Person of the Month - June 2009

TANK MAN

This iconic photograph - the epitomy of courage to the West - is virtually unknown in the East.

The Communist Regime of the People's Republic of China has censored its very existance.

Tank Man - a.k.a The Unknown Rebel - stood alone and stopped the advancement of a line of tanks sent to quell an uprising of college students in June of 1989. Thousands of college students had begun to stage protests in the capital city of Beijing beginning on April 15th, 1989. This movement grew dramatically in the next couple of months, culminating in a reported 1 million people gathering in Tiananmen Square by June 4th. Amongst all those people, this man stepped out into the street and made the advancing tanks come to a grinding halt. Alone, he reached the minds of international audiences everywhere and touched their hearts forever. This photo since stands as an exemplary image of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

There are many conflicting accounts of what happened to this man and his eventual whereabouts since that day - June 5, 1989. He may have been absorbed into the crowd, escaped prosecution and may still be in hiding. Or. Likely. He may have been executed between 14 days to a few months after this picture was taken.

We honor him this month and his act of courage forever and we will never ever forget that day, 20 years ago.

Students gather in Beijing - 1989

Learn more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

Glad you could make it today...See you tomorrow...