One day in 2002, a group of elderly people gathered at the entrance of the village to chat.
"Old Wu, I heard that you have been a soldier before. What battles have you fought and what achievements have you made?" an old man asked.
Lao Wu is called Wu Hongfu . Everyone in the village knows that he has been a soldier, but he rarely talks about his experience in war. Whenever someone asks, Lao Wu finds a topic to spread, and seems to not want to mention his military experience with others. But every time he gets together to chat, other old people always like to tease Lao Wu for this matter. They feel that Lao Wu has never fought at all, so they are embarrassed to say it.
This time, Lao Wu opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something. When the words came to his mouth, his lips moved, but he still swallowed.
"I think you have never fought a war, Lao Wu, at most, is the big soldier in the kitchen team. I'm afraid he hasn't even touched a gun!"
When the others heard this, they immediately burst into laughter. This statement is very reasonable, otherwise why would Lao Wu not have the courage to talk about the war?
Old Wu blushed and finally couldn't help but speak: "I...I...I have taken American planes!"
What? Have you ever caught an American plane? The other old men looked at each other, and after a moment, there was another burst of laughter.
"Old Wu, don't tease you! Hitting an American plane? You were dreaming, right?!"
Lao Wu wanted to continue refuting, but after thinking about it, he gave up. He stood up and left silently.
Wu Hongfu
3 days later, a gray-haired old man appeared in the office hall of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Guangzong County, Hebei Province. A staff member took the initiative to greet him and asked: "Mr., what business are you here to do?"
The old man was Wu Hongfu. He took out a slightly worn small notebook, "I am a retired soldier, here to get preferential treatment."
The staff took over the small notebook and looked carefully. The small notebook was a veteran soldier certificate. records that Wu Hongfu joined the army in March 1960, served in the 543rd unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and was discharged in February 1965.
What surprised the staff even more was that the retirement certificate recorded the honor of the elderly: first-class merit !
This inconspicuous old man in front of him is actually a first-class hero? The staff did not dare to neglect and quickly called their own leaders.
The leader of the Civil Affairs Bureau is a military-to-man cadre. I was shocked after seeing the old man’s retirement certificate. because he knew that the 543 unit is the surface-to-air missile force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, but he did not expect that Guangzong County actually had a hidden first-class hero. However, the old man has been discharged from the army for almost 40 years. Why did he not come to receive preferential treatment until now?
Leader said to the old man Wu Hongfu: "Mr., you are not a demobilized cadre. The file is not here with us. We still have to go to the armed forces department of and verify your files before you can get preferential treatment. You go home and wait!"
A few days later, the staff of the Civil Affairs Bureau went to the county people's armed forces department and dug out a dusty recruitment retirement file from a pile of long-clogged materials. Finally, they found the retired soldiers resettlement registration form for Mr. Wu Hongfu. After verification, Wu Hongfu's service experience and meritorious service are completely true. The Civil Affairs Bureau quickly obtained a veteran preferential treatment certificate for the elderly.
Wu Hongfu's retirement certificate
3 days later, several cars suddenly came to the entrance of Huaiwo Village. A group of people who looked like cadres got out of the car, holding flowers and red silk. Under the leadership of the village cadres, a group of people arrived at Wu Hongfu's doorstep.
The news spread throughout the village immediately. Curious villagers ran to Wu Hongfu's house and squeezed the courtyard of the old Wu family into a mess. The village branch secretary shouted loudly: "Old Wu, the leaders of the county are here to see you..."
The leaders of the county civil affairs bureau walked forward and said enthusiastically: "Mr., you are the great hero of our county!"
After saying that, two staff members handed over a brand new veteran. The leaders of the Civil Affairs Bureau handed the certificate to Wu Hongfu in person. The leaders of the armed forces department put a bright ribbon on the old man, and the reporter next to him quickly took a photo.
The leader of the Civil Affairs Bureau said loudly to the people at the scene: "Friends, Mr. Wu Hongfu is a veteran and the only first-class hero in our county. He is your village, no, he is the pride of our Guangzong County!"
What? A first-class hero? The pride of Guangzong County?
The onlookers were stunned in an instant: This taciturn Wu Hongfu, who is silent all day long, is actually a first-class hero?
Especially those old people who often chat with Lao Wu and laugh at Lao Wu for not fighting wars, they couldn't believe their ears. But now the county leaders are on the scene and personally awarded Lao Wu a certificate and a ribbon. How can this matter be fake? Now, even Wu Hongfu's wife and children were confused: How could Wu Hongfu be a first-class hero?
How could an ordinary old farmer in his 60s suddenly become a first-class hero? Since he is a first-class hero, why didn’t Wu Hongfu talk about this past to anyone, but instead hides fame and lives a poor life? What secret is hidden in him?
