As the "first flag raiser of the Republic", Gao Hongfu, after retiring from the army, faced with a job offer with an annual salary of millions, resolutely chose to refuse.
Why would Gao Hongfu refuse a million annual salary? What's behind this? This issue of Ziya Childlike Character Ji will lead everyone to understand Gao Hongfu's wonderful life and feel a different personality charm.
Receiving the flag, turning the body, installing the flag, unfastening the flag, displaying the flag, standing upright, saluting, accompanied by the sound of the national anthem, the five-star red flag fluttered in the air.
As a flag raiser, Gao Hongfu stood straight under the national flag, looking at the flying five-star red flag, with a proud and determined expression. It was his 11 years in the Flag Guard, day in and day out.
However, in these 11 years of flag raising, whether it is the scorching sun or the cold winter moon, 6200 times without a single mistake, Gao Hongfu is also known as the "first flag raiser of the republic".
Under such a reputation, he is not proud and complacent, but makes raising the flag a part of his life.
Dream-chasing teenagers began to set sail
Gao Hongfu was born in 1985, from Gaozhai Village, Huaxian County, Anyang City, Henan Province, his parents are authentic farmers, in such a family background, Gao Hongfu has a simple personality, integrity and kindness, and is exceptionally able to endure hardships.
When he was young, he did not have any ambitions in life, until one day, the villagers told him that he was tall and strong enough to be a soldier, and such a joke made Gao Hongfu have a goal to strive for in his heart.
"I have had a dream since I was a child to be a brave, strong and upright soldier," Gao Hongfu later said when he recalled his journey to the military.
The 4-year-old looked at the picture of the parade on the TV set, his eyes were full of longing, and he imagined that he would one day be able to wear this uniform and stand proudly on the parade ground.
So for this dream, at the age of 17, before graduating from high school, he embarked on the road of becoming a soldier without hesitation, and after layers of screening, he successfully entered the Beijing Armed Police Corps.
In the army, Gao Hongfu trained with all his might and treated the task very seriously, and three months after entering the army, he just happened to encounter the selection of the Tiananmen National Flag Guard.
Due to his outstanding performance, Gao Hongfu successfully entered the National Flag Guard and became a reserve member. In this way, Gao Hongfu began his 11-year-long life of raising the flag.
A gentleman is cautious and independent, and humbles himself to self-shepherding
"Gentlemen are cautious and independent, humble and self-shepherding" means that in places where no one sees, they must also behave in accordance with the moral standards of gentlemen, humble and self-preservation, which is Gao Hongfu's life creed, and this sentence has always spurred him to move in a better direction.
There were 36 people in the national flag guard, only one flag raiser, and Gao Hongfu, who was in the flag guard team at the time, looked at the flag raiser on the stage, and his heart had waves, and his belief in becoming a flag raiser occupied his brain.
Standing in the military posture, kicking the right step, and practicing gun skills are the three basic skills of the National Flag Guard, which seem simple, but to be uniform, it requires hard training, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to pay more effort than others.
Insist on blinking your eyes once for forty seconds; put a brick on your head, pin a pin on the neckline, stand in a military position for four hours; put ants on your face, endure the ants constantly moving on the skin, and always maintain a serious expression;
In order to make your posture more standard, do not sleep on the pillow when sleeping, tie your legs with wooden planks, and tie sandbags to your legs when you are walking...
After day after day of hard training, finally in July 2004, the kung fu paid off, and Gao Hongfu officially became a flag raiser.
In order to do a good job of raising the flag, Gao Hongfu had to practice throwing 3 kilograms of dumbbells every day and practice cutting the flag under the simulated flagpole in the camp.
After tens of thousands of repeated exercises, his arm often emitted the pain of drilling, and his hands were often ground and blistered, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to practice until all the movements were perfect.
From the transformation of the flag bearer to the flag raiser, Gao Hongfu used the cocoon on his hands and the pain of his body to show everyone the efforts he made behind his back.
Do not forget the original intention, do not be arrogant and dissatisfied
October 1, 2009, the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China, is also the most unforgettable day for Gao Hongfu.
