Yang Gensi, a combat hero of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Corps and Wang Jie, a hero of the PLA army, have been recommended to be the candidates for the national honor of the most dedicated life fighter. The Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee will award 200 most dedicated life fighters to greet the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China. Let’s take a close look.
Yang Gensi, who was from Taixing County, Jiangsu province, joined the Communist-led New Fourth Army in 1944 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1945.
In 1950 Yang joined the Chinese People’s Volunteer Corps. He was killed in Korea on 29 November 1950 when his unit's advance was blocked by the overwhelming fire power of a machine gun nest manned by American troops. Clutching a satchel charge to his body, he threw himself into the nest. The enemy -- forty in all -- perished in the explosion, and Yang's unit could advance. Yang died a hero.
Yang was posthumously awarded a Special-Class Merit citation with the title of Special-Class Fighter. The 3rd company was known as the "Yang Gensi Company" ever since. The standing committee of the Supreme People's Congress of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea awarded Yang Gensi the title of hero of the DPRK. The DPRK Government built the Monument to Yang Gensi in the place where he sacrificed his life.
Wang Jie was a PLA soldier who was killed when trying to save his comrades from a misplaced land mine during a drill in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu province, in July 1965.
Wang Jie was born into a farmers’ family on September 14, 1942. Since his childhood, he loved to listen to stories about revolutionary heroes and yearned for military life.
In August 1961, Wang Jie was enlisted by the Army and became a soldier of an engineering company of the Jinan Military Command.
On July 14, 1965, he was ordered to perform militia training at Zhanglou Commune in Peixian County, Xuzhou.
The fuse connecting the explosives package suddenly went off when he was dealing with mine explosion. Wang Jie did not hesitate a moment to spread his arms to cover the explosives, and saved the lives of 12 militiamen and local armed officers.