Wu Hongfu
All of this will start from 1941.
On April 28, 1941, Wu Hongfu was born in Huaiwo Village, Jinzhi Township, Guangzong County, Hebei Province.
Wu Hongfu was unfortunate. When he was born, the land of North China was under the iron hoof of the Japanese invaders. His childhood was spent in war and hunger. But Wu Hongfu was lucky. He ushered in the founding of New China. He could afford to go to school and no longer had to worry. . All of this was attributed to the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the bloody battle of the People's Army.
Wu Hongfu, in his youth, set his ambitions and must join the army when he grows up and defend his country!
In December 1959, Wu Hongfu finally realized his dream of a military camp. At the age of 18, he enlisted in his hometown and was later assigned to serve in the Second Battalion of the 3733rd Unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, becoming the first generation of " missile soldiers " in New China.
Speaking of this force, it can be said to be one of the most mysterious troops in China.
After the founding of New China, air defense has always been a military shortcoming in my country. Traditional air defense mainly relies on anti-aircraft guns , but anti-aircraft guns have short range and poor accuracy, and are beyond the reach of high-altitude reconnaissance. Chiang Kai-shek seized this shortcoming in our army and purchased high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft from the United States to form the so-called " Black Cat Squadron ". frequently sent aircraft for high-altitude reconnaissance.
U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft purchased by Chiang Kai-shek was the most advanced reconnaissance aircraft in the world at that time. Its flight altitude was more than 10,000 meters. Our army's air defense firepower was beyond the reach of it. The enemy planes were very arrogant and reconnaissanced on our army's important strategic goals.
U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
In order to enhance air defense power and fight the enemy's arrogance, the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao decided to introduce surface-to-air missile technology from the Soviet Union. On October 6, 1958, with the support of the Soviet Union, China's first surface-air missile battalion, the First Battalion, was established.
At that time, surface-to-air missile technology was the highest military secret. For the sake of confidentiality, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission uniformly stipulated that the code name of surface-to-air missiles was "543" , and the surface-to-air missile forces were also called "543 Force" . Two months later, the Beijing Military Region and Nanjing Military Region each formed a surface-to-air missile battalion, of which Beijing Military Region Air Force formed the second battalion, and Nanjing Military Region Air Force formed the third battalion. The three battalions of
constitute the main force of the surface-to-air missile force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Wu Hongfu is located in the Second Battalion.
Wu Hongfu has a junior high school education. After entering the Second Missile Battalion, he studied hard and quickly became an excellent mapper. His main task was to be responsible for target positioning, which is equivalent to the GPS positioning system. Therefore, he is known as the eye of " missile ". After the second missile battalion of
was established, the soldiers of the battalion trained hard and simulated repeatedly. Everyone was ready to show their skills in actual combat and wiped out the enemy's arrogance.
After more than 2 years of long waiting, the opportunity finally came.
On September 9, 1962, a US-made "U-2" high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft flew over Taiwan Strait , entered our airspace from Fujian, and then flew from Fujian to over Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Province. Logically speaking, this kind of high-altitude reconnaissance should not go too far, but the enemy thinks we can't do anything to them and has not taken any precautions at all.
8:32, the reconnaissance aircraft entered the firepower coverage range of the Second Missile Battalion.
"Discover the target!" Our army radar discovered and locked the enemy plane, and immediately conveyed it to the mapper Wu Hongfu.
Wu Hongfu heard the order and held his excitement, quickly calculated the data, drew the flight trajectory of the "U-2" aircraft on the map board, accurately indicated the position and trajectory of the aircraft, and immediately passed it to the Second Battalion Command.
"Start!" With the command of battalion, Yue Zhenhua, three missiles were unsheathed like swords, soaring straight into the sky.
"Boom!" accompanied by a loud bang, the enemy plane was shot down instantly.
This time, the shooting down of U-2 reconnaissance aircraft created the history of our army's first shooting down of U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. Air Force Commander Liu Yalou was very excited and rushed to the command center to express condolences, remembering the merits of Wu Hongfu and others and promoting the title. Premier Zhou also called to congratulate him when he heard the news.
, but the enemy is very cunning. In order to avoid our army's surface-to-air missile , an electronic early warning device was specially developed. As long as the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft is locked by our radar, the early warning device will automatically alarm to avoid our army's missile . The most effective way to deal with this early warning device is to shorten the positioning time, which must be compressed from the original 18 seconds to within 8 seconds.
In order to maximize the data calculation time, Wu Hongfu memorized all the more than 100 commonly used data such as the aircraft's flight altitude and route distance. Once obtains the air situation information, the three links are completed almost in one instant, so that the "view, calculation, and reporting" can be carried out simultaneously, and all of this only takes 3 seconds.
