"They are no worse than any army in the world!" Stilwell spoke highly of Chinese soldiers. During the Anti-Japanese War, American four-star General Joseph Stilwell successively served as chief of staff of the Chinese theater, commander-in-chief of the US forces in the China-Burma-India theater, deputy commander of the Southeast Asian Allied Command, and commander of the Chinese army in India. General Stilwell was born and died along with Chinese soldiers in the jungles of Burma. In his diary, Stilwell praised the Chinese soldiers: "In my opinion, the Chinese soldiers are the best proof of the great Chinese people—their indomitable spirit, their uncomplaining loyalty, their glorious purpose, their unchanging patience, their endure the hardships of complaining and never groaning", "I am convinced that the Chinese soldier in straw shoes and malnourished can compete with the soldiers of any nation in the world, once well equipped, well-trained, and well-commanded." General Stilwell's assessment of Chinese soldiers was confirmed a few years later in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
