Tseng, Sheng-guang<br/>Jonathan Tseng

Tseng, Sheng-guang Jonathan Tseng
File:曾聖光紀念圖.png曾聖光紀念圖.png 曾聖光紀念圖.png
Native name	曾聖光
Born	(1997-09-12) September 12, 1997 Ji'an, Hualien, Taiwan
💀Died	(2022-11-02)November 2, 2022 Kreminna border, Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine(2022-11-02)November 2, 2022
Cause of death	K.I.A.
Other names	Singciang Diway 曾煜閎
💼 Occupation

Tseng, Sheng-guang (Amis: Singciang; Chinese: 曾聖光; also known as Jonathan Tseng; 12 September 1997 – 2 November 2022) was a Taiwanese army veteran who volunteered to join the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine and was the first soldier from East Asia to be killed in action during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Early life and education

Tseng was born in a Taiwanese indigenous family of the Sakizaya tribe in the Hualien County on the East Taiwan. His parents immigrated to Belize but got divorced, and his mother brought him back to Taiwan, so he can speak English, Spanish, Amis and Taiwanese Mandarin, thus represented his high school team to participate an English competition and won the second place.

Military career

Tseng joined the army in 2016 after the high school graduation, and serviced 5 years in the armour battalion and the Logistic II Department of the Huadong Defense Command toward the corporal rank, and received the honourable discharge in 2021.

On 19 June 2022, Tseng joined the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion, and in the beginning of September, entered the Carpathian Sich Battalion, an earlier Special Tasks Patrol Police company of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that had been reformed in May as the 49th Rifle Battalion in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The unit participated the counteroffensive operations of the Eastern Ukraine campaign and stood on the forefront to provide flanking support in the Battle of Donbas to recover the strategical points such as Izium and Lyman cities where massive graves were uncovered, then secured more settlements and dams in the northern Donetsk Oblast on 3 October.

On 23 October, Tseng's light infantry troop was assigned from the Terny town in the Lymansky direction toward the Kreminna town of the Luhansk Oblast, and took out three positions in the following days, then held the frontline awaiting the main force for nine days. On 2 November, Tseng suffered from the head injury and the broken left leg by the mortar bombardment (some said the tank gun shot) then bled to death, after covering three colleagues to retreat under the Russian artillery and tank siege, and became the first East Asian soldier killed in action in the war, Tseng's teammate, Australian sniper Trevor Kjeldal (dubbed "Ninja"), also passed away by a mortar attack in the same battle. Tseng's Japanese friend Dobure (ドブレ) posted all his pictures online in lament: "Be my friend in next life." also died in action on 9 November.

Personal life

Tseng was born baptised with the Protestant Christian family and associated with the local Presbyterian Church in Taiwan all his life. He is married with one child. His wife is working in Taoyuan.

He pays attention to the ROC military reform issues, and shares the professional viewpoints of commentators, such as: the Han Kuang Exercises have become acting shows, not practical in line with the actual operations; the current four-month conscription service is too short and should be upgraded to one year; and the traditional Huangpu ideology, bayonet fighting technique, Vietnam War strategies, etc. are the causes hindering the Taiwanese reforms; and considers that "the Civil defense system, Reserve mobilization system, the Disaster response capability, and the Strategic material reserves are immature and some even non-existent..." During the Chinese military exercises around Taiwan in August, Tseng considered to return to defend Taiwan, and in response to the Little Pinks criticising to his Facebook account as a "damn Taiwanese independence supporter", he replied: "I am a Taiwanese, not a Chinese."

Shortly after Tseng's death news revealed, a document was posted online showing the unpaid credit card debts and bills summed up to NT$ 1,000,000 dollars, and sparked the doubt on his actual motive to go to Ukraine, which his church chaplain, clergies and the Ukrainian officials clarified that his true intention is based on the sense of justice with no desire of heroism, but hearing the call to protect the innocent civilians from brutality and life danger, and telling Taiwan: "the war was never too far from us", but "let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:24) Parliamentarian Inna Sovsun saw Tseng as a Ukrainian soldier, who "had a sense of duty for freedom. For four years, he prepared to defend his motherland from Chinese invaders, but he went to defend a foreign country, which faced the same threat as his."

Legacy

On 11 November 2022, an amateur Taiwanese "Fun Chi Band" (放志樂團) of 6 members released a MV song to commemorate Tseng's spirit fighting for the democracy and freedom in Ukraine.

In the farewell ceremony held in Lviv on 15 November, Tseng's family received the honour of a Ukrainian National Flag with a medal, his battalion emblem and wearing Ukraine-Taiwan-united armband, along with a Russian bayonet in recognition of his sacrifice.

External links

• Jonathan Tseng (曾煜閎) on Facebook
• Dobure (ドブレ) on Twitter

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• Thalita do Valle
• 1st Battalion Vovkodav
• Omega Battalion
• Yuriy Blokha
• Yevgenia Dudka
• Volodomyr Yezhov
• Vitaliy Parkhomuk

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