After more than 500 boot tests in several months, Wu Hongfu was very confident in this tactic. He believed that as long as he fired three missiles at one time according to the map board he drew, at least one missile could hit the enemy plane.
In November 1963, a U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft broke into the sky above Shangrao, Jiangxi again and appeared on the radar map of our army. Just as the enemy plane immediately entered the missile coverage area, the enemy's electronic early warning device took effect, and our army's radar suddenly lost its target.
Wu Hongfu believed that the enemy plane did not escape and must be continuing to fly. He boldly calculated the distance and orientation of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft according to the speed and course of the enemy plane just now, quickly marked the map and reported: "Three shots will be hit one shot!"
Battalion Commander Yue Zhenhua made a decisive decision: launch!
swimmer! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three missiles took off, and after a loud bang, the U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down again.
"It's amazing!" Yue Zhenhua slapped his thigh and said happily: "You 'Wu Dabang' is really the eye on the missile!"
shot down the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft twice, and the second time it was a blind shot, which severely hit the enemy's arrogance. The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense awarded Wu Hongfu and others first-class merit, and all officers and soldiers of the Second Battalion were awarded the honorary title of "Hero Battalion". The news of reached Zhongnanhai. Chairman Mao was very happy and proposed to meet this "hero camp" that brought glory to the country.
On July 23, 1964, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other party and state leaders met with all the officers and soldiers of the Second Battalion at the Great Hall of the People. Chairman Mao said humorously: "You have taken down two planes and hurt Chiang Kai-shek!"
After the founding of New China, Chairman Mao received heroic representatives of the People's Liberation Army many times, but this was the first time to meet the established troops and the only time. This was the most exciting and proud moment in the history of the Second Missile Battalion, and it was even more exciting than capturing the enemy's U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. This also became the most unforgettable memory in Wu Hongfu's life.
That night, Premier Zhou and Chen Yi Marshal held a banquet to entertain Wu Hongfu and other heroes. Premier Zhou held Wu Hongfu's hand and praised Wu Hongfu: "I heard that you are the eye of a missile, we must protect this eye!"
Wu Hongfu was excited The local nodded and said: "Please rest assured, we will continue to work hard and shoot down all the enemy planes!"
1963, the Second Missile Battalion shot down the enemy's high-altitude drone three times in Shangrao, Jiangxi, Zhangzhou, Fujian, and Pingxiang, Guangxi. Each time, it only used one missile, without any mistakes, and the hit rate was the best, shocking the world again.
From then on, our army firmly grasped high-altitude air supremacy, and the enemy planes became completely honest.
Time flies so fast. In February 1965, the five-year service time has arrived. Wu Hongfu and the first batch of missile troops, soldiers, were honorably retired. Before retiring, battalion commander Yue Zhenhua was commissioned by his superiors to hold a special "special" meeting. This meeting was not a farewell or a retention, but conveyed the "two cannots":
"After going back, two cannots were done. One is to be sure not to make any comments because the local government did not arrange it; the other is to be sure not to disclose military secrets and state secrets." Yue Zhenhua said seriously, and he glanced at Wu Hongfu, "Old Wu, can you do it?"
Wu Hongfu respected a standard military salute and replied loudly: "Please ensure that the task is completed!"
This guarantee was guaranteed for a full 37 years.
Wu Hongfu
With these "two cannots", Wu Hongfu retired and returned to his hometown in Guangzong County, Hebei.
Wu Hongfu was just an ordinary soldier, not an army cadre, but also a rural household registration. He did not enjoy the policy of resettlement of retired soldiers. Wu Hongfu was unable to resettle, so he had to return to the village to become an ordinary farmer.
After returning to the countryside, Wu Hongfu hid all the certificates of retired soldiers, certificates of meritorious service awards, and medals, and never mentioned his service experience. The villagers only knew that Wu Hongfu was a soldier, but they did not know which army he served, what kind of troops he had fought, and what kind of war he had fought. Even when his parents and his wife who had just passed the door asked, Wu Hongfu did not answer, but just said vaguely: "I am just a fire in the army. I don’t know anything about it.”
Guangzong County is a national poverty-stricken county, and Huaiwo Village is a key poverty-stricken village in the county. Wu Hongfu has no penny after he retired from the army, and his family is poor and pitiful. The commune implements an work-point system. Wu Hongfu has little labor at home and is busy all year round. He can’t earn enough work-point . The whole family can’t have a full meal and live a very difficult life.
