One day in 1994, CCTV in Beijing suddenly received a letter. As China's public opinion organization and ideological and cultural front, CCTV has a loud reputation and often receives letters from fans, so it is not unusual for this letter. But when the staff opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter, they were suddenly alarmed and hurriedly reported to the CCTV leaders. After reading the letter, the leader was also shocked on the spot.
Zhao gave bears
Here is a letter from Jiangsu that reads:
I was the former colonel of the Kuomintang army, and I met the first batch of female pilots in New China who participated in the "Shenzhou Style" program, hoping that CCTV would come forward to find the female pilots who were still alive and arrange for me to meet with them. Payment: Zhao gave bears.
The CCTV leader did not choose to reply to the letter immediately, and he had some doubts: Why would the colonel and officer of the Nationalist army know the female pilot of the new China? After so many years, why did he insist on meeting with female pilots? After all, before that, CCTV received too many spoof letters, and for a while they were not sure whether the content of the letters was true or false, and they were ready to conduct an investigation before drawing conclusions.
Therefore, the CCTV staff, who was full of doubts, contacted the "Shenzhou Style" program group to verify the authenticity of the letter content, and at the same time sent someone to investigate his identity according to the address left by the sender, Zhao Zhixiong. As the investigation continues to advance, what unfolds in front of the staff is a moving and legendary past. The leaders of CCTV did not dare to be sloppy and immediately reported to the military region urgently and asked the military region for help.
A letter of help from rural Jiangsu
The person who sent the letter to CCTV was an old man from Jiaze Town, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, named Zhao Zhixiong, who was 83 years old. More than a decade ago, his youngest son was paralyzed in bed, and in order to take care of his son, he quit his job as a warehouse keeper and returned to his hometown of Changzhou to live on a meager pension.
On September 14, 1994, the old man Zhao Zhixiong sat on a stool as usual and watched the CCTV program. On this day, catch up with the CCTV "Shenzhou Style" program broadcast. At the beginning of the show, there is a long-ago gray and white picture, and a group of female pilots skillfully board the plane and fly the plane above the blue sky. Immediately afterward, the picture shifts to several middle-aged women receiving central leaders.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Zhixiong was shocked on the spot, and the reading glasses almost fell. After a long time, he eased up and blurted out a sentence: "This is the student I taught back then!" ”
Female pilot
Suddenly, scenes of the past appeared in his mind, evoking Zhao Zhixiong's thoughts about the students, and he wanted to see these students again in his lifetime. After much thought, the old man took out a pen and paper and wrote a letter of help to CCTV, expressing his greatest wish. After the letter was sent, Zhao Zhixiong relaxed, as if he had completed an important decision in his life.
But more than a month has passed, the old man has not waited for the CCTV reply, he had to take up a pen and write a letter, sent to Beijing, but the letter is like a stone sinking into the sea, or did not get any response.
Just when the old man felt disheartened, he suddenly received a call from Changzhou TELEVISION station inviting him to the TV station for an interview. At the scene of the interview, Zhao Zhixiong revealed his experience and interrogation, and a magnificent epic picture scroll was finally presented in front of people...
Zhao gave bears in his youth
Ace pilot, surrendered to the People's Liberation Army
In 1911, Zhao Zhixiong was born in Jiaze Town, Changzhou City. Influenced by the "May Fourth Movement", the young Zhao Zhixiong began to accept the influence of progressive ideas, and in the year of his weak crown, he became the leader of the progressive youth in the town. During this period, he witnessed the warlord melee and the atrocities of the Western powers on the land of China, and was very angry in his heart, so he abandoned his pen and went south to Guangzhou, where he was admitted to the 8th phase of the Whampoa Military Academy, and from then on embarked on the road of joining the army.
In 1934, Zhao Zhixiong, who graduated from Huangpu, was naturally arranged to serve as a platoon leader in a chariot battalion of the Kuomintang Army and engage the Japanese army. However, after several battles, he suddenly had a strong sense of frustration after several battles: the chariot unit he was in, due to lack of air support, was vulnerable to the Japanese aircraft and suffered heavy losses. Watching his comrades-in-arms die one by one, and the chariots being blown up one after another, Zhao Zengxiong was in pain. In addition to his grief and indignation, he secretly swore in his heart: One day he must fly an airplane and compete with the Japanese in the air!
