Source: Chinese Military Bugle
Author: Zhu Ming, Wang Zhenhai, Liu Ruiche
In the continuous hot summer, a long-lost summer rain came unexpectedly.
Early in the morning on June 24, at the Shuihushan Martyrs Cemetery in Dongxihu District, Wuhan City, the Dongxihu District Department of Human Arms, the District Veterans Affairs Bureau, the District Education Bureau, the District Archives and other departments held a grand meeting to jointly organize the fight against floods and waterlogging. The life story plaques of the four martyrs who died heroically were replaced with new ones.
What is striking is that the updated lives of the martyrs clearly clarified the martyrs’ Communist Party membership and honorary titles.
Standing in front of the monument of her husband Dong Guoqing, rain and tears fell from Wang E'er's face. She couldn't tell how many times she had shed tears, but this time, she shed tears of happiness and pride. Because Dong Guoqing, her husband who had sacrificed his life for 29 years, not only confirmed his identity as a Communist Party member, but was also posthumously awarded as an "Outstanding Communist Party Member".
"He attaches great importance to his status as a party member." Wang E'er still remembers that on the day Dong Guoqing joined the party, he happily told himself the good news as soon as he entered the house.
Dong Guoqing and other four martyrs who are buried in Suihushan Martyrs Cemetery died in the battle against floods and drainage in East and West Lake in 1993. Previously, the life stories of the martyrs were recorded: On September 20 of that year, heavy rain fell in Dongxihu District , and some farmland was stained. In order to smooth the drainage, Dong Guoqing, the militia company commander of the Jinghe Farm Advanced Brigade, led four militiamen to Taer. Head pumping station to perform the task of dredging weeds from the sewage rack. At around 11 o'clock in the night, the sewage barrier suddenly collapsed, and four comrades Dong Guoqing, Shu Xiaohua, Ma Jianhua, and Li Dechao died heroically.
When they died, Dong Guoqing was only 34 years old, Shu Xiaohua was only 20 years old, and Ma Jianhua and Li Dechao were only 18 years old.
Xu Wenge, Secretary of Mintian Community, Jinghe Street, Dongxihu District, introduced that Tartou Pumping Station is the most important drainage channel in Dongxihu District. Due to the high water level difference, when the water level rises during floods, the pumping station's sewage rails bear great water pressure. .
In recent years, our country has continued to increase the protection of martyrs’ memorial facilities. In March this year, the state issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Commendation of Martyrs in the New Era", proposing to strengthen the standardized management and standardized construction of martyrs' memorial facilities, and calling for the martyrs' memorial facilities to play their role as the main front for red education.
For a long time, the Dongxihu District Ministry of Human Arms and the District Veterans Affairs Bureau have always focused on the collection and compilation of martyrs’ deeds and the search for their families. In January this year, a special search class was set up to sort out and improve the incomplete records of the lives of martyrs, and vigorously strengthen the memorial facilities for martyrs. standardized management.
When the search team searched for Wang E'er, the bereaved family of martyr Dong Guoqing, they learned that martyr Dong Guoqing was a member of the Communist Party of China during his lifetime, but there has been no relevant record of his life and deeds in the 29 years since his death.
This situation attracted the attention of the search team. They overcame many difficulties and found Shu Wensheng, a survivor who had performed the flood fighting and rescue mission together, to learn about the situation.
Back then, when the sewage barrier collapsed, Dong Guoqing and four other militiamen fell into the rushing river. In the panic, Shu Wensheng, the youngest militiaman, survived by luckily grabbing a wire rope. After 29 years, Shu Wensheng still has lingering fears when recalling the scene at that time. Every Qingming Festival, he would go to Sleeping Tiger Mountain Cemetery to recall his former comrades.
Unfortunately, Shu Wensheng did not have information about the party membership status of martyr Dong Guoqing during his lifetime. After many inquiries, the special search class learned that Dong Guoqing and his elementary school classmate Peng Chuanyou joined the party on the same day.
To further confirm, the search team went to the district archives to check the information. A 1993 document from the Dongxihu District Committee and District Government provided key evidence. The content of the document is: Dong Guoqing was posthumously awarded the title of outstanding Communist Party member, model militia company commander, outstanding trade union cadre, and the title of New Long March Commando Model; Shu Xiao Huawei was awarded the title of New Long March Commando Model and outstanding militia; Ma Jianhua and Li Dechao were awarded the title of New Long March Commando Model. He was awarded the titles of Assault Model and Outstanding Militiaman, and was posthumously recognized as a member of the Communist Youth League.
This document not only proves Dong Guoqing’s political outlook, but also provides information on the four martyrs who were awarded honorary titles. But when Dong Guoqing joined the party, there was no relevant information after repeated searches in the district archives.
But the search team did not give up. Not long ago, they finally found Dong Guoqing's personnel files through the confidential office of Jinghe Street and discovered Dong Guoqing's original materials for joining the party. According to original materials, martyr Dong Guoqing became a probationary party member on June 25, 1991, and became a formal party member on June 24, 1992.
At this point, the party membership status and honorary titles of Dong Guoqing and other four martyrs who had been idle for 29 years have been confirmed.
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Dai Sihua, director of the Dongxihu District Veterans Service Center, said that the district plans to interview the relatives of 74 martyrs one by one, and has so far interviewed 38 relatives of the martyrs. In the next step, they will continue to do their best to improve the discovery of materials on the martyrs' deeds and pass on the red genes of the martyrs from generation to generation.
"We must carry forward Company Commander Dong's fearless spirit of not being afraid of sacrifice, being brave and tenacious, and risking his life to protect the safety of people's lives and property." At the end of the event, retired soldier and militiaman Liu Lianhong's speech expressed the common aspirations of everyone.
(produced by China Military Horn)
