The Chinese-American Composite Wing’s unique composition was not always readily accepted. As the 3^rd Bomb Squadron prepared to enter combat in Burma, a serious conflict arose. Maj. R. L. Patterson, in command of the 83^rd Bomb Squadron, 12^th Bomb Group, was distrustful of the abilities of the recently-arrived and biracial 3^rd Squadron. Before allowing the mixed Chinese-American crews to "tack onto" his planes for missions, he insisted that 3^rd Squadron airmen fly a practice formation flight with the 83^rd to demonstrate their readiness for combat. The following day, Capt. Raymond L. Hodges Jr. and "his Chinese boys, Lts. Tung and Yen" flew follow element to the 83^rd Squadron's lead element. "Our boys assembled and tacked on much quicker than the 83^rd, who flew an extremely wide pattern,” according to a later report. However, a mechanical failure forced the lead plane down, leaving Patterson unsatisfied, so he demanded a second practice flight. Once again, the Chinese pilots "made a wonderful showing" and Patterson called off the flight.

When Imperial Japanese naval and air forces attacked the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and then the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, Paul L. Young, an American citizen of Chinese descent, was an eye-witness to the devastation. Displaying extraordinary courage, he was wounded while moving undamaged fighters away from those that were burning, earning him the Purple Heart. After spending twenty-three months with a heavy bomb unit in the Southwest Pacific, he served as intelligence and historical officer of the 3rd Bomb Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing. One of the five missions he completed against targets in Burma during that period earned him a second Purple Heart.