Guarding the border guard, the heart is at peace

With a radio hanging on his chest and a telescope in his hand, Wei Deyou, who had just been awarded the "July 1st Medal", stepped on the patrol road in the face of the morning sun as usual.

"I didn't look at the border for a day, and I always felt that something hadn't been done. Only by staying here can we be steadfast in our hearts. Although every inch of grass under his feet and every ridge in the distance was engraved in Wei Deyou's heart, he still carefully observed and did not let go of any wind and grass on the border line.

"I just did something trivial, but the party and the state gave me such a high honor, I didn't do enough, not good enough." Wei Deyou, 81, said.

For 57 years, Wei Deyou has used a pair of thick footboards to patrol more than 200,000 kilometers of the Sarbulak grassland on the Border between China and Kazakhstan, which is known as the "Living Boundary Monument" on the border line.

"There is no small matter at the border, and a livestock cannot cross the border."

Walking along the winding pasture into the depths of the Sarbrak steppe, you can see a house made of red brick, which is the home of Wei Deyou and his wife Liu Jinghao. From here, 8 kilometers to the west, is the Boundary Monument No. 173 on the China-Kazakhstan border.

The Saarbrak grassland under the blue sky and white clouds is vast and magnificent. However, it is also the only way south for the cold Siberian air. In winter, the winds are raging here, and the snow is as deep as 1 meter. In the summer, mosquitoes are rampant on the grassland, known as "ten mosquitoes and one dish". In such a harsh environment, Wei Deyou and his wife Liu Jinghao insisted on holding out for 57 years.

In 1964, Wei Deyou, who served in a certain unit of the former Beijing Military Region, and more than 30 comrades-in-arms responded to the call of the state, took off their military uniforms and went to the Second Company of the 161st Regiment of the Ninth Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In 1982, Wei Deyou's company was disbanded. The others withdrew one after another, and Wei Deyou took the initiative to stay behind, becoming a border guard in the Emin River Defense Company of the Tacheng Military Sub-district in Xinjiang, and defending for decades.

"I patrolled the border with the soldiers of the border guard company. They helped my family build a house, transported us horse grass and medicine, and I was reluctant to leave. Wei Deyou said, "I am familiar with the terrain and landforms here, understand the social conditions and people's feelings, and can help the soldiers to protect the border." ”

Every time he grazed and patrolled the border, Wei Deyou was particularly vigilant, driving sheep while assisting the border guards to stare at the situation on the border line. "There's nothing trivial about the border, not a single animal crossing the border," he said. ”

The officers and men of the Emin River Defense Company affectionately called Wei Deyou "Old Uncle Wei." "Old Uncle Wei regarded border guarding as a duty, and was an extraordinarily 'warrior' of the company." Li Shangshang, instructor of the Emin River Defense Company, said that since Wei Deyou served as a company border guard, he has been rated as an "excellent border guard" by his superiors every year.

"Wherever the party commands, I will fight."

"I'm not highly educated, but I have strength. Picking up a gun is patrolling and sendry, and carrying a pickaxe is farming and grazing. Wherever the Party commands, I will fight..."

When he said these words, Wei Deyou's expression was filled with pride. However, the hardships behind the 57 years of fighting are best known to him.

When they were married that year, Wei Deyou's wife Liu Jinghao followed him from his hometown in Shandong to Xinjiang. Thousands of miles into the frontier, the more desolate it is. The train changed cars, the cars turned to donkey cars, and Liu Jinghao cried all the way. The "marriage room" where they stayed was a dug-up nest. Looking at the unstoppable tears on his wife's face, Wei Deyou patiently advised. Since then, "the family lives at the end of the road, the house is next to the national border, the land is stationed, and the grazing is the patrol", which has become a portrayal of the life of Wei Deyou and his wife.

The Sharbulak steppe is gentle and guards the Border between China and Kazakhstan, and in addition to the border guards stationed here, the patrol of border guards is also very important.

In the cold of minus 30 degrees Celsius, the wind and snow, from time to time there are wild wolves following... Over the years, on the patrol road, Wei Deyou encountered many dangerous situations. One winter, he was lost in a snowstorm while patrolling the border and was trapped for more than 5 hours. Another time, he patrolled the border with the soldiers of the Emin River Defense Company, and in the wind and snow, everyone held hands and shoulders, and struggled to move forward. Reaching the middle of the river, the ice on the river suddenly broke and a young warrior fell into the river. When his comrades pulled him up, he was frozen. Wei Deyou immediately took off his coat and covered him... It took a long time for the warrior to regain consciousness.

"No matter how hard it is, we have come here to guard this place." As long as I can move, I will keep here. Wei Deyou's words were simple and sincere.

"As a party member, we must always hear the voice of the party and know what the party wants us to do."

In June 1983, Wei Deyou joined the Communist Party of China. Because the party branch of the Second Company of Soldiers was withdrawn and merged, Wei Deyou sometimes entrusted people to pay the party fee on his behalf, and sometimes personally went to the regimental headquarters 30 kilometers away to pay it, never paying a penny less for the party fee. Sometimes, for some reason, he did not live an organizational life, so he went to the border company to study with the officers and men. In his view, "as a party member, we must always hear the voice of the party and know what the party wants us to do."

As he grew older, Wei Deyou was once worried that if he couldn't walk anyday, who would take over his shift? To Wei Deyou's relief, the second daughter Wei Ping returned.

"We are worried about the old man's health, how many times have we begged my father to go back to Shandong for the elderly, but he just didn't agree." Father said that the border cannot be left unguarded, he is a party member, he must stay. Remembering her parents' bodies and being deeply moved by her father's persistence, Wei Ping quit her job in Shandong and returned to the Salbrak grasslands as a border guard.

"The changes in border defense in recent years have been really too great. There are surveillance coverage at all points on the border line, and from time to time border officers and soldiers can be seen using drones to patrol the border. Wei Ping said, "All kinds of border roads have also been repaired, and border guards and border guards can eat fresh vegetables and fruits all year round." Compared with my father, our new generation of Shubian people is much happier! ”

What made Wei Deyou even more pleased was that the soldiers' duty equipment had also been upgraded, the training coat was both warm and lightweight, and the new kettle insulation effect was also very good. The improvement of equipment and equipment has greatly enhanced the ability of border defense officers and men to perform their duties.

Before each patrol, Wei Deyou would raise the national flag in his yard high. When he came back in the evening, he saw the flag and saw his home. This national flag bears witness to Wei Deyou's years of guarding the border, and also witnessed the bold loyalty of generations of Border Guards.

Today, Wei Deyou has planted many saplings near his home. In his view, generations of border people are like this tree, rooted in border defense and vigorously moving upwards.

The picture in this column was sent by Xinhua News Agency

Source: People's Liberation Army Daily