It wasn’t until the year following activation of the Chinese-American Composite Wing that this one-of-a-kind unit adopted an insignia symbolizing its distinctive binational character. It featured an American “Flying Tiger” and a traditional Chinese dragon, shown symbolically destroying a “rising sun” flag that represented imperial Japan, their common enemy.  Its design aptly reflected Maj. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault’s determination to provide good will and understanding between the Chinese and Americans for the future, as well as the CACW’s stated mission, "to train Chinese Air Force personnel in all phases of combat operations including maintenance and administration."

In early October of 1943, newspapers across the US announced that the 14^th Air Force had officially adopted a new Flying Tigers emblem, with Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault's approval and endorsement. Former commander of the renowned American Volunteer Group that gained fame as the original “Flying Tigers,” as well as of the China Air Task Force that succeeded it, Chennault now served in command of the 14^th Air Force. Its effectiveness soon earned it the moniker, "the Fighting Fourteenth.” Carrying on the Flying Tigers legacy under Chennault’s leadership, the 14^th went on to win air superiority in China. In his memoirs, Chennault later praised the accomplishments of his air force and wrote, “It was a record of which every man who wore the Flying Tiger shoulder patch can be proud.”