Taipei, June 25 (CNA) An elderly veteran of the Chinese civil war who donated his life savings to aid his old comrades in August 2010 has been listed in Forbes magazine as one of Asia’s “48 Heroes of Philanthropy” this year.

Hung Chung-hai stood out from three other Taiwanese Heroes of Philanthropy listed by Forbes, who are mostly wealthy entrepreneurs such as Silicon Valley Land Developer Brent Lee, Chairman of Asustek Jonney Shih and Ruentex Group Chairman Samuel Yin.

The old veteran, who fought for the Kuomingtang (KMT) during the civil war, donated his savings and pension collected over 60 years — totaling NT$6 million (US$210,000) — to the Hualien branch of the Cabinet-level Veteran Affairs Commission in 2010.

The money is used to provide for the widows and orphans of veterans, many of whom married much younger women brought over from China, who are left without means of support when their husbands die, the 82-year-old said.

“After seeing so many similar cases over the years, I felt compassion for them and thought about donating my savings to help other aged single veterans and their dependents,” Hung said.

Since his family members in China are all dead, and since his wife in China has remarried over the years, he has no heirs to inherit his estate, so the money would be better spent on those in need, he added.

Hung was recruited into the KMT army at the age of 16 shortly after getting married, to fight in the war against Japan , thus embarking on a 38-year military career that also saw him fight in the Chinese civil war and retreat with the KMT troops to Taiwan, to be separated from his wife and family for 40 years.

Hung, who retired from the military in 1983, lives alone at the Fengling Veteran Hospital nursing home in Hualien in eastern Taiwan.

Despite suffering mobility difficulties after a bicycle accident in 2006 and sustaining a spinal injury from a serious fall at his home in April this year, Hung insists on donating his money to help others rather than buying a badly needed mobility scooter.

For now, he hopes to live just a bit longer so he can continue helping other old veterans and their families. (By Andrew Liu and C.J.Lin) ENDITEM/J