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When the title was conferred in 1955, the People's Liberation Army "combat hero" Tan Deben left a precious photo, which is also the first photo taken in the life of this combat hero.
The life of the People's Liberation Army "combat hero" Tan Deben can be called legendary, he has experienced the War of Resistance against Japan, the War of Liberation and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, experienced the rain of bullets, and was wounded in many places, which is full of the imprint of war, and is known as the "living fossil" of the Chinese revolution.
Tan Deben was born in Nanchong City, Sichuan, where the mountains and rivers are beautiful and the people are outstanding, and he was born at a time when the warlords were fighting each other, which allowed Tan Deben to witness the misdeeds of the warlord forces since he was a child.
In August 1933, Tan Deben, who hated the warlords very much, was influenced by revolutionary ideas, chose to join the revolution, became a Red Army soldier, and then followed his Red Army unit to participate in the Long March.
The road of the Long March was full of hardships and difficulties, but the young Tan Deben was tenacious and followed the Red Fourth Front Army to complete the Long March.
In 1937, the 769th Regiment of the 385th Brigade of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army was ordered to attack Yangmingbao at night, in this battle, Tan Deben, who was only 19 years old at the time, regarded death as home, pounced into the enemy group, and fought bravely, even if his right leg was shot, Tan Deben still dragged his injured leg with a gun, and continued to fight with the Japanese army on the battlefield.
After participating in the battle of the night attack on Yangmingbao, Tan Deben followed his unit to participate in the Liangshan Annihilation Battle, at that time, Tan Deben and his company were ordered to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese army in the Dushan area, in this battle, Tan Deben's company only had 3 machine guns and some rifles, and the Japanese squad with superior numbers and good equipment had no advantage at all.
But even so, the soldiers of Tan Deben's company were not timid and afraid, but became more and more courageous in the subsequent surprise attack with the Japanese squad, annihilating more than 300 Japanese troops in one fell swoop, and also capturing a large number of weapons and ammunition, creating a classic example of defeating the strong with the weak.
In 1940, 28-year-old Tan Deben shouldered the heavy responsibility of serving as the director of the 31st Regiment Shoe Factory in Southwest Luxi, responsible for transporting shoes and other military supplies to the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army on the front line.
In the five years from 1940 to 1945, he delivered urgently needed shoes as military supplies to the front, and made great contributions to the final victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
In August 1945, after the end of the Anti-Japanese War, Tan De, who was wounded in many places, could have returned home to recuperate, but with the start of the Liberation War and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, Tan Deben chose to return to the army without hesitation, re-embark on the battlefield, and continue to dedicate his personal strength and contributions to defending the country.
It is precisely because of Tan Deben's heroic performance in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that he was awarded the third-class August 1st Medal, the third-class Independent Freedom Medal, the second-class Liberation Medal, and in 1955, he was awarded the rank of colonel and became a "combat hero" in the People's Liberation Army.
After the war, Tan Deben came to the local work, continue to make personal contributions to the construction and development of New China, when working in the local area, Tan Deben did not forget the true character of the soldier in life thrifty, helping others for pleasure, not only for the primary school and disaster areas for many times to donate money and materials, but also often come to the army and school, tell their own personal experience of the battle story, in 1983, 65-year-old Tan Deben, retired to live in Yinchuan, Ningxia.
In order to let the younger generation not forget the hard-won happiness of today's life, he often goes into campuses, communities, and revolutionary memorials to tell people the stories of revolutionary martyrs, hoping that people can cherish life, keep in mind their personal mission, work hard, and contribute their personal strength to the development of New China.
In addition, in his later years, Tan Deben was very strict with the children in his family, requiring them to be upright, do their duty, be innocent, and rely on their hard-working hands to create a happy life.
On April 18, 2016, at the age of 98, with the company and support of his relatives, he returned to Liangshan, the place where he once fought bloodily.
At that time, Tan Deben, who returned to the place of battle, saw things and thought of people, and after thinking of his comrades who died bravely in this battle, he was very emotional and burst into tears, and he said very excitedly to his relatives beside him: In this battle, "so many comrades-in-arms have been sacrificed, and I am lucky to be alive!"
After visiting the Anti-Japanese Memorial Hall in Liangshan, Tan Deben, accompanied and supported by his relatives, came to a local primary school to tell the children the revolutionary story and the past of the revolutionary martyrs, which benefited the children a lot and realized that today's happy life is not easy to come by.
On May 21, 2022, the Chinese People's Liberation Army combat hero, founding colonel, old Red Army soldier Tan Deben died of illness in Yinchuan at the age of 104, looking back on his life, he has experienced the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and is a hero with iron willpower.
In his later years, Tan Deben, as a veteran Red Army soldier with outstanding achievements, was always strict with self-discipline, set an example everywhere, always maintained the true character of a veteran, and earnestly taught the younger generation to work hard and be young people with ideals, skills, and responsibilities.
Nowadays, although the combat hero of Tedben has left us, his story and spirit will be passed down from generation to generation, forever remembered in the long river of history, inspiring the younger generation of us to forge ahead, history is eternal because of remembering, and the spirit is immortal because of inheritance.