It's been decades now.
I want to make sure he's still alive. I want to be able to ask him the question, what it was like to stand there. To stand there in front of his own government's oppression. I want to ask him if he felt scared, and if he felt free.
I hope he's still alive. I hope he had a chance at a family, that he's living a steady, normal life now.
I'm a bit disappointed that the Badass of the Week website doesn't show a page entry for him. Just because he's not wielding a +5 Sword of Awesomeness doesn't mean Tank Man isn't a badass: Sometimes just standing there, telling the world "No, YOU MOVE" is the most badass play you can make.
I saw a posting about him a few weeks ago indicating that he's still alive and living a normal life, but I can't remember where I saw it.
ReplyDeleteI believe his name is Wang Wei-lin.
I've heard those reports, I think I mentioned it in an earlier anniversary posting. I try not to miss this date, although there have been some years where, yeah, I didn't do any write-ups.
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice to confirm the stories, to confirm all that. But right now, if he does come forward or if he is found out, that government will seize him as a threat. They still fear that uprising, they still block any mention of it that doesn't fit their version of events... there's got to come a day when he can step out of the shadows again