During the Korean War, tens of thousands of Chinese volunteer soldiers were captured by the U.S. military. They could have returned to the motherland and reunited with their relatives, but why did they finally choose to give up the right to return home? What kind of experience did these brave men who were once born and die for the country prefer to leave their homeland and die in a foreign land? Let us enter this unknown history and unveil the tragic fate of the Chinese volunteers' prisoners of war......
The tragic fate of the volunteer prisoners of war
In October 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers rushed to the Korean battlefield and fought to the death against the invaders. However, in the face of the harsh reality of war, not everyone was lucky enough to return to the bosom of the motherland alive. Tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers were either killed on the battlefield or unfortunately captured.
Captured volunteer fighters were held in a prisoner of war camp on Geoje Island in South Korea. Conditions were so harsh that the POWs were crammed into a tent for every 50 people, sleeping on damp mud floors, each with only a battered blanket to protect them from the cold. The food is even worse, with only 400 grams of moldy rice a day, and clear water is hard to find. In the midst of hunger and cold, many of the warriors' health deteriorated.
What is even more despicable is the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war by the US military. They wantonly snatched the prisoners' possession of their belongings and often beat and tortured unarmed soldiers. Some wounded and sick prisoners of war were not treated in a timely manner, and tragedies of amputations occurred from time to time. The plight of female prisoners of war was even more devastating, as they were often humiliated by American soldiers.
"Life in a prisoner of war camp was hell on earth," one veteran recalled, "and we lived without human dignity." The humiliation and pain cannot be described in words. ＂
In addition to the physical torture, the prisoners of war also had to endure mental torture. U.S. troops put up reactionary slogans everywhere in the camp, forcing fighters to put their fingerprints on the so-called "refusal to repatriate." If someone refuses, they will be punched and kicked, or even killed on the spot. Many fighters were overwhelmed and on the verge of a mental breakdown.
The most desperate thing for the POWs was the hopelessness of returning home. The U.S. military deliberately tattooed reactionary slogans and the Kuomintang emblem on the prisoners of war, intending to make them faceless to return to the motherland. Faced with the stigma of shame on their bodies, many fighters chose to endure in silence because they feared that when they returned to their homeland, they would suffer humiliation and never be able to face their loved ones again.
"At that time, I felt that there was no dignity or hope for being a human being," another veteran choked up, "rather than go back and be humiliated, it is better to die in a foreign land." ＂
In this way, in the prisoner of war camp on Geoje Island, tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers were brutally humiliated, their will was broken little by little, and their faith in returning home was gradually shaken. Eventually, nearly half of the POWs gave up their right to return to their homeland, and some of them died in a foreign land, while others were forced to become cannon fodder for the U.S. military.
It's a heart-wrenching piece of history. Those warriors who were born and died for the country once fearlessly charged into battle and swore to defend the dignity of the motherland to the death. However, fate played a big joke on them. Not only have they lost their precious freedom, but they have also lost their dignity as human beings. After suffering humiliation, many people eventually choose to give up and go home because they really can't face their loved ones and the scars they are all over.
Forced Screening: A weapon that destroys the will of a warrior
During the Korean War, tens of thousands of Chinese volunteer soldiers fell into the hands of the enemy and became prisoners of war. However, their suffering is far from over. In order to achieve the goal of anti-communist propaganda, the US army, South Korean army, and Kuomintang agents launched a brutal forced screening campaign against prisoners of war.
The so-called "screening" means forcing prisoners of war to put their fingerprints on the so-called "refusal to repatriate documents" to express their willingness to give up their right to return to China. The spies used all their might, coercion and temptation, in a vain attempt to break the will of the fighters. They promised to give favourable treatment to those who wore their mudras, and to those who refused were to be punched and kicked, even shot.
"They forced me to put my fingerprint on the rejection form, and I swore to the death," one veteran recalled, "and the agents were so angry that seven or eight people rushed up and punched and kicked me." I was bruised and wounded, and I almost passed out, but I never gave in. ＂
What is even more outrageous is that the spies actually tattooed the prisoners of war and tattooed them with reactionary slogans, the Kuomintang emblem and other patterns, with the intention of humiliating the fighters physically and mentally. If someone resists, they will be severely beaten or even killed on the spot. Many of the fighters were covered with shocking scars that became a stigma for their entire lives.
