Once misidentified, Korean War hero gets top award

For his remarkable contribution, he received the highest award given to China's combat heroes, but there was no one to claim the medal.

Homophonic names are common in China, and this led to him being misidentified as another soldier, who was missing. The award was issued during the peak of the war, and there was no time to double-check the army roster properly. As a result, in the DPRK, he was considered a martyr, and the government not only had his portrait hung at the museum but also erected a monument on the mountain where he'd fought.

But Chai survived thanks to treatment, and after a year of rest and recuperation, he returned to his hometown in Yuechi county, Sichuan province, where nobody knew of his heroic deeds, and began a new life as a farmer.

In 1982, China organized a search for missing combatants from the war. Two years later, an ad seeking information about Chai in the Sichuan Daily was seen by his son and by sheer coincidence, the "martyr" was brought back to life.

In 1985, he was invited to visit Pyongyang to attend a commemoration of the war and was shocked to see his portrait in the military museum. He took the painting down and said to the guide, "I am not a hero. The true heroes are those who did not come back from the battlefield."

During the commemoration, he was also given the DPRK's highest war honor, and late leader, Kim Il-sung, personally pinned the Order of Freedom and Independence to Chai's dress.

When he returned from Pyongyang, he was greeted with flowers and applause. No longer just a farmer, Chai became a national hero and later served as a deputy in the National People's Congress for a while.

He died in 2018 at the age of 93. This year, as the Communist Party of China celebrates its 100th anniversary, he was posthumously awarded the July 1 Medal, the highest honor given to outstanding Party members.

Once again, the hero was not able to receive his award in person, but his bravery and dedication will always be remembered.