In 1979, Wu Hongfu's 7-year-old son Wu Jindong was accidentally injured by a friend and had to undergo surgery, otherwise he would be at risk of blindness, but Wu Hongfu had no money. Later, my friend's parents sent Wu Hongfu 200 yuan and dozens of kilograms of food coupons and . This amount of money is just a drop in the bucket for the operation, but it was just someone who borrowed it from others.
The kind-hearted Wu Hongfu couldn't bear to let the other party lose everything. He chose to take the difficulties alone and borrowed all his relatives and friends, but still did not collect the surgery fee. Due to the inadequate treatment, the child's eye was blind forever...
wu Hongfu and his wife
After more than ten years of hard life, not only did not improve, but it became even more difficult.
In 1986, Wu Hongfu's parents suffered from hemiplegia and were paralyzed in bed, unable to do without human care. Soon after, Wu Hongfu's wife suffered from femoral head necrosis. She was disabled because she had no money to treat her illness, and was unable to walk and could not work.
The burden of the family fell on Wu Hongfu alone, but no matter how hard he tried to support him, he could not make much money. Under the impact of the market economy, Wu Hongfu also tried to do some small business, but he was honest and honest and lost money several times in succession. Because he had no money, Wu Hongfu's three children dropped out of school one after another and could only go out to work to subsidize their family income.
But no matter how difficult life is, Wu Hongfu never stretched out his hands to the government, nor did he reveal his true identity, because he always remembered the "two cannots" proposed by the battalion commander. He is a soldier and must be firmly obedient.
In 1996, the village applied for the first batch of minimum living allowance households, and many people rushed to ask Wu Hongfu to fill out the form to apply for minimum living allowance, but Wu Hongfu pushed it out. The village director said that this was the unanimous opinion of the villagers, but Wu Hongfu smiled and said: "I have hands and feet, can work, have clothes and food, and I don't need minimum living allowance. I'd better leave good policies to the people in more difficult situations."
Such a life of deep fame and fortune will last for 37 years.
In June 2002, Wu Hongfu accidentally saw an article titled "The "Hero Camp" received by Chairman Mao" in a military magazine. In the article, Yue Zhenhua, the old commander of the Second Missile Battalion, told the story of the battle of shooting down the "U-2" aircraft in the 1960s. At this time, Wu Hongfu realized that the confidentiality period had passed long ago and the promise of "two cannot" naturally failed.
Wu Hongfu read "The "Hero Camp" received by Chairman Mao"
At this moment, some old people in the village began to mock Wu Hongfu for not fighting a war. Wu Hongfu was very dissatisfied and finally made up his mind to take out the certificate of retired soldiers and go to the Civil Affairs Bureau of Guangzong County to handle preferential treatment for retired soldiers. This is why the scene at the beginning of the article was that a first-class hero who had been deeply fame for 38 years and his heroic deeds finally surfaced.
Why did Wu Hongfu, who made great achievements twice, remain silent like a piece of wood for decades after he was discharged from the army?
Faced with this question, Wu Hongfu remembered the battalion commander's advice before retiring from the army, "The information of the missile force is top-secret information, and you can't say it! I = I promised the chief that you must do it when you say it!" is this simple belief that supports Wu Hongfu's deep fame and reputation for the past 37 years. No matter how many difficulties he encounters, he will never speak to the organization or the government.
After Wu Hongfu's identity was exposed, major media such as People's Daily , CCTV and other major media reported that his heroic deeds quickly spread across the country, and honors came one after another. Wu Hongfu was rated as "the most beautiful veteran " by the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. He was also invited to Beijing to participate in the military parade and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Many party and government organs, enterprises, institutions and primary and secondary schools invited him to give a report. Wu Hongfu became a "big celebrity" for a while.
Facing the halo, Wu Hongfu was very sober and never took credit. He lived a simple life like before. He ate pickles and drank white porridge for three meals a day, and a piece of clothing for three years and three years. Someone said to him: "Old Wu, what hard life do you still live? Take the certificate of meritorious service and tell the government, what are you going to do? "
Wu Hongfu said seriously: "We have enjoyed all the policies we should enjoy, so how can we make additional requirements? I have been a soldier, but now I am a farmer. I will definitely not do it if I cause trouble to the party and the government!" This is the enlightenment of the veteran.
"The most beautiful retired soldier" Wu Hongfu
Today's Wu Hongfu is an 80-year-old man. It has been 60 years since he served, but Wu Hongfu still clearly remembers the process of participating in the shooting down the "U-2" aircraft 60 years ago. He silently wrote an oath on a piece of paper: "I swear, never forget my original aspiration, keep my mission in mind. Listen to the party, follow the party, give full play to the remaining energy for the ideal of communism, and be a good retired veteran in the new era."
This is the first-class hero Wu Hongfu. He was a hero in the first half of his life, and even a hero in the second half of his life.