"Looking at the ugly tattoos on my body, I can't wait to rip off that piece of flesh," one veteran choked up, "but I'm even more afraid of what my relatives will think when they see it when they return to their homeland." Rather than endure such humiliation, I would rather die just like that. ＂
In addition to physical torture, the agents also tortured the prisoners of war mentally. They put up reactionary slogans everywhere in the camp, forced the fighters to sing the Kuomintang anthem, and broadcast anti-communist propaganda day and night on loudspeakers. In such an environment, some of the weak-willed fighters were forced to submit and became a propaganda tool for Mei Chiang.
However, in the shadow of the horror of forced screening, there are still many fighters who remain steadfast and defend their faith to the death. They either went on hunger strike in protest, or mutilated themselves, and wrote vows such as "Don't forget to be in Ju" in blood to show their hearts. Even if they were covered in bruises, they had to use their last strength to chant the slogan "Long live Chairman Mao".
In February 1952, the forced screening by the U.S. military triggered a collective resistance of prisoners of war, and the U.S. military ordered to shoot and strafe, and dispatched tanks to run over them, killing 373 prisoners of war. In 1951, the U.S. military shot and killed 17,000 prisoners of war. Among the captured female warriors, many of them were humiliated, and their unyielding deeds are even more moving.
The compulsory screening campaign is a powerful weapon for the US military and its spies to break the will of prisoners of war. They took advantage of the prisoners' desire to return home and inflicted all kinds of torture in a vain attempt to make the soldiers betray the motherland and become their puppets. This is a gross violation of the human rights of prisoners of war, and it is a shameless desecration of human dignity.
However, the indomitable will of the volunteer soldiers could not be defeated by the screening movement. They know that giving in means betrayal, and it means never being able to hold their heads up. So, with their flesh and blood, they built an insurmountable spiritual Great Wall.
The names of those martyrs who died heroically in the compulsory screening may be lost in the dust of history, but their spirit is always worthy of our admiration and remembrance. It was they, with their lives and blood, who defended the dignity of the volunteer soldiers and the integrity of our nation.
Compulsory screening is another heinous crime committed by the US military in the Korean War. More than half a century has passed, and many of the prisoners of war of the Chinese Volunteers who were brutally devastated are still suffering from the trauma of war. This blood debt, the Americans will never be able to pay off.
The difficult choice of the volunteer prisoners of war
On the Korean battlefield, tens of thousands of Chinese and Civilian Volunteer soldiers fell into the hands of the enemy and became prisoners of war. They were humiliated and tortured by the US military, the ROK army, and the Kuomintang agents, and were greatly devastated physically and mentally. However, when the opportunity for repatriation finally came, these long-suffering fighters were faced with a difficult choice.
On the one hand, the prisoners of war were desperate to return to their homeland and be reunited with their loved ones. The smoke of their hometown and the call of their parents always appear in their dreams. However, after a long period of torture and brainwashing, many fighters developed deep doubts and shame about themselves. They fear that the scars and stigma on their bodies will become humiliations that can never be erased.
"What face do I have to go back to see my relatives?" said one prisoner of war in despair, "and I'd rather die than let them see my shame." ＂
What made the prisoners of war even more desperate was the coercion and inducement of the spies. They promised generous treatment to those who wished to stay, while those who refused were beaten and abused. Under great pressure, some of the weak-willed fighters wavered. They would rather be prisoners of Mei Chiang than risk their lives to return to their homeland.
However, among the prisoners of war, there were also many unyielding fighters who regarded death as their home and vowed to live and die with their motherland. They either went on hunger strike in protest or mutilate themselves as a gesture of determination. One prisoner of war once cut his finger and wrote "Don't forget to be in Ju" on his clothes with blood. Even if they were covered in bruises, they had to use their last strength to chant the slogan "Long live Chairman Mao".
"We are revolutionary fighters trained and educated by the Party," recalls one returned prisoner of war, "and we must never be traitors and must not fail to live up to the expectations of the Party and the people." Even if it is death, you must die with dignity!"
For many POWs, returning home or staying was a life-or-death decision. Returning home means facing the gaze of relatives and bearing the shame of a lifetime; staying behind means enduring the humiliation of the enemy and being a prisoner of betrayal of the motherland. What a cruel multiple-choice question!
In the end, nearly 7,000 of the more than 20,000 volunteer prisoners of war chose to return home. They endured the pain all over their bodies, and with a sincere heart, they returned to the embrace of the motherland. However, there were many more warriors who fell forever in a foreign land, and their lives were forever frozen in that cold winter.
