Back to the Cloud! Nonagenarian Veteran Donates Half-Century Collection of Huang Jiguang's Old Photos

After more than seventy years, a video connection rekindles the concern that transcends mountains and seas.

91-year-old Korean War veteran He Yixiu slowly stands up. On the other side of the screen, the paratroopers of a certain unit stand at attention and salute—the old man has "returned home" two old photos he has treasured for over half a century, and he recounts the story of the extraordinary hero Huang Jiguang once again to the inheritors of the hero's legacy.

The story begins with a handwritten letter that crossed thousands of miles. On May 6 of this year, the unit received a letter from Xinyang, Henan. The sender was none other than He Yixiu, a veteran of the Korean War and a comrade of Huang Jiguang during his lifetime, who had served in the predecessor unit of this unit.

"I am 91 years old and have begun to prepare for my 'final affairs,' but there is one thing I have never been able to let go." The letter is filled with deep emotion, "I have two photos related to the hero Huang Jiguang that I wish to return to the heroic unit I have long cherished."

Two old photos, one monument, one sentiment.

One is a stone inscription on the monument at the battlefield of Shangganling: "Comrade Huang Jiguang, a special-class combat hero of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, sacrificed himself for the country and will be immortal." The inscription is vigorous and powerful, like the hero's unyielding body. The other photo shows Huang Jiguang's mother, Deng Fangzhi, visiting her son's comrades after his sacrifice, sitting side by side with two soldiers, engaged in friendly conversation.

The photo of the monument brings forth a war story that has been buried for over 70 years.

In October 1952, the Shangganling Campaign broke out. He Yixiu, then a clerk in the 4th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 135th Regiment of the 45th Division of the Volunteer Army, was responsible for battlefield statistics. His comrade Huang Jiguang, at a critical moment when his fellow soldiers were blocked in their charge, dragged his wounded body towards the enemy's firepower point, using his chest to block the gun muzzle, paving the way for the attack with his heroic sacrifice.

The hero dedicated himself to the country, and the mountains and rivers bear witness. On New Year's Day 1953, amidst heavy snow, Bi Kaiwen, then the cultural officer of the 45th Division, was ordered to lead six comrades, following the flyers, reports, and broken tree trunks and telephone lines posted on the stone wall, step by step to the top of Wusheng Mountain. In the severe cold of minus several degrees Celsius, they used fire to heat the stone wall, chiseling the hero's name deeply into the hard rock. They believed, "As soon as spring arrives, this place will bloom with fiery red azaleas and many wildflowers to adorn this monument to the hero."

The mountains and rivers remain silent, and the years leave their marks. After being passed around several times, the two photos were carefully treasured by He Yixiu, accompanying him through most of his life. After returning from the Korean battlefield, he took off his military uniform to work in the vast northern wilderness, and later was assigned to a glass factory in Xinyang. Although his job changed, the album containing the photos was always by his side. Quietly dedicated and selfless, he engraved his respect for heroes into his life principles and passed it on to future generations.

Years after retirement, the old unit always lingers in his heart. Whenever he sees the old unit's soldiers preparing for battle on television, he feels a warmth in his heart, as if he has returned to the days of charging alongside his comrades.

After receiving the letter and photos, the unit's party committee promptly arranged for someone to connect and express gratitude, inviting experts in party history and military history to verify the historical value and cultural significance of the photos. I also specially visited Mr. He and sought out the stone carver from back then, the now 96-year-old Bi Kaiwen, uncovering this buried heroic story from deep within time. Considering Mr. He's advanced age, the unit decided to fulfill the veteran's wish to "return home" through a "cloud connection."

During the connection, Private Zhou Kai asked the old man about the battle scene that left the deepest impression on him. He Yixiu's spirit lifted as he passionately recounted the fierce battle of all members charging and fighting day and night. When he spoke of the moment the charge sounded, he swung his right arm vigorously, his voice suddenly booming— the indomitable spirit of the Volunteer Army in the face of a powerful enemy "penetrated" the screen, striking the hearts of every soldier.

Li Pengchao, the 37th squad leader of the "Huang Jiguang Squad," reported to Mr. He about his experience participating in international competitions: "Whenever I feel I can't hold on, the heroic scene of Huang Jiguang sacrificing himself to block the gun muzzle always flashes in my mind. As inheritors of the hero's legacy, we have no right to give up, only the responsibility to charge."

He Yixiu nodded repeatedly, encouraging all soldiers: no matter how dangerous the road ahead, they must fight bravely and charge forward like the hero Huang Jiguang— "Charge! Charge! Charge!"

"Each generation has its own Shangganling to defend, and each generation has its own mission to carry." The words of the unit's leaders express the firm answer of this unit to continue the heroic bloodline. Today, this unit has produced a batch of successors who continue the heroic legacy, including key personnel who have undertaken major tasks under extreme conditions, first sergeants who innovate tactics and improve collective parachuting efficiency, and excellent grassroots leaders who genuinely care for their soldiers and unite their forces... The shadow of heroes has never faded, and the sincerity of the predecessors remains ever-burning.

At the end of the "cloud" connection, the unit's leaders solemnly placed the two photos, which carry the memories of heroes and convey steadfast faith, into the display case of the paratrooper military history museum, officially entering the collection. They are not only silent witnesses of the history of war but also a rallying call for progress. With the centenary goal of building the army within reach, this generation's "Shangganling Campaign" can only be fulfilled by continuing the bloodline and honing hard skills, so as not to disappoint the expectations of heroes.

Author | Lin Qingji, Gao Di, Li Jianqing, Ma Zi'an