A Salute to the Brave
Giving their lives in the line of duty
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-18 08:00
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Chinese peacekeepers left homes and families behind to bring safety and security to the people of Haiti...
I must stick to the five ethics of 'uprightness, honesty, goodwill, modesty and factuality'.
At the age of 48, Zhu was considered a prominent officer and rising star in the ministry.
"He was upright, tolerant, passionate and modest. Almost every time he went on business trips, he left the airport directly for the meeting room," said Yao Ziguo, an officer with the ministry's equipment and finance bureau, with tears in eyes.
"He was a man focused on the smallest details making up the national policing system," said Shen Zhigao, another of Zhu's colleagues.
Yao said when Zhu left for Haiti last week, he was still worried about a budget reform for the public security system. "He was such a diligent officer," Yao said.
He recalled that in the winter of 2003, Zhu was assigned to lead a team to inspect and supervise local police departments in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
During the three-month trip covering nearly 30,000 km, he braved storms and freezing cold to visit police stations.
I need to bring our goodwill messages to the Chinese peacekeeping troops in Haiti.
His laughter was his signature. "He said he was the most charming man in our bureau," said Li Zhuqun, a colleague who had worked with Guo for the past 12 years.
Although with grizzled hair, Guo was very swift in talk and action. He had devoted 30 years to the country's police liaison work and peacekeeping mission.
However, Guo was also a very caring father and husband. "Before he left Beijing for Haiti on Jan 10, he had finished almost all family chores for me. He even clipped our pet dog's nails," Guo's wife said when the ministry sent officers to see and comfort her on Jan 14.
At the age of 60, Guo would have retired soon, but he said he had to continue working hard until the last minute.
"It was really a pleasure to work with him," said Li Guoru, an officer with the ministry's international cooperation bureau.
"He always tried to do work by himself, rarely bothering others."
I'm about to retire so I have to work even harder and pass down my experience to the young people.
At Wang's office desk, there is a countdown table. At 58, Wang was to retire soon so he counted every day to calculate how much time was left to make contributions to the country.
In 2001, Wang had heart surgery and was told to be careful at work, but he never worried. "I'm going to retire and I have to do as much as I can before I leave," he once said.
Tao Junsheng, deputy director of the equipment and finance bureau, said: "We can always rest assured if the work is handed over to Wang."
With his expertise, in 2004 and 2005 Wang helped cut costs by up to 260 million yuan ($38 million) when he was responsible for the group-purchasing of 20,000 police cars for the poorer central and western regions of China.
Wang was responsible for most of the equipment purchases for China's peacekeeping force in Haiti.
"Do I look handsome and fresh?" - Li, with wet hair, asked his colleagues after bathing when his duties were done.
Li was only 26 when he was sent to East Timor as the vice-captain of the police force in 2000.
Li was very proficient in English, which often impressed his foreign colleagues. He once got an overall IELTS score of 7.5 - a quite impressive result.
"In the year in East Timor, Li did lots of research on how to build up a scientific policing system there. He was awarded by the United Nations for his achievements," said Lu Cong, an officer with the peacekeeping work division.
Li also helped establish China's first anti-riot peacekeeping police team in Haiti in 2004. Because of his proficient English, he also helped ensure a successful torch relay for the 2008 Olympic Games abroad.
To fully build up the first riot squad of China's peacekeeping mission in Haiti, Li was responsible for preliminary research, planning and member recruitment.
Thinking of my unfinished work and young child ... I told myself repeatedly: 'Don't worry. Don't panic. Hang on'
After three years' of training and examinations, Zhao finally made his trip to Haiti, a place he was greatly attached to.
However, only 20 days after his arrival, he was struck by dengue. "After repeated fever and pains, hemorrhage was seen in my mouth, eyes and skin," he wrote in his diary.
But Zhao survived, thanks to his strong character.
"When he called me, he often said he missed his little son," Zhao's colleague Yu Jianqun said.
"Zhao said he's sorry for his own child for he failed to be a caring and responsible father, but he gave his love to the children in Haiti."
Zhao Chuancheng, deputy director of the ministry's logistics bureau, said almost everything that the peacekeeping force has in Haiti, from living necessities to weapons, were carefully selected by Zhao Huayu. "He made careful plans and calculations and never spent an unnecessary penny."
Smoking is not conducive to the management of forces and it stains the image of Chinese troops.
A smoker for many years, Li quit smoking immediately when he was appointed to the new job.
As an anti-drug officer for dozens of years, Li cracked several big drug-trafficking cases in Southwest China's Yunnan province.
In November 2005, with the help of police counterparts in Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, Li successfully caught a drug tycoon and seized more than 700 kg of heroin as well as some munitions.
His experience also worked in Haiti. During his service there, Li and his fellow members participated in several anti-riot actions, including a large riot in southern Haiti in April 2008.
On Aug 15 2008, Li and the anti-riot team under his direction came back to China from their first peacekeeping mission in Haiti. However, Li returned to Haiti in September 2009, just 10 months later, for his second term.
One hand for a weapon and another for a camera, I need to work on news reporting and stop riots at the same time.
An anti-riot squad member and a reporter, Zhong was determined to shoot pictures during a rescue in April 2008, with a gunman just across the street.
His main task in Haiti was to record the life and work of the entire anti-riot team and to show the pictures to China and the rest of the world.
"Zhong faced more danger than we do. When we held weapons, he held cameras," a colleague in Haiti said.
But the biggest pity for Zhong might be that he would never have the chance to see his 210-day old daughter.
Zhong went to Haiti on June 13, 2009, and his daughter was born four days after in China, on June 17.
The day Zhong died, his baby girl was yet to be named, as he wished to give her a beautiful name when he returned to China.
I am a thriving grass demonstrating vitality and a determined feather carrying the wish for peace.
After a hard decision in May 2007, when her child was just one-year-old, He Zhihong, a former officer with the Kunming frontier checkpoint of Yunnan boarder police, joined the anti-riot police team to Haiti.
She decided to leave her own child in order to help more children in Haiti. As soon as she arrived at Haiti on Dec 3, 2007, He got to work.
With her active liaison work, the anti-riot team quickly established rapport with other peacekeeping forces through talks and visits, laying solid groundwork for the smooth operation.
During her service at Haiti, she interpreted for many officials, including delegates from the United Nations, Brazilian delegation, and Jordanian delegation, and her work was unanimously appreciated.
