Persecuted veterans finally vindicated
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Xiong Shichao stands in front of his house in the prefecture-level city of Baoshan, Yunnan Province. |
"The Red Guards didn't find anything in my home, but I was still beaten, just because they knew who I was."
Traumatized, disgraced and stigmatized, the veterans learned to remain silent about their wartime experience and in turn, no one ever asked them about it.
Well, almost no one. In 2004, patriotic businessman Yang Jianming started sending small sums of money to these forgotten veterans.
Born and raised in Baoshan, when he was young everybody told Yang the Kuomintang was the enemy. Some of these evil Kuomintang soldiers were still living in the town, he was told.
"But I read history books and asked expert historians and when I grew up, I realized the facts were totally opposite to those I was fed during childhood," Yang said.
"I came to gain full respect for those soldiers who died for our country and I decided to do something for those who survived."
Yang, who runs a hotel and other small businesses, began giving 100 yuan ($14) a month to each of more than 100 veterans in the neighboring areas. He did this for more than two years, but had to stop.
"I discovered that it took a long, long time to deliver the money to those veterans," he said.
"I couldn't hand the money to each and everyone personally as most live far away in the mountain areas so I had to go through government channels.
"But it also takes a long time for the money to travel from city government to county government and then to village government and finally into the hands of veterans."
One veteran received his 100 yuan eight months after it was handed to the city government, Yang explained.
"I can't blame the government," he said. "These places are remote and distant."
Stunning discovery
Having recognized he couldn't do it all on his own, Yang now broadcast more information through various media, encouraging assistance from wider society. Hundreds of people became involved with helping the veterans.
"We saw many veterans living in a place which can hardly be called a house or apartment," said He Xiaoyan, a volunteer from the ilaobing.com ("love veterans") website.
"Some had very serious physical illnesses but didn't have the money to see a doctor.
"I visited nearly 100 veterans in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, most of them leading miserable lives not only physically but also mentally."
Many veterans maintained their secret identity for decades: Yang himself was stunned to discover his own uncle was among them.
"Only last year did I discover my uncle was also a soldier during the anti-Japanese war in Yunnan, six years after I had begun to help veterans," Yang said.
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