From a rural teenager to an "excellent military parade instructor", he grew up in three parades

Source: Learning Corps • Chinese Army Number Author: Yang Qinggang

Editor's Note

The barracks came early in the spring, and the grassroots had a new look. Being on the front line of strengthening the army and rejuvenating the army, the officers and men at the grass-roots level of the troops are surging with the lofty ambition and pride of forging ahead into a new era and making meritorious contributions to the new journey. Recently, this reporter came to the first mobile detachment of the Beijing Armed Police Corps for an interview. The predecessor of this unit was the former 13th Detachment of the Beijing Municipal Armed Police Corps, which President Xi Jinping had inspected. Over the past nine years and more, the officers and men of the detachment have worked hard and made unremitting efforts, and gratifying achievements have been made in the comprehensive construction of the troops. Take a look at a series of reports written by reporters.

Grow up in three readings

——Remembering the "outstanding instructor of the military parade" and the sergeant of the first mobile detachment of the Beijing Armed Police Corps

■ Li Shizhao, Wu Yanlong, reporter of the People's Liberation Army Daily, Ou Shijin and An Puzhong

Wu Gang organizes queue training (file photo). Photo by Shen Honghao

"I have been a soldier for 9 years and have been paraded 3 times, and we are sincerely proud of you!"

During this year's Spring Festival, Wu Gang, a sergeant of the first mobile detachment of the Armed Police Corps in Beijing, could not go home for the Chinese New Year because he could not go home for the Chinese New Year, so he edited the photos of his three inspections by President Xi Jinping and the third class merit at the end of last year into a short video, and sent them as a New Year gift to his family in Hunan.

From a rural teenager to an "excellent instructor of the military parade", from a new recruit to a platoon benchmark soldier, Wu Gang knows that he can achieve today's results thanks to the glorious experience of participating in the military parade three times, and it also stems from the inexhaustible motivation inspired by President Xi Jinping and the people of the whole country. It is this force that allows him to grow up in the fiery barracks and inspires him to undergo transformation in completing major tasks again and again.

1 minute 06 seconds, 128 steps, 96 meters, front and rear distance 1.25 meters... In 2015, at the military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, Wu Gang, as a member of the parade team of the Armed Police Force, walked through Tiananmen Square for the first time and realized his childhood dream.

When Wu Gang was a child, every time his father, a former soldier, told him the story of the army, he always said that his biggest regret was that he had not participated in the military parade and had not been able to "kick and walk through Tiananmen Square." Since then, the ambition to join the army and serve the country has taken root in Wu Gang's heart.

During junior high school military training, the instructor was a veteran who had just participated in the 2009 National Day military parade. Knowing Wu Gang's wish, the instructor patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are so tall, redouble your efforts, and strive to participate in the parade in the future." ”

In 2013, a conscription slogan of "boys do not show their ambitions, and they are born with eight feet in the air" made Wu Gang firm in his determination to serve the country from the military.

In September of that year, Wu Gang enlisted in the first mobile detachment of the Beijing Armed Police Corps. Walking into the camp, the first thing I saw was a huge picture of President Xi inspecting the detachment. The squad leader introduced to him: "The officers and men of our detachment who have performed well have the opportunity to participate in the parade training through the examination. It is said that Wu Gang was very excited in his heart, and he was determined to become a soldier with excellent ability and quality, and he was walking through Tiananmen Square with a full mental state to accept President Xi's review!

At the end of 2014, as a member of the demonstration class of the squadron, Wu Gang passed the examination to participate in the military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In the training team, Wu Gang was the youngest, but he had the strength of a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers.

However, with the addition of training contents such as splitting guns, weight-bearing kicks, and swing arm positioning, the training intensity continued to increase, and Wu Gang felt more and more difficult. In particular, his right wrist, which was once broken, made him feel a deep pain every time he lifted the gun, and this action had to be practiced for 4 hours a day. The most difficult thing is that the team members who participated in the training camp were gradually eliminated by nearly half, and Wu Gang's training performance also hovered on the verge of being eliminated. During that time, he felt very anxious, and sometimes secretly wiped his tears from the bed.

"I must not lose!" Wu Gang secretly motivated himself and worked overtime to practice. At the end of each day's training, the clothes were wet enough to wring out the water, the shoes and socks were wet several times, and finally practiced the hard skills of kicking with the wind and falling to the ground, and became an official parade team member with excellent results.

"Look to the right—look!" On the day of the parade, in the position of the 5th place in the 4th row, Wu Gang swung his head to the right, and his heroic posture was refreshing and strong. At that moment, the warm current in his heart surged.

Two years later, Wu Gang has grown into a squad leader, once again passed the examination with excellent quality, and participated in the military parade held in Zhu Rihe to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. This is another metamorphosis of Wu Gang.

Zhu Rihe ultraviolet rays are strong, under the sun exposure, the trainees face many tests. In order to practice his eyes, he swung his head 45 degrees at the protractor every day, practiced his eyes against the wind, and the tears often flowed until the tip of his chin dripped.

Wu Gang had received professional training in ordnance business, and in addition to military parade training, he also served as an ordnance officer in the square team. At the end of each training session, he had to check and register hundreds of firearms one by one. The temperature in the tent was as high as 50 degrees Celsius, and every time the registration was completed, it was a sweat, but Wu Gang did his best to ensure that the ordnance management throughout the parade training was error-free.

After Zhu Rihe's military parade, Wu Gang returned to the station to open his mobile phone, dozens of messages popped up from the screen, and many relatives and friends sent screenshots of his participation in the parade to praise him.

In the 2019 military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wu Gang was honored to accept President Xi's review for the third time. After layers of assessment, he participated in the parade instructor training, and was rated as "parade excellent coach" by the parade joint command.

Returning to the parade party again, Wu Gang became a platoon benchmark soldier. The base soldier is the coordinates of the platoon surface, if the rhythm is unstable and the stride is not accurate, it will affect the rhythm of the entire square. Wu Gang knows that the responsibility is heavy and the training is more diligent. Over the course of a few months, he lost nearly 10 kilograms and became a role model for his teammates with his excellent qualities.

When Wu Gang's Wuhan police team took a heroic step through Tiananmen, her mother, who works in a shopping mall in Huaihua, Hunan Province, watched the live broadcast with her colleagues, and she pointed to the TV screen and proudly said: "The first person in the fourth row is my son!" The audience burst into warm applause. Later, the father also sent a message excitedly: "Son, thank you for fulfilling my dream of military parade!" ”

Once read once a lifetime of glory, three times received supreme glory. In the process of being read again and again, Wu Gangba grew up and became an excellent class leader. Among the soldiers he brought, 7 made meritorious contributions and joined the party, and 26 walked to the parade ground.

(Produced by Learning Corps and Chinese Military)