wife, Lee Chee [sic], and bring her to Phoenix [in 1919]. Later he opened Toy’s Restaurant in Casa Grande and when he returned to Phoenix in 1923 had a restaurant in the Arizona Hotel. …The 1930 United States Census counted Toy as the fourth of seven siblings. They lived with their parents in Phoenix on 16th Street near Camelback Road. Toy’s father owned a retail grocery store.
The Toys, in two groups, were at the same address in the 1940 census. Toy was with his brother, Willie, who was the head of the household. Their parents and nine siblings made up the other group.
Grey graduated from North High School in Phoenix.
On June 30, 1942 Toy signed his draft card. His Phoenix address was Route 7, Box 400. He was employed at Southwest Airways, Inc., Thunderbird Field in Glendale. His description was five feet seven inches, 130 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Toy enlisted on his birthday according to his veteran’s file.
Toy was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Toy on page 217.
Grey K. Toy…..Phoenix, ArizonaIn the book he appeared in the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55.
The squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 3, January 7, 1944, said Corporal Toy was promoted to Sergeant.
… Sgt. Grey K. Toy had a date, who was supposed to show up at the party….but he waited & waited she never did comeGung Ho, No. 7, February 4, 1944, said Sergeant Toy was promoted to Staff Sergeant.
Gung Ho, No. 9, February 18, 1944, said
….S/Sgt Grey K. Toy goes for a bit of wooing via postal service with a certain U of Mich Co-ed… and they don’t discuss the weather.Gung Ho, No. 12, March 10, 1944, said
…..Oh, oh, what a shiner S/Sgt Grey K. Toy collected t’other day!….a present from S/Sgt Ton G. Lum, incidentally….the two were in a camouflage class and accidentally Lum hit Toy, with a tree branch….and forgot to ask, till afterwards: “Did I hurt you?”..Gung Ho, No. 14, March 24, 1944, said
….At 4:30 t’other ayem, S/Sgt Grey K. Toy, the Caballero from Casa Grande (Ariz.), suddenly dreamt out loud and woke up half the barrack with: “Mickey, oh Mickey, you’re not Mickey!”….okay, we aren’t….A profile of Toy’s father included information about Toy’s service.
… Second son Grey Toy enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in 1942, served in special operations and specialized in aiming and guidance systems. In January of 1943, he went to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio to train in aircraft guidance, bombing, and auto-pilot systems. In 1943 he was posted to North Africa. From 1944 until December of 1945, he served in China in the 14th Air Force (Flying Tigers) and the XX Bomber Command to fight the Japanese aggressors, earning the European-African- Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and five other awards.Grey was discharged in 1946 and returned to Phoenix. Toy is on the U.S. Army Air Forces Final Registered List of the Chinese American World War II Veterans Recognition Project. He was included in the Association of Chinese Americans for Social Justice post, “Historical Record of Chinese Americans: Tracing Chinese Americans of Arizona Who Fought in World War II”.
Toy married Mary Elizabeth Tang on June 26, 1949.
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The Arizona Republic, June 27, 1949
According to the 1950 census Toy and his wife were Phoenix residents at 4810 North 16th Street. He was the proprietor of a grocery store. (His parents and several siblings were at 4816 North 16th Street; a brother and sister-in-law lived at 4802 North 16th Street.)
Some time later, Grey managed his father’s restaurant, Toy’s Shangri-La, which opened in 1950. In 1965 Grey was on the Arizona Restaurant Association board of directors.
Toy passed away on February 7, 2005. An obituary appeared in The Arizona Republic, February 10, 2005.
Grey K. Toy, entered the Lord’s Triumph on Monday, February 7, 2005. He was born on August 8, 1923, graduated from North High School, graduated from Phoenix College and joined the Army Air Corp in 1942. He served in the 407 Air Service Squadron, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant, before his Honorable Discharge in 1946.Toy was laid to rest at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery.
Upon returning stateside, he worked at the family businesses, Toy’s Grocery Store, and later Toy’s Shangri-la Restaurant. He made Toy’s Shangri-la Restaurant a part of his life for 27 years. Grey and his wife of 54 years, Mary, shared the restaurant life and later enjoyed traveling with family members.
Most recently, Grey made Phoenix Fishing Supply a part of his life.
His wife, Mary, preceded Grey in death in August 2003. His daughter, Debra and son-in-law, Frank Law of Highland, California, son Grey Jr., and grandchildren Kelsey and Kevin, survives Grey.