In 1936, Zhao Zhixiong finally waited for a heavenly opportunity. This year, the Central Aviation School in Jianqiao, Hangzhou, increased the number of students. The Central Aviation School is the first flight academy established in China, and students who graduated from the Central Aviation School went to the front line after graduation to fight against the Japanese army, 90% of the blood stained the long sky, and died heroically. Of course, Zhao Zhixiong understood the danger, but he still signed up without hesitation, successfully passed the exam, and became a student of the aviation school.
Central Aviation School
After graduating from the Central Aviation School, Zhao Anderson and his classmates were immediately sent to fight on the front line. This time, he was no longer a target, but a hunter soaring in the blue sky, looking for prey.
In the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhao Participated in the Battle of Nanjing and the Air Battle of Wuhan, shot down enemy aircraft many times, made outstanding military achievements, became the ace pilot of the Chinese Air Force, and was appointed as the flight captain.
While participating in the war, Zhao Zengxiong also undertook the task of training pilots, and during the entire period of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he trained more than 300 pilots and made outstanding contributions to the War of Resistance.
In 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender and won the War of Resistance. Running on the front line for several consecutive years, Zhao Zhixiong had a strong war-weary mood and planned to return to his hometown and live a plain life. But Chiang Kai-shek was plotting a civil war, so how could he have granted his request. As a result, Zhao Zhixiong, who was unwilling to Chinese to fight Chinese, was transferred to Chengdu as the chief of the air transport depot, from an ace pilot to a warehouse manager.
In 1949, the Kuomintang army was defeated on all fronts and gradually retreated to Taiwan. According to the instructions of the Kuomintang, Zhao Gavexiong took his wife, eldest daughter and eldest son on a plane to Taiwan, and the younger son stayed in Chengdu with him because he was ill and needed treatment. What Zhao Zhixiong did not expect was that from that day on, the whole family was forced to separate and never see each other again.
Chinese pilot
In November 1949, Liu Deng's army marched southwest. On this day, Zhao Zhixiong's sister Zhao Lulin and her brother-in-law Wu Fang suddenly came to the door. Zhao Zhixiong knew that the two were already communists and should have come to be lobbyists.
Sure enough, as soon as Wu entered the door, he opened the door and said: "Now that the general trend of the Kuomintang has gone, like you who have made meritorious contributions to the war and have not persecuted the Communist Party's Nationalist army cadres, abandoning the secret and throwing in the light is the best choice." Moreover, you are a rare talent, and the Communist Party will definitely reuse you. ”
With wu Jingfang's assurance, Zhao Zengxiong made up his mind to revolt. Before the arrival of the People's Liberation Army, he quietly transferred the supplies in the warehouse to the primary school in the city and ordered people to take strict care of them. On December 17, Chengdu was liberated, and Zhao Zhixiong led his troops to surrender and handed over the supplies to the People's Liberation Army intact.
Sure enough, after the liberation of Chengdu, Zhao Zhixiong was immediately given a heavy responsibility, and together with other surrendered technical talents of the Nationalist Air Force, he came to the northeast and entered the newly established 7th Aviation School as an instructor. During his teaching at the Aviation School, Zhao Zhixiong trained more than 300 pilots for the country, of which he was most impressed by the first batch of 14 female pilots in New China.
Northeast Aviation School
Train female pilots and be awarded first-class merit
Long before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao proposed: New China must have its own air force. Soon after, Liu Yalou was appointed as the first commander of the Air Force, forming the first air force of new China. In the process of forming the Air Force, Deng Yingchao proposed to the central authorities: the formation of a women's aviation brigade. As a result, among the first students of the Northeast Seventh Aviation School, there were 14 female flight cadets. As one of the instructors of the aviation school, Zhao Zhixiong took over this glorious mission. On that day, the leader of the military region stressed to him in person: "Now our country has female drivers and female tankers, but there are no female pilots." You must train these 14 female pilots well, and none of them can be eliminated. ”
Previously, there were no examples of female pilots flying airplanes in China, and training female pilots is undoubtedly a huge test. But Zhao Zhixiong did not flinch, he firmly believed that under the leadership of the Communist Party and with the full support of the state, he would be able to cultivate a group of female pilots who could fight and win wars!
