President Li wanted to see Li Mu, but Li Mu failed to be a competent host in the hotel to receive these guests from afar. Today, he and the staff of the foundation drove to the Flying Tigers Cemetery on the outskirts of Spring City to pay their respects.
The veterans knew that there was a cemetery on the outskirts of Spring City and had always wanted to find an opportunity to come and pay their respects. However, the itinerary that the foundation staff had previously arranged for them did not include this item.
This is also the only arrangement made by the foundation that does not follow the wishes of the veterans.
The reason why Liu Xinyin has not arranged for veterans to come to pay their respects is mainly because the current situation of this "cemetery" is really distressing. This cemetery has been there since 43 years, and the pilots of the Flying Tigers who died in the battle have been there. Soldiers and soldiers on the ground, both Chinese and Americans, are buried there. It is said that at the most, there were seven or eight hundred graves here.
However, after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the United States took away the remains of the American Flying Tigers martyrs and brought them back to the United States for burial, leaving almost 500 graves of Chinese martyrs. However, in the following decades, these Chinese Flying Tigers The graves of martyrs were in great danger.
First, in the early 1950s, due to construction needs, local villagers moved almost all the coffins and tombstones of the martyrs to a nearby mountain. Then in the late 1950s, during the era of large-scale forward progress, due to the need for water conservancy construction, the tombstones of these martyrs were removed. Almost all of it was used by the production team to build reservoirs.
In the 1980s, the coffins of these martyrs were almost without exception robbed by tomb robbers. The coffins were basically destroyed and opened by tomb robbers, which is sad.
After Liu Xinxin inquired about the news, she never told these veterans the actual situation. She wiped her tears several times by herself, but she really couldn't say the words.
How to say
More than 20 veteran Chinese Flying Tigers members wanted to mourn their comrades. They went to the graves to light a cigarette and pour a glass of wine, and then went to the graves of familiar comrades to pour out their heartfelt feelings.
Although the remains of the American Flying Tigers martyrs in the cemetery have long been moved back to the United States for burial, these old American Flying Tigers who were invited to China also yearn to go to that cemetery to pay tribute to their Chinese comrades who fought side by side. Offer a bouquet of flowers.
Whenever faced with the sincerity of these more than 50 old people, Liu Xinyin felt like he had a lump in his throat. He couldn't tell them that the tomb of his comrade in arms that you cherished so much had been destroyed by tomb robbers, right
Therefore, Liu Xinxin planned all the old man's outings into a journey to find memories of the past. He went to see the old aviation school, the old airport and the old dormitory, and even went to see the pilot's crash. After the plane crashed, the small village that was rescued did not go to this remote cemetery.
However, according to the original plan, these American veterans will return to the United States tomorrow, and the Chinese veterans will also be temporarily separated. Some will go home, and some will go to military nursing homes. Therefore, today is the last time for everyone to get together. One day, more than 50 elderly people could no longer hold it in any longer and asked Liu Xinxin to take them to the cemetery to have a look and pay their respects, so that they could be regarded as worthy of the souls of these martyrs in heaven.
Liu Xinxin had no choice but to find Li Mu early in the morning. While crying, she explained the situation at the Martyrs Cemetery to Li Mu, hoping that Li Mu could help her persuade the elderly. She really didn't want the elderly to know these heartbreaking news. .
Li Mu was very upset after hearing this, but the matter has come to an end. Even if all the tomb robbers are caught and sentenced to severe punishment, the established facts will not be solved. It is really outrageous to stop the veterans from leaving. The veterans will not die this time. The activity gave the old people a lot of comfort, and also allowed them to fulfill their lifelong wish to reunite with their comrades. When the survivors reunited after so many years, what they think of most must be those who have not survived until now. If they are not allowed to mourn the deceased, I am afraid this regret will accompany them throughout their lives.
After thinking about it, Li Mu made the final decision.
go!
All the staff and myself will go too!
Liu Xinxin was in trouble and said: "But all we can find now is a mass grave. Our volunteers have visited it. The feeling is really miserable. I'm afraid they can't accept it..."
Li Mu said: "Then we can't let these old people leave Spring City with regrets."
At this point, Li Mu sighed deeply and said: "Actually, the psychological endurance of these old people is much stronger than ours. They have experienced the cruel war of resistance and have put life and death at risk. They are more tolerant of the cruelty of reality than we are. With a deeper understanding, at this time, I believe what they really want is to interact with the spirit of the deceased. If they are allowed to go, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. If they are not allowed to go, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits."
Liu Xinxin was silent.
Li Mu is right. I think the old people may not be able to accept that reality, but thinking about the experiences of these old people, they are really the most powerful and greatest group of people in the world. They looked down on life and death, and admired the will to serve the country. They had seen so much cruelty on the battlefield, and they should have a strong mental endurance to face some of today's realities.
