Rarely do individual soldiers have any influence on the outcome of war itself. Yet for many of us, it is their deeply personal accounts that come to define it. On the anniversary of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, NewsChina reflects on the experiences of veterans on both sides of the conflict.
By Xie Ying and Huang Aihe
During a special ceremony on Capitol Hill to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-1953), American veteran and former Nevada governor, Mike O’ Callaghan (1929-2004), was saluted for his contribution to his country.
The decorated Korean War hero was the recipient of the Silver Star for his efforts in helping to rescue several of his comrades under heavy enemy fire. He also received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor. Yet, he paid dearly – losing his left leg below the knee after being hit by a mortar round.
O’Callaghan died of heart failure six years ago. At his funeral, more than 2,000 mourners bid him a tearful farewell. He was given a 21-gun salute and a fly by four F-16 jet fighters.
All this pomp and honor might signal perfect ending for any other man. Yet, ac-cording to a Chinese friend, Tan Liangxian, O’Callaghan left this world with an unfulfilled wish – to visit China, a country against which he once harbored a bitter hatred.
‘Fire at Me!’
O’Callaghan’s hatred originated from his battlefield experiences during the Korean War, according to No War in Heaven, a memorial article published in the Family magazine last year, which described O’Callaghan’s recollections as relayed to Tan Liangxian over eight years.
During the Battle of Triangle Hill in 1952, O’Callaghan led over 100 squad members as they fought to take control of the hill.
Amid fierce fighting, O’Callaghan and his troops charged to the summit. Once there, they encountered a lone, unarmed “young and callow” Chinese soldier leaning against a naked tree trunk, shouting loudly.
Instinctively, O’Callaghan ordered his men not to shoot. “Cease fire! He’s just a child.” The Chinese soldier was shouting too, but nobody understood what he was saying until someone found he was carrying a walkie-talkie. It was too late. A barrage of mortar fire soon reigned down on O’Callaghan’s squad, killing everyone, apart from three survivors, including O’Callaghan himself, who lost the lower part of his left leg during the incident.
For years O’Callaghan has agonised over his act of mercy. During conversation with Tan, he made it clear that he would never have given the order to spare the young boy’s life if he thought it would have resulted in the death of his companions. He told Tan he often woke up from a nightmare in which the event was replayed, while his leg served as a constant reminder of his dead friends and the unknown Chinese soldier.
However, O’Callaghan did not meet Tan Liangxian until 1995, a full 42 years after the end of Korean combat operations. Tan, from Hong Kong, was the then head of a commercial Chinese delegation to the United States.
During their first encounter in Las Vegas, O’Callaghan shared his memories of that unforgettable battle with Tan. Reminded of a scene in the 1960s Chinese Korean War movie, Heroic Sons and Daughters, Tan suddenly found himself in tears.
“Mr O’Callaghan, let me tell you what he (the Chinese soldier) was shouting,” he said.
“He was yelling, ‘the enemy has surrounded me. Fire at me ... for victory, fire-at-me!’”
Tan’s answer would have been familiar to many Chinese. In the movie, Heroic Sons and Daughters, leading man Wang Cheng, a radio operator similar to the one encountered by O’Callaghan, requested artillery fire on his position and perished alongside his enemies.
O’Callaghan was shocked. He lifted his trouser leg and exposed his prosthesis, telling Tan he hated “Wang Cheng,” but also respected him.
The Real ‘Wang Cheng’
“Wang Cheng” is not a fictional character, according to Hong Lu, a Chinese war correspondent during the Korean War, and whose report Fire at Me partly supplied the source material for the movie Heroic Sons and Daughters. He told NewsChina “Wang Cheng” was based on three real Chinese soldiers – Ding Shuchang, perhaps the very “young and callow” soldier O’Callaghan met on Triangle Hill, Yang Gensi, who charged at the enemy with a pack of dynamite, and Jiang Qingquan.