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Shijiazhuang, 24 Dec (Xinhua) -- Loading artillery shells, shaking wheels... Yang Yuhe, a 91-year-old veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, stared closely at the sky, as if he had returned to the battlefield full of gun smoke: the anti-aircraft guns were already aimed at enemy aircraft and were ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.
Although Yang Yuhe, a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea who lives in Huanghua City, Hebei Province, lost his ability to speak, he recalled the battle scene 70 years ago and seemed to be immersed in the scene, and a set of habitual actions of "loading shells, shaking wheels, aiming, and shooting" was like a flowing stream.
Yang Yuhe (first from right) demonstrates to reporters the action of loading artillery shells. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Min
Yang Yuhe was originally from Dongpai Village, Guanzhuang Township, Huanghua City, and his family was poor since childhood, and at the age of 11, he went to the landlord's house as a long-term worker, responsible for fetching water, watching children and other miscellaneous tasks. He joined the army in 1947 at the age of 17.
Yang Yuhe's daughter, Yang Jinrong, said that when his father could speak, he often told his children about the years of the battle. He said that when he participated in the battle of Xiaowangzhuang in Tianjin, everyone fought forward with a momentum that was not afraid of death. At night, the march did not stop, and the back supported the front shoulder, and sometimes fell asleep while walking.
Yang Yuhe showed off the medals he had won. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Min
In 1951, Yang Yuhe entered the Korean War with his troops. The old man once recalled that when transporting weapons and equipment, military vehicles should try to avoid daylight to prevent enemy aircraft from bombing. At night, there is no driving light, and a soldier is arranged on the left and right of the car, one of whom wraps a flashlight in a cloth and illuminates the military vehicle with a shimmer, and the other person gestures to direct the vehicle forward.
On the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Yang Yuhe and his comrades formed a squad of every seven people to operate an anti-aircraft cannon, and the enemy plane that was hit fell in the cheers of the soldiers, but it was difficult to avoid casualties. In one battle, the enemy dropped a bomb, and Yang Yuhe watched as the soldiers of a squad in front of him were blown to the point of blood and flesh, and all of them were sacrificed. Whenever he recalled this scene, Yang Yuhe always had tears in his eyes.
Medals and certificates received by Yang Yuhe. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Min
The friendliness of the North Korean people also made Yang Yuhe unforgettable. During the Chinese New Year in North Korea, the North Korean people came to the army to offer condolences and brought a lot of local food, and a few North Korean girls danced. Seeing that their clothes were thin, Yang Yuhe and his comrades-in-arms took off their cotton clothes and draped them on the children.
After 13 months of fighting in Korea, Yang Yuhe returned to China. After recuperating in Beijing for a period of time, Yang Yuhe obeyed the arrangements of the army and transferred to the former grain bureau in Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province, in 1954, and then transferred to the former Huanghua City Industrial and Commercial Bureau in Hebei Province, where he remained until 1989.
Yang Yuhe (second from right) with his family. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Min
Yang Yuhe often teaches his children to live diligently and frugally and dedicate themselves to their work. In the eyes of his daughter Yang Jinrong, his father had honed his strong perseverance as a soldier, and no difficulty could overwhelm him. In 1985, when a local enterprise was short of funds and its operation was in trouble, Yang Yuhe held a family meeting and donated all the 4,000 yuan that his family had accumulated for many years to help the factory resolve the crisis.
At the age of 69, Yang Yuhe lost his speech ability due to the sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage, but he often recalled the past. Time can erase many marks, but he can never forget the action on the battlefield of "loading shells, shaking wheels, aiming, and shooting". Every time he did these actions, the usually kind and kind old man immediately became a heroic and resolute warrior with sharp eyes.
These actions, he remembered for a lifetime.