Photo: From the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Nanjiang Military Command WeChat account

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Nanjiang Military Command on Tuesday posted a touching article on its WeChat account to commemorate five soldiers who were injured or died in the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020.

"No matter how much time has passed, please remember them — remember their courage and sacrifice," read the article, which did not specifically mention the incident, but contained photos of the incident that have been widely reported.

The article named Qi Fabao, the regimental commander from the PLA Nanjiang Military Command, who suffered serious head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020, as well as Chen Hongjun, Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran, who died heroically in the Galwan Valley clash.

"We have always remembered their names and the ages at which they sacrificed their lives," the article read, while listing the ages of the soldiers. 

The article included moving stories: the scene when Xiao's parents boarded a plane, bringing jelly and a bottle of soil from his hometown to see him — only to see the bodies of Xiao and the other three soldiers; the school where Chen Xiangrong had studied was renamed "Xiangrong School," and many visitors have brought oranges — his favorite fruit — to his tomb. Chen Hongjun's comrades sent his wife a gift: a photo of Chen and the son who was born four months after his death; Chen Hongjun's son is now in kindergarten. Wang Zhuoran's WeChat contact is still maintained by the parents of his comrades.

The article also included images of roads in frontier regions named after the soldiers. It said that the red five-star national flag still flies high above the place where they once fought, and that the oath "give up not an inch of China's picturesque landscape" remains unchanged. 

"No matter how much time has passed, please remember them — remember their courage and sacrifice," read the article. 

In 2021, the five border defense heroes who fought bravely in the Galwan Valley border clash with Indian troops in June 2020 have been awarded with the highest Party honor of July 1 Medal, the outstanding Party member of the country and outstanding Party members in the military.

Global Times