Former paratrooper jumps to support ROC armed forces
Samuel Hui 2013-09-04 17:19
Hunter Peng salutes the flag of the ROC with his supporters on Sept. 3. (Photo/Samuel Hui)
Hunter Peng, a former paratrooper, did 1,000 jumping jacks with a group of supporters in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei on Sept. 3 to commemorate the Armed Forces Day of the Republic of China and defend the reputation of the national army.
Taiwan's military is still reeling from the fallout of the death of Army corporal Hung Chung-chiu on Jul. 4. The conscript died after being thrown into a brig for spurious reasons and ordered to perform strenuous exercises in extreme heat, sparking widespread protests against a cover-up and a culture of bullying in the armed forces, especially among those who want to see an end to the country's system of compulsory military service. The Legislative Yuan approved major reforms to Taiwan's military justice system on Aug. 7. The case brought about the resignation of defense minister Kao Hua-chu and his successor Andrew Yang was forced to step down just six days later over accusations of plagiarism in a book he had published in 2007.
The changes mean that military personnel charged with crimes in peacetime will be tried by civilian courts and will be transferred to civilian prisons. This does not go far enough for many of the protesters, a few of whom have even called for the entire Republic of China Armed Forces to be abolished.
In a bid to boost the morale of the armed forces, Hunter Peng launched a "Cheer up the troops" campaign on Facebook. Peng is not a career soldier but served as a paratrooper during his compulsory military service.
Encouraging internet users who support the military to wear their uniforms on Armed Forces Day, Peng said that he would do 1,000 jumping jacks outside the Presidential Office if he received 50,000 "likes" on Facebook. Peng's campaign officially began on Aug. 9, receiving support from Major General David Lo, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense. Even though Peng only received 30,000 "likes" by the end of August, he stated that he would fulfill his promise.
Peng completed the feat in half an hour on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by dozens of supporters consisting mostly of retired paratroopers and Marines. Calling Hung Chung-chiu's tragic death an isolated incident, Peng said the serviceman's death should not invalidate the contribution to Taiwan's society of the Republic of China Armed Forces.
Peng said he did not launch the campaign to back any particular political party, adding that it was launched to show people that the majority of officers and enlisted soldiers are fighting for the Republic of China flag. Peng stressed that the military does not care who occupies the Presidential Office as it is the citizens of the Republic of China that they are defending. For this reason, he hopes the people of Taiwan can show their respect to their soldiers in the future.
Armed Forces Day is held in Taiwan every year to remember Victory over Japan Day in 1945. On Sept. 3, 1945, General Hsu Yung-ch'ang of the Republic of China Army accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Empire aboard the battleship USS Missouri with other representatives of the Allied nations.