The people of the motherland pay the highest respect to those returned prisoners of war. The party and the government have arranged work for them and properly resolved the follow-up problems. Those soldiers who were once humiliated have once again become the pillars of the motherland.
However, the comrades-in-arms who stayed in a foreign country were not so lucky. Some of them died in a foreign land, and some were forced to become cannon fodder for Mei Chiang. Their tragic fate became the other side of the tragedy of the volunteer prisoners of war.
"I often dream of my comrades," choked up one returning veteran, "who are so close to the motherland, but so far away." I wish they could go home, but it's a wish that will never come true. ＂
The fate of the volunteer prisoners of war is destined to become a scar in history. What they are faced with is a difficult life-and-death choice. Some people choose dignity, some people choose to live, but whatever they choose, they are the most innocent victims of this war.
Reflections on the fate of volunteer prisoners of war
More than half a century has passed since the Korean War, and the wounds left by that war are still lingering today. Tens of thousands of Chinese volunteer soldiers have experienced unimaginable hardships in foreign lands. Some of them died heroically, some were humiliated, and some left their homes and died in other places.
War is an eternal topic. It has torn apart countless families and destroyed countless dreams. On the Korean battlefield, the soldiers of the Volunteer Army used their blood and lives to compose heroic hymns that could be sung and cried. However, for those prisoners of war who fell into the hands of the enemy, war was an eternal nightmare.
In the prisoner of war camp on Geoje Island, the volunteer soldiers were humiliated and tortured. The US military, the ROK army, and the Kuomintang agents tortured them in a vain attempt to break their will. Prisoners of war had to endure hunger, cold, and disease every day, and they had to be constantly on guard against beatings and humiliation by the spies.
In such an environment, some of the weak-willed fighters were forced to submit and became captives and propaganda tools of the enemy. Some of them were forced to join the enemy army, and some were forced to tattoo reactionary slogans on their bodies, and they were never able to hold their heads up and be human beings. This is the tragedy of war, and it is the tragedy of human nature.
However, among the prisoners of war, there were also countless heroic sons and daughters, who would rather die than give in, and swore to live and die with the motherland. In the face of the enemy's coercion and temptation, they were unyielding and built an insurmountable spiritual great wall with their flesh and blood. They either went on hunger strike in protest or mutilate themselves as a gesture of determination. Even if they were covered in bruises, they had to use their last strength to chant the slogan "Long live Chairman Mao".
These heroes, with their lives and blood, proved to the world that the will of the volunteer soldiers is indestructible. Although they were in prison, they kept their hearts sincere. They are the real backbone of the nation and the pride of New China.
More than half a century has passed, and many of the prisoners of war of the Chinese Volunteers who were brutally devastated are still suffering from the trauma of war. Some of them are unable to work because of their disabilities, and some are unable to integrate into society because of trauma. This is the lifelong wound left by the war, and it is also a great loss to our nation.
Today, we remember the martyrs who lost their lives in the prisoner of war camps, and we must care more about those who survived. They were born and died for their country, but they suffered unimaginable suffering. They are the people who deserve to be treated the most, and they are the group that needs our care and help the most.
The tragic experience of the prisoners of war of the volunteers has left us with a deep reflection. War is a great irony of human beings and a ruthless trampling on human nature. It makes siblings become enemies, and relatives are separated from death. In the face of war, human nature seems so fragile and vulnerable.
However, the heroic deeds of the volunteer soldiers let us see the best side of human nature. In the most brutal circumstances, it is faith that sustains them through this. It is the light of ideals that illuminates their path forward.
Today, we live in an era of peace, but we must not forget history. The heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, the prisoners of war who were humiliated, their experiences and sacrifices are the precious wealth of our nation. We should remember them and, all the more, learn from their indomitable revolutionary spirit.
Peace is hard to come by. We should cherish today's happy life and contribute our strength to safeguarding world peace. Only in this way can we be worthy of the sacrifices of the martyrs and our own conscience.
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The fate of the Chinese Volunteers' prisoners of war will forever be engraved in the annals of the Chinese nation. What happened to them is the best interpretation of peace, but also the deepest indictment of war. Let us join hands to safeguard this hard-won peace. Let the haze of war be a thing of the past forever, and let the sunshine of peace shine on the world. This is our best consolation to the martyrs, and it is also our greatest responsibility to future generations.