In 1975, Shu Jicheng, former deputy commander of a naval aviation division and a combat hero, sent a letter to the central government complaining about the unfair treatment he had received after 1971.
The letter was finally submitted to Chairman Mao, and after reading the letter, the chairman issued instructions requesting that the "internal contradictions among the people" be dealt with and that no further investigation should be pursued. With the characterization of a great man, Shu Jicheng's situation has improved.
Shu Jicheng was a special pilot of the Air Force who twice made first-class meritorious contributions in the 60s, and shot down reconnaissance planes of the Nationalist Army and the US Air Force one after another, thus defending the safety of the motherland's airspace. Why was such a pilot who had made meritorious contributions in peacetime treated unfairly?
First-generation fighter pilots
Shu Jicheng was born in 1933 in a rural area on the outskirts of Chongqing. Although he didn't read much, Shu Jicheng was born smart and clever, and had outstanding physical fitness. In 1950, he joined the PLA troops.
Soon after Shu Jicheng joined the army, it coincided with the newly established People's Air Force selecting pilot seedlings throughout the army. With his good overall quality, he was selected to the Fourth Aviation School of the Air Force to receive pilot training.
Shu Jicheng, who was born as a farmer, studied diligently and trained hard, and soon stood out from the flight cadets of his contemporaries and was selected as a fighter pilot.
After completing his studies, Shu Jicheng was assigned to the naval aviation unit. In the early days of pilot training on the mainland, there was no experience to draw on, and it was extremely risky, but Shu Jicheng relied on his loyalty to the revolutionary cause to complete the difficult actual flight training.
After the Kuomintang regime retreated to Taiwan, it often sent military planes to the coastal areas of the mainland to carry out provocative flights, relying on the well-equipped air force units and a number of pilots trained abroad.
Before the development of the People's Air Force matured, our side could only rely on ground-to-air weapons to carry out deterrent counterattacks, but the results were not great.
As a first-generation fighter pilot independently trained by New China, Shu Jicheng has been ready to deal a head-on blow to foreign forces that illegally invade China's airspace from the first day of his independent flight.
In 1958, Shu Jicheng encountered a Kuomintang Air Force jet reconnaissance plane during a routine inspection over the coastal area of Shandong.
The enemy is an advanced B-57 long-range high-altitude reconnaissance plane, the pilots are experienced and skilled, and the pilots of Shu Jicheng and his partner's long-term planes are not afraid of danger and calmly deal with them. After a thrilling confrontation, the Kuomintang military plane tried to escape, but Shu Jicheng saw the opportunity and shot the other side down.
This small-scale air battle that took place in peacetime was the first stratospheric air battle in human history at an altitude of 12,000 meters, and its greatest political significance was to strike a blow at the arrogant behavior of the Kuomintang regime.
Since then, the behavior of the Taiwan side flying over the PLA's air traffic control area without permission has basically disappeared.
The controversial "Blue Sky Guard"
As time passed, Shu Jicheng's flying experience became more mature.
In 1965, during his mission in South China, Shu Jicheng made another great achievement, shooting down two unmanned reconnaissance planes of the US military.
Although it was not a real air battle, Shu Jicheng's behavior of "flexing muscles" made the United States feel the growth of our military's strength, and it no longer dared to recklessly offend the security of the mainland's airspace.
In addition to being awarded two first-class meritorious services and being named a combat hero, Shu Jicheng was received by the central leaders many times, and Chairman Mao met with him four times to praise his behavior of defending the country and the country.
In the special historical period, Shu Jicheng became a model benchmark figure emerging in the army, and his position was promoted to deputy division commander. During the Ninth National Congress, he was also elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee.
The "Waterloo" of Shu Jicheng's life originated from the Lushan Conference in 1970, that is, the Second Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee. In order to enhance Mr. Lin's political status, members of the "Lin Group" agitated for the restoration of the presidency, but Chairman Mao resolutely opposed the ideas of Mr. Lin and others.
At that time, Shu Jicheng was an alternate member, and during the meeting, without understanding the true intentions of the power group, others applauded the motion to restore the president, which was considered to be a move in support of President Lin.
After 913, Shu Jicheng's performance during the Lushan Conference was considered to be involved with the counterrevolutionary group. He was suspended from his post and subjected to lengthy scrutiny.
Under Premier Zhou's interrogation, Shu Jicheng resumed his work in the army. However, he is no longer the beloved combat hero he used to belove, and even the fighter he is familiar with is not allowed to get any closer.
Shu Jicheng was identified as a stain on history, and he felt aggrieved, so he wrote a letter to the central government. Under Chairman Mao's instructions, Shu Jicheng's treatment improved slightly.
In the 80s, Shu Jicheng worked as an adviser in the Navy's military representative office in Chongqing. After retiring, Shu Jicheng moved to Shenzhen. On the basis of his contributions, the units concerned have solved the problems of household registration and housing for him.
Today, at the age of 91, Shu Jicheng is in good health and occasionally participates in patriotic education activities.