Huang Jiguang
Huang Jiguang | |
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| Born | January 18, 1931 |
| Died | October 19, 1952 (aged 21) |
| Occupation | Soldier |
Huang Jiguang (Chinese: 黄继光; pinyin: Huáng Jìguāng; January 18, 1931 – October 19, 1952)[1] was a highly decorated Chinese soldier during the Korean War.
Huang was originally from the Sichuan Province. In March 1951, Huang decided to join the Chinese People's Volunteer Army to fight against the American-led United Nations forces in the Korean War.
After joining the war, Huang became a runner and was later awarded the Meritorious Service, Third Class for his bravery. At the Battle of Triangle Hill in October 1952, Huang's unit was tasked with destroying an enemy blockhouse. According to official accounts, Huang hurled himself against a machine gun slit on the blockhouse after running out of ammunition, blocking enemy fire while sacrificing his life. As a result of his heroism, the Chinese forces overran the position while annihilating a significant amount of enemy soldiers. In one version of the story, it was also claimed that Huang's final action was specifically inspired by the Soviet war film Private Alexander Matrosov, which was in turn based on the real life exploit of Alexander Matrosov during the Great Patriotic War.[2]
Huang was posthumously given the title of "Combat Hero, Second Class",[2] which was later upgraded to "Combat Hero, Special Class". The North Korean government also awarded Huang with the title of "Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", a Gold Star Medal and the Medal of the National Flag, First-Class.[3]
See also
References
- ^ PLA honored models: Huang Jiguang
- ^ a b Matrosov Style Hero, Hung Jiguang (马特洛索夫式的英雄黄继光), Beijing: People's Daily, 1952-12-21, retrieved 2012-11-26
- ^ Huang Jiguang
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