The scene of the Awards of The Model of the Times. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yongjin
【Biography】
Du Fuguo
A demining and detonation brigade of the Army
4 teams and 5 squads of fighters
A native of Meitan County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province
Born in November 1991
He joined the army in December 2010
Rank of sergeant
Has been rated
A national model of self-improvement
Touched China's 2018 Person of the Year
The first of the Army
The "four haves" are the pacesetters of revolutionary soldiers in the new era
On October 11, 2018, at the Laoshan Minefield in Malipo County, Yunnan Province, Du Fuguo, a soldier of a demining and detonation brigade of the Army, found a small part of the weighted grenade body exposed on the ground.
He immediately reported the dangerous situation to his superiors, and after receiving the instructions from his superiors to "find out whether there is a ruse set up", he said to Ai Yan, a comrade-in-arms who was working in the same group, "You back off, let me come", and then went forward alone to find out the situation, suddenly, a bang, the grenade exploded, and at the moment of the explosion, he subconsciously fell to the side of Ai Yan, blocking the shrapnel and shock wave generated during the explosion, protecting the comrades-in-arms, but he lost both hands and eyes.
【Character Deeds】
■September 10, 2021
On this afternoon, the opening ceremony and military training mobilization meeting of the 2021 new students of Guizhou University were held at the West Campus Stadium.
Image source "Colorful Guizhou Network"
At the opening ceremony of the new students, Du Fuguo, a "hero and warrior in mine clearance" and a model of the times, spoke as a representative of the students of Guizhou University, and he was a student of the 2020 class of adult higher education administration of Guizhou University.
Before speaking, Du Fuguo gave a military salute to the students and told his own mine clearance story——
■2015
On the Border between China and Vietnam, the smoke of war has dissipated, but the millions of mines and other explosives left on the land have become a lingering nightmare for more than 50,000 villagers near the minefield.
From 1992 to 1994 and from 1997 to 1999, China carried out two large-scale mine clearances in the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border.
In 2015, the third large-scale demining operation was launched in the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border, and more than 400 warriors quickly assembled for Yunnan. Du Fuguo was one of the warriors, when he had just turned 24 and had been in the army for 5 years.
In the summer of 2015, Du Fuguo came to the demining brigade from a former border defense regiment of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region and met for the first time with crippled compatriots living near the minefield. "We must clear this piece of minefield and return a pure land to the border people." He made up his mind secretly.
In Malipo, Yunnan Province, Du Fuguo displays a mine he has cleared (photo taken on October 24, 2016). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Yang Meng)
■October 11, 2018
Before this day, Du Fuguo was a sound minesweeper, with strong and powerful arms, dexterous hands, and small eyes clear and bright.
In his 3-year mine clearance career, he has accumulated more than 1,000 times in and out of the minefield, and more than 2,400 explosives have been carefully removed by him and safely carried out.
At about 14:39 on the same day, on the west side of the old mountain, the dam minefield, a grenade that had been hidden underground for more than 30 years exploded, and he was clearing mines to protect his comrades-in-arms, but he was seriously injured...
■ May 2019
Rehabilitation Center of Southwest Hospital of Army Military Medical University.
"Rich country, how about this speed?" Standing next to the carefully modified treadmill, Liu Xinwei, a comrade-in-arms who always pays attention to and guards Du Fuguo, asked.
"No problem!" Du Fuguo, who was surrounded by special soft devices from the waist down, waved his broken arm while running each step on the treadmill with his feet.
"13 min 08 sec!" Zhou Xianli, deputy director of the Rehabilitation Center of the Southwest Hospital of the Army Military Medical University, pressed the stopwatch in his hand while shouting out Du Fuguo's latest achievement of 3 kilometers.
He now runs 3 kilometers, probably in just 13 minutes, faster than the average adult man.
Du Fuguo, 28 years old, after losing his hands and eyes, from trying to master the balance on the treadmill, re-learning to walk step by step, to running 13 minutes and 08 seconds, he spent a full 4 months.
In the year after the injury, Du Fuguo underwent countless large and small surgeries, using more than 10 prosthetic limbs and other auxiliary tools. From practicing dressing and eating alone, to making beds and folding quilts, to practicing writing and physical training, he tenaciously carried out rehabilitation training with the will of a soldier and began a new journey of self-reliance.
Regarding the future, Du Fuguo said, "Only you are your own enemy." He believed that the bloodiness of a soldier had been built into his blood and that everything could be overcome.
■ Wife
"As long as you work hard towards the sun, life will be better because of it!" "May these people who carry the weight for us be treated tenderly by time." "Salute, Chinese soldiers, the loveliest people in peacetime!" The moment his wife Wang Jing read the blessings from all over the world to Du Fuguo, a smile appeared on his face.
After Du Fuguo was injured, his wife Wang Jing became his eyes and hands, helping him reconstruct his understanding of the world in the dark. She was silent, but with the gentleness of her companionship, she held up the clear sky for him.
It is gratifying that a year after losing his eyes and hands, Du Fuguo has been able to complete the daily washing and dressing independently, and sort out the internal affairs according to the requirements of the soldiers.
The Army's first "four haves" new era revolutionary military pacesetter award ceremony. Heroes salute, salute heroes. In the eyes of the wife next to him, there is affection and heartache. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yongjin
■ Family
In the beautiful mountains of Meitan County, Zunyi City, there is the village where Du Fuguo was born and raised.
Below the tea plantation, flowers from a tomb caught the attention of reporters. "Compared with comrades who died in peacekeeping and mine clearance, rich countries have been very lucky." Du Fuguo's father, Du Jun, told reporters: "This is the grave of Du Fuguo's grandfather, and I buried Fuguo's injured limbs and severed arms here." During the conversation, Du Jun had tears falling.
Du Jun said: "My grandfather risked the killing of his whole family to rescue the scattered Red Army from the clutches of the enemy, and he was a hero. ”
"My brother did this to tell Grandpa that Rich Country is also a hero." Du Fuguo's uncle Du Jing said.
In the spacious and tidy courtyard, Du Fuguo's elderly grandmother sat under the door opening, looking quiet and idyllic.
If, 7 months ago, the thunder hadn't exploded, maybe when Du Fuguo came home, he could once again wrap his strong arms around the old man: "Grandma, I'm back." ”
But there was no possibility in Du Phu Quoc's world, he said: "At that time, there was no room for hesitation, and in our minesweeper team, no matter who was there, they would choose 'let me come'!" ”
【Character Quotes】
Du Fuguo trained on a treadmill. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yongjin
"I don't have my hands and eyes, but I still have a full pair of legs and I can continue to run for my dreams."