Wang Yuchang, awarded the July 1 Medal, kept his combat service a secret for 45 years
Humility and devotion to duty often go unnoticed in a noisy world. Yet it is precisely such people — quiet heroes who do not seek fame — who form the true backbone of a nation. Their feats remain beyond public attention, their names absent from headlines. But when a secret chapter of the past finally opens, it reminds us how many selfless hearts beat in the shadow of great events, guarding the peace of millions.
More than 60 years ago, Wang was awarded the highest military honour for his service in a top‑secret surface‑to‑air missile unit. Yet all these years, he kept the award secret. "The military said it was absolutely classified — it must never be revealed. So for decades I kept those certificates locked away," Wang said in an interview with China Central Television in Xiaoxian County, Anhui Province.
Wang was born in 1936 into a peasant family and grew up in harsh conditions. At 18, he joined the air force. In 1958, he was selected for a newly formed, highly classified unit — the surface‑to‑air missile troops. They faced a daunting mission: intercepting high‑altitude U‑2 reconnaissance aircraft, which were nearly invulnerable to existing air defence systems. Wang and his comrades travelled through more than ten provinces, covering over 20,000 kilometres, training relentlessly until precision became instinct. In November 1963 and again in July 1964, two U‑2s entered their engagement zone. Using a tactic later known as "quick strike from close range", Wang and his fellow soldiers shot down both targets. "When the plane was hit and began to fall, everyone — whether we knew each other or not — cheered and applauded. It was incredible," Wang recalled.
For his contribution to air defence operations, Wang received the highest award and was promoted ahead of schedule. It was during this period that he officially joined the Communist Party of China. In 1973, after 19 years of service, he left the army and returned to civilian life as an ordinary retail salesman, yet he remained ever ready to serve his country. "If the Party needs me, I do it. I am like a brick — wherever the Party tells me to go, I go," Wang said. For 45 years, he never spoke of his military past. Only in 2018, during a nationwide veteran registration programme in China, was his hidden story finally revealed.
The July 1 Medal is the highest state honour in China, established in 2021 to mark the centenary of the Communist Party of China, awarded to outstanding Party members and citizens for exceptional service. The unit in which Wang Yuchang served was among the first Chinese surface‑to‑air missile forces, created in the 1950s with Soviet assistance. Their battle against U‑2 aircraft became one of the most heroic and classified chapters of the Cold War. As CCTV+ reports. Today, Wang, now in his eighties, lives a modest life in his home county, but his story stands as a reminder that true heroes often remain in the shadows until their deeds become part of history.
