Pin San Mao

Our beloved dad, Pin San Mao, was born on May 16, 1926 in Xian, China. He was the youngest son in the family of 3 children. My uncle, who was my dad’s older brother, worked very hard to support dad’s schooling in his early years. In 1942, at age 16, dad finished a 6 months special training program and went further his study in the Police Academy for two years in Chung-Ching, China. He was assigned to work in Qingdao as a supervisor after he graduated. Qingdao is where dad met his future wife, our beloved mother.

In 1949, my dad had to be evacuated from the mainland with our government and he didn’t want to leave without his future wife, our mother. So, dad went to visit and talk to my grandfather, who was my mom’s dad. With dad’s promise to his future father-in-law, dad got the permission to take mom with him to Taiwan and they got married on June 21 the same year. At that time, all they had were one new blanket and $7 dollars to begin with and that was the start of the MAO family.

The same year after my parents got married, dad was assigned to a station at an island called Kinmen, where he almost got killed by a landmine while he was patrolling the beach. Fortunately, he was transferred to a different position in 1950 and that started a more stable life for him and his family.

Over the years because of my mom’s support, dad was able to focus on his job and was able to exceed what his supervisors expected. As a result, dad received 11 medals and numerous awards over the years. Also dad got promoted as a general on January 1, 1982. Dad retired in January 1985 after 48 years of dedication to his country. In 1994 my parents along with me, their youngest daughter, immigrated to Canada to enjoy their retirement life.

On behalf of my dad, I want to express his gratitude to four people:

The first person is his cousin Huang, Yan-Ling, who took dad to Xian for his further education.

The second person is General Zhou, Chung-Nan, who helped dad along the way in his army life.

The third person is his teacher, General Dai Li, who taught dad to be the person who he was.

The fourth person and also the most important person is my mom, who supported dad in every way. In order to supplement our household income, mom worked very hard at the Land Title Office in Taipei and in the mean time, she dedicated herself to raise five children with the hope that each one of her children can be an honest and earnest person. Without these people, there’s no Pin San Mao and the Mao Family.

I conclude the life of my dad, Pin San Mao, with his own words:

“ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL!”.