General Wu Yue, the 8th Commander-in-Chief (term of office: August 16, 1977 to January 5, 1982)
Born in February 1915, General Wu was a native of Yingkou, Liaoning Province, and was given a second name as Meng Huang. His father was named Wu Zao-shi and mother was named Hu Su-Zhen. The couple has 3 children and General Wu was the eldest son. General Wu studied at Ying Kou County Primary School and Tong Ze Middle School in Shenyang. Northeast China was then occupied by Japanese military forces after the “September 18 Shenyang Incident,” which compelled General Wu to migrate to Hebei and studied at Luo He Middle School at Tong Xian of the province. He graduated from high school in the Summer of 1935, and decided to join the military for the cause of resisting Japanese aggression and was admitted to the class of the 8th Term of the Air Force Academy to learn aviation. He then had the chance to safeguard the country and demonstrate his strength of air combat.
In 1961, General Wu was appointed as the President of the China Airlines to help the development of the air transport industry of the country, as it was necessary for boosting the national economy and national power. The operating environment of the China Airlines was unfavorable and lacked financial support. Yet, General Wu was able to tackle all the challenges and the hardship, and successfully turned the company into a sizable business operation in 3 years. The success of the China Airlines today will be no less the contribution of General Wu in those days. General Wu assumed office as the Commander-in-Chief of the ROCAF in August 1977. Under his leadership, all the soldiers of the ROCAF spared no effort in rebuilding the force to a higher level of combat readiness under the three principles of “honor”, “pragmatism”, and “innovation.” The result is obvious.
General Wu served the ROCAF for more than 4 decades in distinguished service with high credential with 30 medals and awards including the 3rd Class Sky Command Medal, Loyalty and Gallantry Medal, and Victory Medal. General Wu was also decorated with the Air Force 3rd Class Cross Award from Spain.