Source | Zhengguan News·Zhengzhou Evening News (picture provided by family)
"I am a real man. I am willing to be a fish in the Yellow River , and I do not want to be a slave to the subjugation of the country..."
"I love my motherland and in order to defend us I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life for the territory and sovereignty of the Chinese nation!”
On the afternoon of July 12, Anti-Japanese War veteran Li Zhanrui passed away in Zhengzhou at the age of 101.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Li Zhanrui was a pilot of the Third Squadron of the Chinese Air Force's 1st Battalion, a mixed group of the Chinese and American Air Forces. He fought in the skies at home and in India, Myanmar , Thailand, Laos and other countries. He was awarded the medal for his outstanding military exploits. Second class merit , third class merit .
On September 2, 2015, Li Zhanrui was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and participated in the military parade on the Tiananmen Gate Tower.
During the Anti-Japanese War, he flew planes to bomb Japanese bridges and military columns.
Li Zhanrui's hometown is in Xinxiang, Henan. His father is a railway worker. His brother Li Zhanxiang entered the military camp very early. Wen Tianxiang regards him as his idol, who “takes his heart to reflect history”.
In 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out in full force. Li Zhanrui, who was in the third grade of Jingquan Junior High School in Xinxiang, decided to join the army and serve the country. When he left home, he said to his parents: "Loyalty and filial piety cannot have both ends. Without a country, there is no family. A good man must join the army. Take care of yourself. If the war of resistance against Japan is won, whoever comes back alive from me or my brother will be filial to you!" "
He traveled to Yueyang , Changsha, Changde , Guilin, Tongliang , Kunming and other cities, eager to learn English, swimming and various air force military skills, and went abroad to learn aircraft identification, aircraft structure, flight shooting, Practical combat techniques such as dive bombing and emergency response when an aircraft crashes, and simulated combat training.
After graduating in 1942, Li Zhanrui was incorporated into the "Third Squadron of the First Battalion of the Chinese Air Force of the Chinese and American Air Force Mixed Group" ( Chennault served as the leader of the mixed group). He fought in the skies over India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other countries, bombing bridges, Fight tanks , shoot down enemy planes, armored vehicles , and once blew up three bridges defended by the Japanese army in one day.
"When I heard that the remaining Japanese troops were still resisting in Hankou , I did not hesitate to participate in the bombing. Not only the warehouses were blown up, but also countless Japanese invaders..." From 1942 to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Li Zhanrui With repeated attacks and rounds of bloody battles, they severely defeated the Japanese invaders' aggressive behavior, and successively achieved second-class and third-class merit.
was awarded the commemorative medal for the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Li Zhanrui was assigned to the "Eighth Battalion of Shanghai Air Force", but he was unwilling to point the muzzle and bomb release port of the fighter plane at his compatriots, and was still under the influence of his classmates He began to move closer to the party organization. Although he was imprisoned for three months for his progressive words and deeds, he became more determined to defect to the liberated areas.
In 1948, with the help of the CCP’s underground organization, Li Zhanrui broke through the blockade and returned to his hometown in Henan. Because he was tired of the battlefield, he did not continue to join the army. After studying at Zhongyuan Transportation College for a period of time, he took the initiative to work as a technical worker on the railway. He then worked as a maintenance worker in the Zhengzhou Railway Locomotive Depot for more than 30 years until his retirement.
In the work unit, Li Zhanrui rarely mentioned his experience in the Anti-Japanese War. No one would equate this old master who had worked in many types of work with an all-powerful pilot, and no one knew that he bombed the Japanese army. During the battle on the bridge and the military column, an enemy bullet was left between the bones of his feet.
On September 2, 2015, as a veteran of the Anti-Japanese War who had participated in air battles against Japan in India, Myanmar, Thailand and other places, 95-year-old Li Zhanrui was awarded the commemorative medal for the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and participated in the military parade on the Tiananmen Gate Tower. .
70 years have passed, and Li Zhanrui’s illustrious military exploits in the Anti-Japanese War have not been forgotten. The highest honor and infinite respect are contained in a commemorative medal.
Zhengguan News · Zhengzhou Evening News reporter Zhang Yifei/picture
As the old man was dying, he never forgot to protect his family and the country
"I am a real man. I am willing to be a fish in the Yellow River, not to be a slave to the subjugation of the country..." ("Love in the Yellow River") "Go forward, don't retreat. Life and death are at the last moment. Our compatriots are being massacred and the land is occupied. We can no longer bear it!" ("Sacrifice at the Last Moment") When recounting his battlefield experience, this anti-war veteran couldn't bear it. He sang a war song, "My comrades and I parachuted when the plane ran out of fuel. We landed in deep mountains and dense forests several times and encountered wild wolves and cobras . At that time, we had no time to think about anything. The only thing on our mind was to defend our country."
On July 6, the day before the anniversary of the "July 7th Incident", old man Li Zhanrui was already very weak, but he still insisted on singing "Chop off the heads of the Japanese with the big knife" with his family. At this time, he could no longer speak. It’s very difficult, I can only try my best to keep the beat with the sound.
"As long as he is in good condition, he will tell everyone about charging and killing the enemy during the Anti-Japanese War, and he can't help but hum the war songs and red songs of his youth." Li Jing, the eldest grandson of Mr. Li Zhanrui, said that his grandfather was entering the intensive care unit. Before , my thoughts would often return to the battlefield full of war smoke, and I seemed to have the power to fly back to the blue sky.
"I love my motherland, and in order to defend the territory and sovereignty of our Chinese nation, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life!" Li Jing said that when his grandfather was dying, he still told his family to protect the homeland and the country. A sincere love for the motherland.
