War veterans hail their fallen comrades

Heroic defense

Lyu often recalls one soldier in particular, Gao Xiyou, even though he has been dead for nearly 70 years.

"Gao was a member of the 2nd Squad in the 7th Company of our 3rd Battalion. On Jan 29, 1951, his squad was ordered to hold a position at the foot of Mount Baegun. By dusk that day, all the squad members, except Gao, had died.

"Before the squad leader Han Jiazhen died, he ordered Gao to continue defending the position. Gao vowed to keep the position, and he succeeded. The enemy had to retreat at night."

Lyu later visited Gao after hearing that the young man had asked to be sent to fight in another battle."I told him he was now a hero and that the regiment would apply for a citation for him," he said.

However, Gao never received a medal, as he died in the new fighting.

"I have regretted all my life allowing him to go to that combat. He was the last survivor from his platoon. I should have saved him," Lyu said.

Song Shiyun, a 21-year-old officer, was killed in the same battle. He already had head injuries, but was the first to run from a trench and charge enemy troops before being shot in the chest and stomach. Even after he died, his hands were still clutching his machine gun, Lyu said.

Lyu added that Song once gave him part of a US parachute to serve as a reminder of the battles they fought together.

"After all this time, during which I have moved house several times, I have always kept this piece of cloth with me. Sometimes, when I touch it, I feel as if I can see those young men once again," he said.

To honor those who died and their bravery, the regiment was later named after Mount Baegun and was given an honor flag, which is now a permanent exhibit at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, in Beijing.

For Li Jide, 86, a farmer in Gaoqing county, Shandong province, who served in the Chinese People's Volunteer Army as a signalman, the sacrifice made by his comrade Huang Jiguang remains a vivid memory.

"Huang said that to ensure victory, he was willing to act like Aleksandr Matrosov, the protagonist in the Soviet movie Private Aleksandr Matrosov, who used his body to block the enemy's machine gun fire. Huang really did this," Li said.

In October 1952, the infantry battalion Li and Huang were serving in took part in the Shangganling Campaign, known in the West as the Battle of Triangle Hill.

During the battle－one of the war's most-documented－both Chinese forces and the enemy mobilized all available troops and heavy weapons in a desperate bid for victory.

The US sent tens of aircraft and hundreds of artillery guns and tanks to the battlefield, firing more than 1.9 million shells at Chinese troops positioned an area of some 3.7 square kilometers.

At the height of the fighting, an average of six shells per second rained down on Chinese-held positions.

On Oct 19, the battalion was ordered to take Hill 597.9, which is named for its height and is located west of Shangganling.

After Chinese troops captured three positions, they were halted by heavy machine gun fire from enemy positions on top of the hill.

The battalion's chief of staff ordered 6th Company, in which Li and Huang were serving, to make all-out efforts to wipe out enemy firing points before dawn. The company commander sent three teams of soldiers with long metal tubes filled with dynamite to destroy the positions, but all of them were killed.

At this crucial point, Huang, 21, a signalman in the company, located the commander and asked to carry out this task.

Li recalled:"He (Huang) said,'Let me do this'. Another two soldiers also asked for the responsibility. The commander gave his approval and made Huang head of the three-member team."

The trio advanced through strong firepower, killing several troops. However, one team member was shot dead and another seriously wounded soon after.

"I was about 50 meters from Huang. The night sky was lit so brightly by enemy flares that I could see him clearly," Li said.

"I noticed he had been shot in one arm and that a lot of blood was coming from the wound. He crawled forward and threw his last grenade, but it failed to destroy the enemy firing point and troops, who continued to fire at us.

"Suddenly Huang rose and charged the gun placement where the enemy fire was coming from."

Huang used his body as a shield to take fire from two machine guns, clearing the way for his comrades, who rushed from their positions and killed the remaining enemy forces, Li said.

Now part of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's paratroop force, 6th Company holds the honorary title The Company of Huang Jiguang.

Fallen heroes from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, such as Gao and Huang, have never been forgotten by the Chinese people. In addition to commemorative measures, the central government and the military have worked to bring home their remains from the ROK.