Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Chen Hongjun ( zh, s=陈红军; 20 March 1987 – 16 June 2020) was a battalion commander in the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

. He was killed during the

2020–2022 China–India skirmishes Beginning on 5 May 2020, Chinese and Indian troops engaged in aggressive melee, face-offs, and skirmishes at locations along the Sino-Indian border, including near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and near ...

and was posthumously decorated with the

July 1 Medal The July 1 Medal is a decoration of the People's Republic of China awarded by the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, party leader and state paramount leader. It is the highest award given to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mem ...

for his efforts during the skirmish.

Life

Chen Hongjun was born into a farming family in Zhangjia Village,

Liangdang County Liangdang County () is a county under the administration of Longnan City, in the southeast of Gansu Province of China. It has a land area of , and a population of 50,000 in 2004. The postal code is 742400. The county seat is located in Chengguan ...

Longnan Longnan () is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province in China. It borders Sichuan on its south and Shaanxi on its east. As of the 2020 Chinese census, the population of the prefecture-level city was 2,855,555. Geography and ...

. Along with his studies he helped his family, looking after the cattle and making bamboo baskets. He also loved noodles, and would help his neighbours work their farms. He attended the local school in Liangdang County after which he was admitted to Northwest Normal University in 2005, and graduated in psychology in 2009. Although he had passed exams for the police, he decided to join the army.

Aftermath

Chen died when he was 33, leaving behind his pregnant wife, Xiao Jianwen. The retired military affairs departments of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces provided medical support to Xiao. As she had a degree in music, she was given a teaching job in the Xi'an Conservatory of Music. Chen's son was born on 25 October 2020, and officials in China then worked on settling both mother and son in Xi'an.

References

1987 births 2020 deaths People from Longnan People's Liberation Army officers Chinese military personnel killed in action Northwest Normal University alumni {{China-mil-stub