"Dear Mom and Dad, we're going to the front soon. The son is not filial piety, if we can't come back, please parents must not be sad, to live strongly. Xiao Kang and I brother did not leave you with any commemoration, this 12 yuan and a bed of straw mat, is our intention, please parents accept, grass mat for Geng Tao brother to use. This military salute! ”
This is a suicide note dated February 10, 1979, written by Geng Jun and his brother Geng Xiaokang. The suicide note contained 12 yuan, which was the allowance received by the brothers. These, together with a roll of straw mats, were the last relics they left for the family.
In mid-March 1979, the brothers both died on the front lines. This year, the elder brother Geng Jun was not yet 21 years old, and the younger brother Geng Xiaokang was only in his early 19s.
After learning the news of the sacrifice of her two sons, Geng's mother fainted several times and turned white overnight. Before leaving, he personally wrote it to his two sons
"Heroic killing of the enemy, meritorious service for the country"
The father's heart was like a knife, but he just choked silently. Because he is both a father and a 34-year veteran of the army, he deeply understands the cruelty of war and the faith of soldiers.
A four-soldier
Geng's father's name was Geng Jinfu, a native of Gengshankou Village, Yinshan Town, Shandong Province, and was born in the chaotic world of 1930. At the age of 14, Geng Jinfu was a monk and resolutely joined the Eighth Route Army.
After joining the army, Geng Jinfu threw himself into the anti-Japanese war in southwest Lu, and then participated in the Battle of Huaihai, the Battle of Crossing the River, the Battle of Jinzhou, the Liberation of the Great Southwest, and the suppression of rebellion in Tibet, with outstanding achievements. In his 34-year military career, Geng Jinfu grew from an ordinary soldier to deputy chief of staff of the 150th Division of the 50th Army until his transfer in 1978.
In 1958, Geng Jinfu's unit was stationed in Tibet, and his lover Zhu Jianming also came with the army.
This year, due to the distance between the place where he lived and the hospital, Geng Jun was born in an ambulance that was on the way, so the two gave Geng Jun a nickname called "Journey".
A year later, the second son, Geng Xiaokang, was born on the Kham Plateau, and because he was born in the light of day, the two named him "Xiaokang".
From left in the front row: Zhu Jianming, Geng Tao, Geng Jinfu, and from left in the back row: Geng Qing, Geng Jun, Geng Xiaokang
Loyalty to the motherland, faith in the mission, and for the sake of the successors of the revolutionary cause, between 1976 and 1977, Geng Jinfu consulted with his wife and successively sent his daughter Geng Qing and eldest son Geng Jun to the army, so that they could be tempered by the revolutionary furnace.
Seeing that his brother and sister had all joined the army, Geng Xiaokang, who was still on campus, could not sit still. Growing up in the army compound since childhood, Geng Xiaokang had a strong yearning for green military uniforms. However, due to his lack of age and did not meet the requirements for enlistment, Geng Xiaokang's enlistment request was ruthlessly rejected.
"As a descendant of a soldier, I must defend my family and country."
Unwillingly, Geng Xiaokang ran to the cooking class to help cook and help clean up, and after being forcibly taken home, he still remembered the military camp and kept asking to join the army. The leaders of the troops could not stand up to his persistent strength of grinding hard bubbles, and specially approved him to join the army.
Finally got what he wanted, Geng Xiaokang was extremely happy. Although he abandoned school to join the army and did not have any high education, he still insisted on writing a diary every day, and at the end of the diary he wrote:
"Please rest assured that the motherland!"
The fine traditions of the glorious family are destined to be passed on from generation to generation, and Geng Qing and Geng Jun's sisters and brothers joined the party in the second year of their enlistment, and Geng Xiaokang also joined the Communist Youth League in the year he joined the army. The 3 people grew up rapidly, and after changing careers, Geng Jinfu would feel great comfort whenever he received a letter from the children from the army.
When he was in the army, Geng Jun enrolled in the military academy examination and planned to apply for the Harbin Military Engineering College, which was also his dream. If there is no accident, Geng Jun, who graduated from high school, can be admitted as an officer, but at the time of the exam, Geng Jun handed in the white paper.
Because the border war was dense at this time, Geng Jun did not have the heart to take the exam and took the initiative to ask to fight on the front line.
Brothers are heroic
In February 1979, the troops received combat orders, and Geng Qing, as his sister, strongly requested to go to the front to participate in the battle, but was not approved.
