In the National Day military parade on October 1, I don't know if you have any impression of the following picture -
The veteran in a wheelchair, named Zhang Fuqing, is a 95-year-old from Yang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province.
Why can Zhang Fuqing sit on the upper floor of Tiananmen Square to watch the military parade? Because he had just received a supreme honor, the "Order of the Republic".
On September 29, 2019, the "Order of the Republic", which symbolizes the highest honor of the People's Republic of China, was awarded by eight people: Yu Min, Shen Jilan, Sun Jiadong, Li Yannian, Zhang Fuqing, Yuan Longping, Huang Xuhua and Tu Youyou.
Among them, there are two veterans: Li Yannian and Zhang Fuqing, Li Yannian we introduced yesterday, today let's see Zhang Fuqing.
Born in 1924 in Yang County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, Zhang Fuqing joined Peng Laozong's Northwest Field Army at the age of 24 and was the assault company with the fiercest fighting and the highest casualty rate.
In the subsequent battles, Zhang Fuqing rubbed shoulders with the god of death several times, and the most thrilling battle was the Battle of Yongfeng during the Battle of Huaihai.
In November 1948, in order to cooperate with the Central Plains forces in the Huaihai Campaign, Zhang Fuqing's company was responsible for conquering the enemy bunker positions on the outskirts of Pucheng, Shaanxi. Since there were no heavy weapons, the only way to blow up the bunker was to rely on the death squad members carrying explosive packs to rush up.
The first person to sign up for the charge was Zhang Fuqing, who was the squad leader at the time.
In order to avoid the fire of the bunker, Zhang Fuqing climbed the city wall carrying an explosive package weighing more than 70 kilograms and slowly leaned over. Imagine carrying such a heavy object, jumping off a high wall, it is easy to be smashed, not to mention the enemy strafing in front of you!
But Zhang Fuqing did not hesitate in the slightest, jumped down, and quickly climbed towards the enemy's bunker. Bullets whistled past his scalp, and the heat wave directly lifted his scalp, but Zhang Fuqing did not care about the pain at all, and with a single blow, he blew up several pillboxes in a row, and tried to ensure that the troops successfully completed the task of attacking the stronghold!
Although the battle was won, Zhang Fuqing was seriously injured, and his company suffered heavy casualties, and the acting company commander of the assault company alone changed eight people! Because the head injury was too severe, Zhang Fuqing could not get rid of the headache for decades, and in order to avoid being exposed to the wind and cold, the hat on his head was worn almost for a lifetime.
Although Zhang Fuqing's military career was not long, he made outstanding achievements in battle, and he successively won the honorary title of "Combat Hero" twice, and was awarded the honorary title of "Combat Hero" twice. However, after he was discharged from the army in 1955, Zhang Fuqing hid all these certificates and medals, never showing them off to anyone, not even his children.
It was not until more than 60 years later, when the local government counted the personal information of retired veterans, that Zhang Fuqing's "secret" was made public.
If Zhang Fuqing was a famous combat hero when he joined the army, then Zhang Fuqing after he was discharged from the army is a famous model worker.
At the beginning of 1955, Zhang Fuqing responded to the call of his superiors, took the initiative to retire from the army, came to Enshi, Hubei Province, and joined the local support construction. You must know that the Enshi area in the border area of Hubei is notoriously poor and backward, surrounded by a large area of mountainous areas, the land is poor, the grain production is insufficient, the traffic is blocked, and Zhang Fuqing, who has just come here, has not even landed on food, clothing, shelter and transportation. However, Zhang Fuqing did not say half a word of "complaint".
In order to solve the problem of grain production, every time during the busy season of farming, Zhang Fuqing squatted in the homes of the common people one after another to help, personally took the lead in setting an example, and mobilized everyone's enthusiasm; in order to solve the problem of inconvenient transportation, Zhang Fuqing ran continuously for several years, and finally saved enough funds for road construction. Under his efforts, the Enshi people, who had been blocked by the mountains for a lifetime, finally had a way to the outside!
Zhang Fuqing's hardships and deeds are remembered by the common people, and when he is about to be transferred at the end of his work, the local people spontaneously form a send-off team, crying goodbye to him, and stretching for dozens of miles.
In the face of the praise and praise from the outside world, Zhang Fuqing only said lightly: "Whether it is the battlefield or peace construction, I have only fulfilled the tasks entrusted to me by the party. ”
On September 29, 2019, Zhang Fuqing received a "Republic Medal" at the Great Hall of the People, at this time, he was 95 years old.
In the face of reporters interviewed, Zhang Fuqing said: "Today, I would like to take this medal to pay tribute to those comrades who have sacrificed, and I think the medal should belong to them." ”