Fire Lieutenant Gong Byung-sam of Bucheon Fire Station is taking a commemorative photo after receiving a plaque of appreciation from Kang Jeong-ae, Director of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Gong Byeong-sam, a fire lieutenant at Bucheon Fire Station and descendant of "three generations of national merit recipients," has been selected as an honorable veteran family by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Lieutenant Gong Byeong-sam is the third generation of national merit recipients, with his great-grandfather being an independence activist, his grandfather a Korean War veteran, and his father a Vietnam War veteran.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, his late great-grandfather Gong Chil-bo (posthumously awarded the Presidential Citation in 1995) was a patriot who participated in the March 1919 independence movement at Osan Market during the Japanese colonial period. He was arrested by Japanese police, endured imprisonment and severe torture, and died a martyr in October 1939.
His late grandfather Gong Jin-taek was a Korean War veteran who lost his eyesight entirely due to a bomb explosion during the Battle of Baengma-goji.
His late father Gong Nam-sik was a Vietnam War veteran who suffered from the aftereffects of Agent Orange during his lifetime. As a firefighter, his father was a role model and mentor who guided Lieutenant Gong to follow the path of a firefighter.
Honoring the will of his ancestors, Lieutenant Gong has been serving as a fire officer for 20 years.
In June 2020, Lieutenant Gong achieved 100 blood donations and was awarded the "Honorary Medal" for blood donation merit. He has recently recorded 188 blood donations. In July last year, he donated 119 blood donation certificates to the Korea Leukemia Children's Foundation to help children battling illness and pledged to donate 119 won daily for life.
He has also been donating for 10 years to the Liberation Association in the names of his late father, himself, and his son, spanning three generations, and has continued donating to the Korean Red Cross for eight years.
Lieutenant Gong said, "I will always keep the spirit of my ancestors who sacrificed for the country in my heart."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recently selected Lieutenant Gong Byeong-sam and nine other uniformed officers who continue the legacy of their ancestors and dedicate themselves to the nation and society as "honorable veteran families," presenting them with Taegeukgi commemorative plaques.
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