According to the regulations, if it is two brothers, one of them can go to the front. Since Geng Jun had already applied to fight on the front line, Geng Xiaokang, as his younger brother, could have stayed in the rear, but he said:
"I am a warrior, and fighting is the right thing to do!"
Final group photo of the two brothers: Geng Jun (right), Geng Xiaokang (left)
The brothers of the tiger, Geng Jun and Geng Xiaokang, went to the front line in this way. Due to his excellent performance in the army, at this time, Geng Jun was already a squad leader of the 8th Company, and Geng Xiaokang was a deputy squad leader of the 6th Company. Two days before departure, Geng Jun and Geng Xiaokang each collected a monthly allowance of 6 yuan and sandwiched 12 yuan in a suicide note.
On February 22, 1979, in order to be able to see their two sons before they went to the battlefield, Geng Jinfu rushed to the army from hundreds of miles away to cheer them on their heroic march, encouraged the two sons to be brave and calm when carrying out combat tasks, and wrote a parting message of "heroic killing of the enemy and meritorious service for the country".
However, no one expected that this time the send-off would also become the last side of the father and son.
After the battle began, the two brothers joined hands to kill the enemy, fought bravely, and the army marched all the way, defeating the Vietnamese army and retreating.
In mid-March 1979, upon learning of the news that the Chinese army was victorious and about to retreat, the Vietnamese army began to carry out a fortified ambush in the mangy jungle, and the regimental headquarters of Geng Andh Xiaokang was surrounded by the Vietnamese army.
On March 15, 1979, in the Kunnuo area west of Gaoping, in order to allow 22 wounded to break through the siege, Geng Xiaokang, who was also wounded in many places, took on the heavy responsibility of suppressing fire and carried out sniper cover with several comrades. In the fierce battle, Geng Xiaokang was hit by enemy bullets and died heroically.
On March 16, 1979, in the Kwok Bang area west of Gao Binh, facing the swarms of Vietnamese troops, Geng led his fighters to a steep cliff and fought to the death against the large number of Vietnamese troops surrounding them. After running out of ammunition, Geng Jun clutched his submachine gun in his hand and shouted
"I'd rather die than surrender, and party members jump with me!"
Resolutely jumped off the cliff.
Like those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country, the two brothers Geng Jun and Geng Xiaokang fell on the frontier of the motherland.
"Die for the motherland, die where you want!"
The heroic deeds of the Geng brothers were reported in the whole army, and the two were posthumously recorded as first-class merit and second-class merit respectively.
Heroes are immortal
After the sacrifices of Geng Jun and Geng Xiaokang, Geng's mother, Zhu Jianming, turned all her hair white overnight. Accompanied by Geng Qing, the mother and daughter duo went to the Guangxi garrison to visit the troops returning from the front. The soldiers also had tears in their eyes and rushed to the guest house to visit Geng Mu.
Pregnant in October, blood is thicker than water, children are the flesh lumps that fell from the mother's body, all of a sudden sacrificed two on the front line, and now the white-haired people send the black-haired people, how can people not cut off their livers and intestines? In the long years that followed, the hero's mother was destined to suffer endless longing.
The hero is immortal, the hero's mother is great, she gave birth to the hero, and she herself is a hero.
Although she was greatly stimulated mentally, Geng Mu always firmly adhered to the spirit of dedication to the country. After the sacrifice of his two sons, Zhu Jianming was transferred from the education front to the Leshan Power Supply Bureau, was rated as an advanced worker for consecutive years, and was awarded the honor of "March 8th Red Flag Bearer" by the Sichuan Provincial Electric Power Company, and was honored to join the party.
The pain of losing a son is undoubtedly extremely painful for Geng Jinfu, the old chief, but it is also extremely glorious. "Defending the family and defending the country" has never been a slogan that is just shouted, but a lofty belief engraved in the hearts of soldiers.
In July 1987, Geng Jinfu attended the Second National Heroic Model Congress as a special representative and was cordially received by the leaders. Geng Jinfu also returned to his hometown several times to visit the villagers, and Geng Jinping, who was the village party secretary at the time, said to Geng Jinfu with regret: "Why should they go to the battlefield at the same time?" You might as well stop them and let them stay one. Geng Jinfu replied:
"As a leading cadre, everyone else has taken the initiative to send their children to the front line, how can my children be special!"
Four soldiers, brothers are heroic, this is the immortal red blood and heroic faith.