This year coincides with the 65th anniversary of the August 23rd Artillery Battle and the 30th anniversary of the death of Mr. Yu Da-wei. In order to commemorate important historical events and commemorate the contribution of the heroes of the national army, Kinmen National Park Administration and the Mr. Yu Da-wei Memorial Society cooperated on July 9 (Sunday) to hold the "Forum commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Mr. Yu Da-wei's Death and the 65th Anniversary of the August 23rd Artillery Battle ". The lectures were brilliant, the public responded enthusiastically, and the event concluded successfully.
This forum invited Ms. Lin Guang-mei, the former director of the National Taiwan University History Museum, to give a lecture on "Yu Da-wei, a national scholar", Ms. Zhou Nailing, a former Reuters senior reporter, to give a lecture on "Yu Da-wei's Theory and Philosophy"; the former Director of the Kinmen Veterans Service and retired Army Major General Cheng You-liang gave a speech on "Minister Yu Da-wei and the August 23 Artillery Battle", Professor Wang Ciong-ling of National Chung Cheng University gave a speech on "A Dream of Spring: The Lives of the Widows of the August 23 Martyrs “and Dean Cui Yi-feng of the Institute of Technology of the National Defense University gave a speech on "Yu Da-wei and the Modern Ordnance Innovation "; Dean Chiang Bai-wei of the School of International and Social Sciences at National Taiwan Normal University gave a speech on "People and Events in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis: Starting from the Archives Collection of the U.S. National Archives"; his former students also recalled the minister. Through various special speeches and discussions, distinguished guests once again witnessed the war years of the past, remembered the dedication of the heroes of the National Army to defend the free national land, and inspired the present generation by sharing Mr. Yu's contribution to the country and society and his personality.
The August 23 Artillery Battle in1958 not only affected the development of the cross-strait situation, but also affected the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Washington, Taipei, Beijing, and even Moscow all used the August 23 Artillery Battle to explore each other's truths and falsehoods and ultimately resolved the issue amidst the threat of nuclear war. The National Army withstood the fierce artillery fire of the Communist Army and wrote a glorious page in history to defend the Republic of China. Because Taiwan has Kinmen as a front line and barrier, the war stopped at Kinmen. Mr. Yu, the then Minister of National Defense, actively built the front line, reorganized the military for war, and sought U.S. military and financial aid. He often went to Kinmen to inspect the defense. When the battle broke out, he was injured by an artillery shell in Cuigu, Taiwu Mountain, Kinmen. He secured supply of the 8-inch howitzer, which enabled the National Army to win the battle. However, the officers and soldiers who died on the battlefield defended the country with their lives, and their widows spent the rest of their lives missing their deceased husbands. Professor Wang Ciong-ling has paid attention to and personally visited many widows and bereaved families over the years, recording the lives and relationships of these people whose names were not recorded in history and wrote and published "Spring Dreams: The Women Left Behind". This forum presented the book to the guests, and the royalties were donated to the widows of the martyrs who died in the August 23 Taiwan Strait Battle (2nd Taiwan Strait Crisis) and to charity groups to witness and remember these moving stories.