Zhao Zhixiong was fully psychologically prepared and prepared for the flight course, but in the practical teaching, the female pilot encountered many difficulties due to her timidity.
Once, Zhao Zhixiong boarded a plane with a female pilot and sat in the co-pilot to instruct the trainees to fly the plane. However, just as the plane was about to land, the wheels jumped up. The female trainees were startled, and they couldn't react for a while, and they actually had two hands and one stall, and they didn't care about anything. This operation is very dangerous, just like some female drivers are driving now, and when they see the obstacles in front of them, they forget to step on the brakes and choose to cover their faces.
Zhao Zhixiong saw the situation and hurriedly took over the joystick, and it took some operation to make the plane land smoothly. Zhao Zengxiong, who stepped off the plane, was horrified and asked, "What just happened?" ”
The female trainee was also scared and sweaty, and explained: "Instructor, just now the plane was out of control, I was a little panicked, I don't know what to do, maybe I am not suitable for flying a plane." ”
Zhao Zhixiong saw the situation and hurriedly reassured, saying: "It's okay, fly a few more times and you will be skilled, and the instructor has the confidence to take you well." ”
For some time after that, Zhao Zhixiong always went out of his way to conduct test flights, and privately talked to female trainees and discussed ways to overcome psychological obstacles with them. Under his careful guidance, the 14 female trainees became more and more sophisticated, and all graduated with excellent results. Zhao Zhixiong, who completed the task, was also awarded the honorary title of first class merit.
At this time, during the period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, when catching up with the state's employment of personnel, the female pilots were quickly secretly thrown into the battlefield after successfully leaving the division. And the difference between Zhao Zhixiong and the students is a full 43 years.
Ask for help from CCTV, and then continue the frontier
In 1956, China vigorously developed civil aviation, and Zhao Zhixiong accepted the organizational arrangement and entered the civil aviation department. In 1961, in the face of three years of natural disasters, the civil aviation system was forced to suspend work and lay off a large number of employees, and Zhao Zhixiong, who was in his prime, had to leave the army and enter a machinery factory. Later, he became a warehouse manager under the arrangement of the factory, and worked in this position for 17 years.
In 1977, the youngest son who was dependent on Zhao Zhixiong was suddenly paralyzed, and in order to take care of his son and to give his wife and children in Taiwan a chance to find him, he returned to his hometown of Changzhou and lived an ordinary retirement life.
In the blink of an eye, 17 years have passed. One day in 1994, when the 83-year-old Zhao Zhixiong was watching a TV show as usual, he happened to see the first batch of female pilots he had taught in the "Shenzhou Style" program that he had broadcast. At this moment, the old man could no longer contain his excitement and wrote a letter to CCTV to ask for help.
Zhao Zhixiong took a group photo with female trainees Zhou Yingzhi and Wu Xiumei
After the CCTV leaders confirmed the identity of Zhao Zhixiong, they immediately contacted the military region and arranged for the old man to meet with the female pilot who was still alive. At the same time, CCTV also contacted Changzhou Television Station and asked the staff of the TV station to interview the elderly first. At the scene of the interview, the staff asked: "Elder Zhao, what do you want to say to the female pilot?" ”
With tears in his eyes, Zhao Zhixiong replied, "I want to be reunited with them as soon as possible!" ”
After many searches, CCTV finally contacted the two female trainees that Zhao Zhixiong had taught that year, Zhou Yingzhi and Wu Xiumei. When the two learned that the old man was still alive, they couldn't help but shed tears and wrote a long greeting letter to the old man, the first sentence of which read: "Elder Zhao, you are our enlightenment teacher, we can't forget you." ”
In March of the following year, with the assistance of CCTV, Zhao was invited to Beijing to meet with two of his female trainees. After 43 years, the old man looked at the two female students with gray hair in front of him, and couldn't help but sigh: "I can't recognize it!" I don't recognize it! ”
After that, CCTV conducted an exclusive interview with the elderly Zhao Zhixiong and asked: "Elder Zhao, why did you train pilots back then?" ”
The old man hesitated for a moment, and then replied without hesitation: "The purpose is to resist US aggression and aid Korea, to defeat the US aggressors, and to defend the country!" ”