However, Li Mu still has more considerations. He said: "Novel, take the old people back home, but we must make a promise to the old people. We are not able to restore these martyrs' tombs within a day or two, but we We must promise the veterans that the Veterans’ Immortal Charitable Foundation will allocate special funds to re-bury the remains and coffins of all veterans, and do our best to find all the tombstones of the veterans. If we cannot find them, we will also collect the information of the martyrs. Find and re-make tombstones, and find a place with good feng shui, good scenery and convenient transportation in Spring City to re-build a Flying Tigers Martyrs Cemetery!"
At this point, Li Mu added: "Not only do we need to build a martyrs cemetery! We also need to invest in building a Flying Tigers historical memorial next to the cemetery. We now have three to four billion funds available. This money should not only be used to improve every In the life of a surviving veteran, we must also be responsible for the veterans who have passed away, give them enough respect, and pass on their spirit and heroic deeds. We will do what we say. After the flight is over tomorrow, you can go and follow Communicate with the local government, I believe the local government will be very supportive."
"Okay!" Liu Xinxin nodded repeatedly. Li Mu's solution seemed to her to be beyond her imagination. If these promises are made to the veterans and fulfilled one by one, I believe the veterans will be greatly relieved.
Li Mu then told her: "Contact reporters from major major media, as well as reporters from local media in Yun Province and Chuncheng, and invite them to accompany you for filming. The whole society owes veterans a lot, not only those who are alive, but also those who have sacrificed. Those, hopefully, through their tracking shots, can bring awareness to society.”
"Okay, I'll go notify you right away!"
…
When Mr. Li arrived at the hotel, Li Mu had already arrived in the mountainous area on the outskirts of Spring City with dozens of Flying Tigers, nearly a hundred relatives of Flying Tigers, dozens of volunteers, staff, and dozens of reporters.
The reporters who were temporarily invited were originally stationed at the airport. They suddenly received the invitation and followed almost immediately. However, they had no idea that just before the charity night was about to begin, Li Mu, the entire foundation, and more than 50 veterans set out. Going to the outskirts of the city, what exactly is the point.
It wasn't until the staff led everyone to a mass grave that Liu Xinxin told the truth.
In front of all the veterans and reporters, Liu Xinxin choked up and explained how the tomb of the martyrs was gradually turned into a mass grave. This news made everyone sad. Many veterans stood in silence in front of the rotting coffins in the mass grave for a long time. , when their relatives and foundation volunteers all cried silently, they unexpectedly did not cry.
Li Mu was right. The psychological endurance of these veterans was far beyond that of ordinary people.
The old man Sun Xiaozhong, leaning on a cane, sighed and said: "I only need to die for my country on the battlefield, why should I wrap my body in horse leather and return it... Brothers, we are here to see you..."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the Chinese veterans trembled and said in unison: "Brothers, we are here to see you!"
Old man Sun Xiaozhong secretly wiped away his tears, turned around and said to the other veterans: "Brothers who are alive, let's raise a toast to the brothers Chengren!"
The volunteers took out the liquor that had been prepared in advance from the accompanying packages and handed each of the Chinese veterans a bottle. Sun Xiaozhong and the other elderly people all held the wine and spread it out in a tacit understanding, each in one direction. , every time he walked to a broken tomb, a rotten tomb, or an exposed old coffin, he would pour some on it and mutter something silently.
The son of a veteran said in a low voice to the reporter who was crying and red-eyed beside him: "My father once told me that when the bodies of the martyrs were counted after the war, the living people would give each martyr's death certificate before burial. Put some liquor on the body and let them go on their way."
Everyone listened in their ears, and although they were silent, every word entered their hearts.
The old people mourned and paid homage to their fallen comrades. After everyone's emotions calmed down, Liu Xinxin made a promise to everyone as instructed by Li Mu: to invest in the construction of the Flying Tigers Martyrs' Mausoleum and the Flying Tigers Memorial Hall, and at the same time, collect the remains of all martyrs. They were moved out and re-interred, and all were buried in the martyrs' tombs. After consultation with the local government, a salvage team was sent to the reservoir to salvage the tombstones of the martyrs, etc.
The veterans who had never shed tears couldn't control their tears after hearing about this promise. They no longer have the ability to take care of these fallen comrades. Even they themselves need to be taken care of and helped by society. , in this case, the foundation is willing to take good care of these deceased heroes, which is a great comfort to them.
The American Flying Tigers learned everything through a translator and couldn't help crying. They all expressed their willingness to donate money to the mausoleum. However, Li Mu made it clear that he could not accept donations from veterans and told them: "I have already talked to a friend in the United States. A consensus was reached that Makino Technology and he would jointly invest 10 million US dollars to establish the Veterans Never Die-American Charitable Foundation in the United States. Not only Chinese veterans need care and care, but veterans all over the world need it."
The veteran American Flying Tigers did not expect that Li Mu, a Chinese, would be willing to bring Veterans' Immortal charity to the United States. However, when they thought of the sensation caused by Veterans' Immortality in China and the funds and resources raised for the veterans, they also felt moved. Shock, if the same thing could happen in the United States, that would be great!
(End of chapter)