Blind WWII soldier gets his wish to touch the army's latest tanks
Thanks to a post on China's microblog, Weibo, a blind World War II veteran got his wish to touch the army's latest tanks.
A week ago, a volunteer from a welfare group for aged war veterans posted a picture of 94-year-old Qian Jianmin, saying the blind soldier told him he wanted to touch and know what the military's latest armoured tanks were like.
"We don't know which unit to contact to help him fulfill his wish," said the volunteer.
His request went viral, being reshared over 28,000 times and winning 30,000 likes in the past week.
So on Sunday, Qian wore his military uniform, travelling an hour away from his home to Suzhou, where he was greeted by soldiers at an army base. Six tanks waited for his inspection, reported China Daily.
Volunteers who accompanied him told the paper that the war vet teared up as he placed his hands on the tanks, and reminisced about the old machines he used to operate.
Qian was on the frontline in Myanmar in WWII fighting against Japan. He lost his sight in the line of duty when he was 24.
He attended military school, and also studied at Chongqing's Ground Force Mechanization Institute, where he spent time with armoured vehicles.
After his visit to the army base, he was quoted by Beijing Youth Daily saying he wishes to donate his body to medical research. "This may be the last thing I can do for my country," he said.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
