How do you define a hero?
In ancient times, people called people who practiced chivalry and righteousness, punished evil and promoted good. During the war years, people who defended their country with their lives were also heroes. So in times of peace, are heroes still needed?
The answer is yes.
Heroes are still needed in peacetime, and there are heroes in all walks of life. The firefighters who rushed into the fire to save people are heroes, the soldiers who rushed to the front line of earthquake relief during the flood and earthquake are heroes, and the passers-by A and B who went into the water to save people regardless of their personal safety after falling into the water are also heroes.
Heroes, right by your side and mine—
Yan Xinming, a firefighter at the Jinlun Road Fire and Rescue Station of the Zhaoyuan Fire and Rescue Brigade, is a veteran. With dark skin and a small stature, in addition to daily training and police dispatch, he often buries his head in the maintenance and inspection of various rescue vehicles in the brigade, and is on duty 24 hours a day.
seems ordinary and ordinary, but he is a hero who hides his outstanding fame and stands up in the Yushu earthquake.
In the early morning of April 14, 2010, a powerful earthquake tore apart the jade trees that were still bathed in the morning light. At that time, Yan Xinming was still a non-commissioned officer of the logistics section of the People's Armed Forces Department of Yushu County, Qinghai Province, and the camp where he was located was the epicenter. When the earthquake struck, Yan Xinming, who was in the compound of the camp, saw cracks in the wall almost instantly, followed by the collapse of the building, flying sand and rocks around him, and landslides and ground cracks.
"There was an earthquake!" After thinking of this word, Yan Xinming was lifted up by a powerful seismic wave volley, and then fell heavily to the ground, and the whole person almost fainted.
"Help! Save! Yan Xinming, who was holding on to recover quickly, didn't care about the pain all over his body, and at the critical moment, he led people to dig out shovels and pickaxes from the ruins of the weapons depot, and plunged into the collapsed area to start the search and rescue work. In the violent shaking of the earth, Yan Xinming searched and rescued five trapped people from the rubble, and he also used his professional expertise to use foam boards to renovate some of the surviving steel structure buildings and build the first shelter nearby. Later, Yan Xinming was successively commended by the army and the armed police force as an "advanced individual in earthquake relief", and the party Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission awarded him the honorary title of "model of earthquake relief".
However, the deeds of such an admirable hero have never been known, not even his son, who is already in high school.
It turns out that the unknown hero is all around us
"If it weren't for the middle of May, I heard the staff of the Zhaoyuan City Veterans Affairs Bureau say that there is a hero in our team, and we still don't know about the heroic deeds of Lao Yan." Zhou Shuguang, the political instructor of the Zhaoyuan City Fire and Rescue Brigade, started with this and slowly told the deeds of Yan Xinming's earthquake relief heroes.
Zhou Shuguang said that at first, he did not believe that there was such a model of earthquake relief in the brigade. "I have been engaged in political work for many years, and I know how valuable this honorary title is. If such an honor has been received, how can we not know? During the interview, he sighed several times about the previous "incredible".
It wasn't until Yan Xinming took the honorary certificate in an ordinary plastic bag to the team that Zhou Shuguang and the fire commanders and fighters of the brigade knew that the hero had always been by his side.
During the interview, Yu Yang, the political instructor of the Jinlun Road Fire and Rescue Station, said to the reporter with a smile while frequently giving the big brother a thumbs up: "If I can get such an honorary title, it is enough for me to blow to my children for a lifetime." He, like the other commanders and fighters in the station, had no idea about it in the six years that he had been with Yan Xinming on the eve of the year.
Compared with Yu Yang, Ou Yichen, deputy director of the Jinlun Road Fire and Rescue Station, is even more "wronged". "Brother Yan and I are still roommates in the same dormitory, and we usually chat in the dormitory, and we also talk about the earthquake relief of firefighters in those years. But he never told me that he had participated in the earthquake relief himself, and he had won such an honor. ”
Hong Tongtong's certificate of honor was like a stone, causing ripples in the Zhaoyuan Brigade. But in the face of the surprise and admiration of his teammates, Yan Xinming was still silent, and he didn't even want to mention the past too much.
"There was really nothing, I just did what a soldier and a party member should do. The country has given me honors, so keep those medals and certificates in my heart, and more importantly, do a good job at the moment. Facing the interview, Yan Xinming's expression was very flat.
It is because of his obscurity and low-key insipidity that his son, who has already entered high school, does not know that his father is a hero who sacrificed his life and forgot to die at the earthquake relief site. In 2019, on the occasion of celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Yan Xinming was once again awarded a commemorative medal by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission, which also made his wife proud. When his wife took a picture of the medal of honor and sent it to the circle of friends, Yan Xinming also "complained" that it should not be so high-profile.
