Zhong Qicai.
A native of Pucheng County, Shaanxi, born in 1935, he joined the army in July 1951, studied at the Confidential School of the Xi'an Military Region Headquarters, and was assigned to the 542nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment as a plotter after graduation, entered the DPRK in March 1953 and returned to China in May 1954.
Shhhh Don't go, don't move! Through the radio signal, I judged that it was an enemy plane, and then I reported the ...... to my superiorsWe knocked down a plane, and there was not a single person in the troops**. Zhong Qicai, 89 years old this year, served as a cartographer of the 542nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment of the Chinese People's Volunteers at the age of 18 and participated in the task of defending the Qingchuan River Bridge. Time flies, and the people in those bloody years seem to have never gone far, and the memories of those people and things are hidden in Zhong Qicai's mind, and he has never forgotten ......
My life is not just for me".
In 1935, Zhong Qicai was born in Pucheng County, Shaanxi, and after graduating from junior high school in 1951, Zhong Qicai entered the Military Cadre School to study, and later came to Xi'an to officially join the army. He entered the DPRK in March 1953 and was assigned to the 542nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army as a plotter.
Speaking of why he became a soldier, Zhong Qicai said with a smile: "Be a soldier to protect your family and defend the country!" When I was in school, I heard that my classmates wanted to sign up for the army, so I wanted to join the army too. ”
In Zhong Qicai's view, it is his luck to be selected by the army, and it is the glory of his life to stand up and rush forward when the motherland needs it. Zhong Qicai said firmly: "My life does not belong only to myself. ”
Dive into the business and become a qualified draftsman.
Since working as a draftsman, Zhong Qicai has studied his business diligently, practicing writing Arabic characters, and if he can't write 130 words per minute, he will not be able to do the task of plotting.
At that time, a map of 1/500,000 was used, and the whole map was divided into several large squares with longitude and latitude (one degree of longitude and half a degree of latitude). This picture is placed in 1Under the 2-meter-square glass plate, the plot uses a special red and blue pencil, which is accurately marked on the map according to the reported signal. The plotting class is equipped with two radio receivers, using large A and B batteries, and all those on duty wear headphones and cannot leave.
The information detected by the radar is marked on the map, such as the number, course, and altitude of enemy aircraft, to provide reference for the commander to give orders. After more than half a year of training, Zhong Qicai's professional level improved rapidly, and he quickly mastered a series of military skills and became a qualified cartographer.
Singing war songs into the Korean War.
In March 1953, the 542nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was ready to enter the DPRK. The soldiers were elated, and Zhong Qicai also felt deeply honored and proud to be a soldier of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.
On the day of departure, it was raining lightly, and the military vehicles lined up and marched slowly. When crossing the Yalu River Bridge, the soldiers sang in unison, "Majestic, high-spirited, cross the Yalu River......The song echoed in the territory, mountains and rivers of China and the DPRK, expressing the ambition of the volunteer soldiers to "defend the motherland in peace" and resist the aggressors.
The antiaircraft artillery units stationed on the south bank of the Yalu River fired incessantly into the air, as if welcoming the soldiers into the Korean War. Zhong Qicai rushed to the battlefield to resist US aggression and aid Korea amid the song of "Battle Songs of the Chinese People's Volunteers."
When I first entered North Korea, I was full of ruins.
When he entered North Korea, the first thing that caught Zhong Qicai's eyes was the bomb craters, some of which were five or six meters deep. As they drove along the road, they saw not a single house but a broken concrete water tower erected next to a train station. The tragic scene further aroused the hatred of the fighters against US imperialism and increased their determination to defend the motherland and fight bravely.
Zhong Qicai's antiaircraft artillery battalion was mainly active in the area of the Qingchuan River, with Vale River as the center and the goal of defending the Qingchuan River Bridge. The bridge is a major north-south transportation channel, and it is often bombed by American planes, and the bridge is blown up, and the engineering units rush to repair it day and night, and it is always kept unobstructed.
Enemy aircraft were spotted and immediately prepared.
Antiaircraft artillery units all live on the hills, with companies as units, and battalion headquarters are generally located closer to the company. The battalion command room was a semi-basement building, built of logs, covered with a thick layer of soil.
This command room has a plotter, a first-class officer, and a telegraph operator, and the staff officer on duty is in charge.
In the duty room, Zhong Qicai put on headphones, pressed the signal from the radio, and kept marking the map. Once a bomber is spotted and is coming in the direction of the defending target, it is necessary to report in detail the batch number, aircraft type, number of aircraft, altitude and distance. If they enter a range of 100 kilometers, the commander will immediately issue an order for first-class combat readiness, and the first officer will quickly connect with the first company, and at the sound of an order, the sirens of each position will sound, and the gunners will all be in place within 30 seconds, and the altimeter, telemeter, and command instrument will not stop running and waiting for the firing order.
All over his face and body were covered with chilblains.
In North Korea, winter temperatures plummeted to minus four or five degrees Celsius, "and there was only dry food, and the mountains were covered with thick snow. The weather was cold and I had chilblains on my face and body. When you go out to fight, you have to be in good shape. Zhong Qicai recalled.
Zhong Qicai, as a cartographer, also has strict discipline in the army. I was not allowed to wear gloves when plotting the map, my fingers were red from the cold, and within a few days, I got chilblains and itched very much. At night, my legs were numb from the cold, and my whole body was still shivering. Despite this, it is necessary to concentrate on wearing wireless headphones to receive telegraphic signals, the troops were really bitter back then! "Because of the lofty ideals and ambitions in our hearts, we have survived, and we have always maintained a mental state that is not afraid of hardship and death, and only when morale is high can we have combat effectiveness. Zhong Qicai said firmly.
Entertain yourself in battle and learn to sing Korean songs.
Fighting life is hard, but there is also fun. Due to the constraints, it is rare to eat fresh vegetables.
The army's living car went to Anton to transport some daily necessities, and also provided some daily necessities for the soldiers. "I often bring matches or 'Lao Dao' brand cigarettes, mainly for the apples of my fellow countrymen. The military and the people lived in harmony and helped each other, although the language barrier was often expressed with gestures, and slowly I also learned some simple phrases and a few Korean songs, and "Song of Spring" is still sung proficiently and fluently. ”
Doing a great job.
War tempers people's will, and it also tests people's loyalty to the cause. While performing the duties of the draftsman, the leader also gave Zhong Qicai other tasks, and he completed them well. The military department held a commendation meeting for advanced youths, and Zhong Qicai and several young people attended the meeting with honor, and the commendation meeting was held in a cave, and after listening to the reports on the deeds of heroic figures, Zhong Qicai felt extremely honored.
On July 27, 1953, when the exciting news of the announcement of the armistice was announced, the whole position boiled over, everyone cheered for victory, and the comrades-in-arms raised their arms and shouted "The US imperialist is finished!" Everyone sang a majestic military song and expressed great joy.
It turns out that the Chinese People's Volunteer Army is amazing! Now our Motherland is stronger. We were not afraid, we are not afraid, and we will not be afraid of any enemy in the future! 89-year-old Zhong Qicai said impassionedly.
Reporter Su Xiao and trainee reporter Wang Chengjun Wentu.