War Stories (Taiwan Part 2)

Aside from coming up with ways to become a beach bum, I went to Taiwan with the purpose of documenting my Grandpa's life. He keeps saying that he is going to die this year. Considering that he is 87, he might actually be right, so I just asked him to tell me everything about his life, and I took notes.

A few of his more interesting stories involved his time in the Taiwanese Air Force. My grandpa was about 20 when the war between the Communists and Nationalists broke out for control of the Chinese government. I was told that Grandpa was Communist - but that is wrong. Turns out, Grandpa sided with the Nationalists, and had to flee his home country when the Communists drove the Nationalists out of mainland China.

Here are two stories that Grandpa calls "His Two Most Dangerous Situations."

Situation 1:

The battle between the Communists and Nationalists for control over the Chinese government was coming to a close. At an air force base, Captain Lee (my grandfather) was in charge of the maintenance of a fleet of aircraft and all of the ammunition.

During one of the last battles, the Nationalists consolidated all of their troops onto one base. A Nationalist army battalion surrounded the Air Force Base to offer protection from the oncoming siege of Mao's minions.

However, the Nationalists were losing, and the only options were to 1) surrender 2) flee or 3) die fighting.

The Air Force opted for the second option. They loaded their men and flew their crew and pilots to safety. Captain Lee was the head of the evacuation, meaning that he would also be the last one to leave the base.

The base was almost completely empty - Captain Lee and 30 other men were preparing for their departure. The army, confused as to why so many aircraft were leaving, but not returning, finally caught onto the situation, and realized that they had not been given an evacuation plan.

Afraid that they had been left to die, they stormed the Air Force Base in full battle mode at midnight, demanding to board the few aircraft left.

Captain Lee, his 30 men, two machine guns, and 4 pistols, faced 20 machine guns and an entire battalion of angry and fearful soldiers, each with individual firearms. Desperate for a chance to flee the inevitable bloodshed, they were ready to spill blood over the remaining airplanes.

Captain Lee was not one to buckle under pressure - he knew his crew of 30 was no match for the army men, and he just needed more time. Calmly, Captain Lee asked for the leader of the army to step forward. The two men entered the base's main office, where Captain Lee listened to the army leader's insane rants while serving him tea and whiskey. Grandpa also told one of his own men to call the head of the entire army for backup, and to explain that the army staged a coup over the Air Force base.

Captain Lee stalled the army leader for 8 hours until the head of the entire Nationalist army arrived with his legion, stormed the base gates, and quelled the smaller army's insurrection.

Thank goodness for that whiskey.

Situation 2:

After the Nationalists fled China, they arrived in Taiwan as a rag-tag team of injured soldiers and disgraced government officials. The current government and military of Taiwan, mainly well groomed Japanese officials, looked much more impressive than the ragged and starving Nationalist army.

The Nationalists were not popular among the Taiwanese. They were seen as invaders, claiming to be rulers of a land an ocean away. The Japanese, who established Taiwan as a thriving commercial colony, were popular among the people, and had kept Taiwan safe from the bloodshed of WWII. Because of the popularity of the Japanese, the Nationalists knew that they would be unwelcome strangers,

Anticipating the worst, Grandpa and his men arrived on the shores of Taiwan armed with guns in hand. They were greeted by the Taiwanese with more guns. Tensions ran high, and infiltrated into every day life.

Grandpa and of his military friends were watching a movie. In the middle of the film, a disguised man ran into the dark theater, threw something into the crowd, and darted out.

"A grenade!" someone exclaimed. With only seconds between life and death, Grandpa ran down the theater steps, out the door, and ducked for cover. He heard the bomb explode behind him, and saw the dust and wood shards leap out from the explosion.

After the dust settled, Grandpa clamored out of the rubble, and realized that he couldn't really move his leg. A large piece of wood shrapnel lodged itself into his calf.

Although he still has the scar, Grandpa was one of the lucky ones.

I'm really glad my Grandpa made it out alive and in one piece. He is amazing.