He is best remembered as the leader of the Flying Tigers, an all-volunteer air service in China fighting the Japanese before the United States entered World War II. When the US entered the war, he took command of all Allied Air Forces in the Far East. On December 25, 1911, he and Nell Thompson were married. They had eight children. They divorced after thirty five years, and Chennault married Anna Chan on December 2, 1947. They had two children.