Huang Jiguang

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.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Huang.
Huang Jiguang
Native name
黄继光
Born(1931-01-18)January 18, 1931
Huang Jiguang Village, Zhongjiang County, Sichuan, China
DiedOctober 19, 1952(1952-10-19) (aged 21)
Chorwon County, North Korea
Battles/warsKorean War  †
AwardsOrder of the National Flag (First-Class)

Biography

Huang was born in Sichuan Province, his mother is Deng Fangzhi and brother is Huang Jishu. 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 number 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 Aleksandr Matrosov, which was in turn based on the real life exploit of Alexander Matrosov during the Great Patriotic War.[2]

Awards
Order of the National Flag for Huang

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 Order of the National Flag (First-Class).[3]

Legacy

A company of People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps is named after Huang Jiguang.[4]

See also

References
  1. PLA honored models: Huang Jiguang
  2. "马特洛索夫式的英雄黄继光" [Matrosov Style Hero, Huang Jiguang]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1952-12-21. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  3. Huang Jiguang
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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