"Though it grieves me that I may not be there to care for you in your old age, I will never betray China or bring shame upon the Zhang family! This time, I leave in a different manner—I go prepared to face life or death. Dear parents, please do not question my courage. If I return victorious, we shall reunite and cherish our time together once more. But if I fall, let my sacrifice for the nation offer you some small consolation.”

The final words of Zhang Xihu to his father, Zhang Boling, founder of the prestigious Nankai University in Tianjin, have touched many people.  Days before the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, Zhang—a 25-year-old pilot turned away from his family to face the invading Japanese.   

The letter he left for his father carries a son's last oath and a young man's unflinching patriotism, his words etched with the resolve of one who had already made peace with death.