He is also survived by brothers, Col. William, Louis and Henry, sisters, Sue, Katie, Violet, Nancy, Betsy, and Shirley, a sister-in-law, Ethel Fong and brother-in-law, William Tang. Grey was dedicated to his family and was always unselfishly giving to others. He loved family and enjoyed family gatherings.
The family request in lieu of flowers, donations are made to Historic First Church, Hospice of the Valley, or the Chinese Senior Citizens Center. Visitation, Friday, February 11, 2005, 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., A. L. Moore Grimshaw Bethany Chapel, 710 West Bethany Home Road. Funeral Service, Saturday, February 12, 2005, 11:00 A.M., Historic First Presbyterian Church, 402 West Monroe Street.
* Dea Hong Toy was a paper son. His family name was Kwan which was the middle name of his children.
WILLIAM TOY
William Toy was born on August 11, 1910 in Rio Vista, California according to his World War II draft card.
The 1920 United States census counted Toy as the oldest of four siblings. They lived with their parents on Front Street in Rio Vista. Toy’s father was the manager of a laundry.
Toy and his siblings were in the household of an uncle, Dorn Toy, in Rio Vista at 120 Front Street. Toy worked at a ranch.
Sometime after 1935 Toy moved to San Diego, California. The 1940 census said he, his wife, Helen, daughter, Anita, and son, Grant, lived at 645 14th Street. Toy was a laundryman.
On October 16, 1940 Toy signed his draft card. His San Diego address was the same. He was described as five feet eleven inches, 145 pounds, with black eyes and hair.
Toy enlisted at Los Angeles on June 9, 1943.
Toy was on page 74 of Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1993. In the Shadow of the Tiger listed Toy and his hometown in 1945 on page 217.
William Toy…..San Diego, CaliforniaIn the book he appeared in the squadron fold-out photograph between pages 54 and 55.
The squadron’s publication, Gung Ho, No. 3, January 7, 1944, said
10 EM’s Indiana-BoundGung Ho, No. 4, January 14, 1944, said
Days ago, near Liberty, Ind. a B-25 was forced down in the middle of a corn field. To get it out it was deemed necessary to dismantle the plane part by part.
This week that job of dismantling was given to the 407th. Ten EM’s were picked for the task, and left for Indiana Tuesday, accompanied by WO T.A. Egnoski. This temporary duty is to last approximately 5 days, at the end of which some additional practical experience should have been gained by the men.
The 10 EM’s who went there: M/Sgt. Floyd Sam, S/Sgt Donald Louie, Sgt Hing Lo, Sgt Wm Toy, Cpl Koonwah Lim, Cpl Geo. Chow, Sgt Donald Poy, Sgt Fulton Yee, Cpl Andrew Goon, Pfc Woo H. Niy….
…Seen & heard at the last squadron shindig at the Loretto: …altho they were 50 miles away on temporary duty in Indiana, WO Egnoski and Sgt Wm Toy dashed across the stateline and came to the party just to be sure they weren’t missing any fun…
“Give Us Liberty—”
In place of his usual daily calisthenics, Sgt William Toy took to rhumba, But he preferred being instructed by a certain miss even though Cpl Andrew Goon, the squadron’s Arthur Murray offered his services. But then Cpl Goon was teaching a few of the local belles at a soda fountain.Gung Ho, No. 9, February 18, 1944, said
....Seen standing on a Dayton street corner waiting for the dates who didn’t come to dinner were Sgt William Toy and Pfc Bot L. Wong....Toy was discharged on January 28, 1946 and returned to San Diego.
According to the 1950 census Toy was a widower. He and three other men were at 533 4th Street in San Diego. They worked at a laundry.
Toy was employed at Lee’s Laundry, 527 Fourth Avenue, according to the San Diego Evening Tribune, August 14, 1959. In the early afternoon Toy was delivering laundry to Huey Chong’s laundry store, 1026 Tenth Avenue, when he found Chong’s dead body on the floor. The killer was never found.
The 1961 San Diego city directory listed Toy at 1412 30th Street. He was not in the 1962 directory.
Toy was listed in the 1965 Stockton, California city directory at 428 East Sonora Street, Apt. 9. He was a taxi driver. The 1969 directory included, for the first time, his wife’s name, Chan Hong Toy. They were at the same address.
Toy passed away on August 20, 1973. Toy’s wife, Chan Hang Sau, applied for his veteran’s headstone. His rank was Technical Sergeant. Her address was 1233 East Weber Avenue in Stockton, California. Toy was laid to rest at the Chinese Cemetery in French Camp.
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