At the military parade ceremony, Gao Hongfu was at the forefront of the national flag guard, taking a healthy step, confident and high-spirited, and releasing the five-star red flag in his hand under the gaze of the people of the whole country.
At that moment, his eyes were full of tears, and the time seemed to go back to the age of 14, when he watched the military parade on the TV with great anticipation.
Over the years, he has become a member of the National Flag Guard, leading the Guard to complete the sacred flag-raising ceremony. After the celebration, he was affectionately known as the "First Flag Raiser of the Republic".
In the face of this title, Gao Hongfu said that he did not dare to be, he said that this is the recognition of the media and the majority of netizens, but he believes that he just did what he should do.
Despite the flood of honors, Gao Hongfu still maintained his original intention, walking forward step by step, never proud and complacent, and always maintained a reverence and respect for the national flag.
For him, the national flag is no longer a simple flag, but a teammate who suffers together. When the members of the National Flag Guard mentioned Gao Hongfu, they were full of praise, and in their eyes, Gao Hongfu was all-powerful.
Gao Hongfu enlisted in the army for 12 years, served as the national flag squad leader and acting squad leader 8 times, experienced 6200 flag-raising ceremonies, achieved a record of zero mistakes, and was awarded the second class merit by the state.
During this period, through continuous training and practical exercises, he conducted detailed experiments and sorted out the difficulties he encountered in his work, and finally sorted out the experience of raising and lowering the flag into a set of training methods.
He also trained the "six-step method" in combination with bad weather, and studied and formulated the "Twelve Measures for Handling Emergencies of Raising and Lowering the National Flag", which also left valuable experience for later members of the convoy.
Refuse millions of salaries, indifferent to Mingzhi
A news item in 2015 pushed the "first flag raiser of the republic" to the forefront of public opinion, and Gao Hongfu, after retiring from the army, received olive branches from many enterprises, including jobs with up to one million annual salaries, but Gao Hongfu refused.
"People admire you, not because you are great, but because you stand under the national flag and are a glorious flag raiser, because people have a deep affection for the flag." This was what Gao Hongfu's father said to him.
This sentence also deeply affects Gao Hongfu's choice, millions of annual salary, for anyone is a great temptation, for Gao Hongfu is no exception.
Money is extremely tempting, but he knows that it is all due to the honor of "the first flag raiser of the Republic".
For Gao Hongfu, asking him to use the national flag to make a living is tantamount to cutting flesh and betraying his teammates, "you can only win glory for the national flag, but you can't touch the light of the national flag" This is Gao Hongfu's response on the show.
He compares the national flag to his first love, from the acquaintance in 2003 to the eleven years of mutual observance, he and the national flag have experienced the joy of the military parade, but also experienced the sadness of the Wenchuan earthquake.
In these laughter and tears, the flag has been integrated into his own blood and has become an inseparable part of his life.
"I want to accompany the flag, be a flag raiser for a day, and be a flag raiser all my life." After Gao Hongfu retired from the army, he finally chose to stay in Beijing, staying with the national flag he had in mind.
Fading the aura of a flag raiser, he is now just an ordinary North Drifter, but he does not regret his original choice, Gao Hongfu used his ability to re-integrate into this long-disconnected society, and strive to find a path suitable for himself.
At the same time, he did not give up the national flag, but chose to wander around the major colleges and universities, telling the story of the national flag for the children, and passing on the spirit of the national flag to the future flowers of the motherland.
He used his own modest strength to dedicate a force to the development of the motherland.
Today, he will occasionally return to the familiar square, looking at the flying five-star red flag, his eyes are clear and firm, just like the teenager who chased dreams in the past, and his heart still maintains his original enthusiasm.
In this materialistic world, there are people who betray their faith for money, and some people who go down the road of breaking the law and committing crimes for money.
However, Gao Hongfu chose to refuse in the face of millions of annual salaries, and once this practice broke out, some people were surprised and some people sighed. What do you think of his approach? Everyone is welcome to leave their thoughts in the comments section.
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