Rush forward in the face of disasters and forge eternal spiritual strength
Natural disasters are a tragic page in the annals of human history. April 14, 2010 is also destined not to be dull. On this day, an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Yushu City, Qinghai Province, and the strong earthquake almost completely flattened the city. mentioned the scene 14 years ago, Yan Xinming's expression still carried a lot of sadness.
Yan Xinming, who experienced an earthquake for the first time in his life, did not choose to arrive in the open space alone to escape. In the face of devastation, his first reaction at that time was to hurry up and save people, he was worried about the comrades who were trapped in the duty room on duty, and he was worried about the people who were buried in danger by the ruins, he ran up and down several times on the Yushu Plateau at an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters, because of altitude sickness, he had to gasp for breath, his face was sweaty mixed with tears and kept flowing down, his hands were drenched with blood and soil, he took as a soldier, excellent psychological quality and experience in leading soldiers, and commanded and organized the rescue of people on the spot. In that moment of panic and not knowing what was wrong, it was his firmness and calmness that calmed the emotions of everyone, and it was his actions as a soldier who put his personal life and death aside in a moment of crisis, providing the masses with a sense of security and spiritual support.
This is the figure of the Chinese soldiers, this is the responsibility of the Chinese soldiers, and it is the many Chinese soldiers like Yan Xinming who fight against disasters and forge eternal spiritual strength.
In 2014, Yan Xinming, who retired from the army, chose to return to his hometown in Zhaoyuan to choose his own career. He has successively worked as an insurance clerk, a delivery boy and other jobs, and Yan Xinming, who is willing to endure hardships, can support his family with these jobs, but he always feels "uncomfortable" in his heart.
"I joined the army in 1998 and served as a soldier for 16 years, and after I left the army, I missed the life in the army more and more, and I missed the friendship between my comrades. Life in the army is filled with passion and motivation every day. "In 2018, by chance, Yan Xinming learned that Zhaoyuan Fire was recruiting full-time government firefighters. In his opinion, if he can become a firefighter, he can continue his "fighting" feelings as a veteran. Although he was 39 years old at the time, with the physical fitness he had cultivated after many years of soldiering, Yan Xinming still passed the exam with excellent results and officially became a firefighter who could also protect his family and the people.
retired from the army and joined the firefighting, and continued to protect the family and the people with the true character of a soldier
Yan Xinming said that on the Yushu Plateau, he followed the team to the east and west, participated in countless exercises and stability maintenance sites, and "raised troops for a thousand days and used them for a while." In the fire fighting, it is "raising soldiers for a thousand days and using soldiers for a thousand days", and they are always on duty. But whether in the army or in the fire and rescue brigade, he has always continued to protect his family and the people as a soldier, and has always been doing his job in obscurity.
Yan Xinming, who was finally able to return to collective life like when he was in the army, started a new journey in his new post. Although he is not good at words, his conscientious and diligent work attitude has attracted the attention of Zhou Shuguang, the instructor of the brigade, from a long time ago.
"When Lao Yan was still a driver at the original Quanshan Road Fire and Rescue Station, he was very impressed." Zhou Shuguang said that three years ago, he found out in a conversation with the pilots of various squadrons that Yan Xinming's daily work was very down-to-earth. For example, if the brake pads of the vehicle are broken, someone wants to save trouble, and the vehicle may be sent directly for repair. But here in Yan Xinming, after some careful inspection, it is possible that a spring is loose, and the spring only needs to be replaced, saving time and money in vehicle maintenance. And even if there is a small damage to the vehicle, Yan Xinming will take photos for archiving, and explain the situation one by one when submitting the maintenance report.
"As a driver, you have to know how the various systems of the vehicle are working. If there is a problem, it must be repaired in advance, and when it really arrives at the fire site, parking, pumping, suppressing, every step can not be delayed, it is a major event related to life. Yan Xinming didn't say much, and he was only willing to talk more when he mentioned his current work.
As an excellent fire truck driver, Yan Xinming is familiar with the various operating systems inside all the vehicles in the brigade. In 2022, he stood out from more than 20 fire truck drivers in the brigade and was selected as a "Red Flag Car Driver". After a long time, no matter which squadron's rescue vehicle broke down, the first thing that everyone thought of was Yan Xinming. "Something wrong with the car? Find Boss Yan. This has become Yu Yang's mantra.
Last year, Yan Xinming was transferred to the Jinlun Road Fire and Rescue Station, which is also the station of the Zhaoyuan Fire and Rescue Brigade. "The reason why Lao Yan was transferred to Jinlun Road Station is to facilitate the management of the entire brigade's vehicles, as long as he can see him, there is no need to worry about the problem of rescue vehicles." In his words, it is not difficult to see that Zhou Shuguang, as the instructor of the brigade, has a lot of trust in Yan Xinming.
Many people in the brigade wanted him to talk more about the heroic deeds of the year, but he smiled honestly and said: "There is nothing to say". Yan Xinming's simple words made his teammates admire him even more, and they were all proud and proud to have such a heroic teammate.
Salute to the heroes around us, prosperous China, as you wish!