#头条创作挑战赛#
Border feelings
The 50th anniversary of enlistment
Li Hongsong
Fifty years ago, I went to the border gate, full of energy and vitality; Fifty years later, people are idle, exhausted, and depressed. The years pass quietly, and the years are old, often reminiscing about the time of youth, thinking about the gains and losses of life. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of my enlistment, I would like to talk about my feelings and experiences as a soldier.
1. Service overview
In 1974, at the age of 20, I participated in the "Professional Team of Splitting Mountains and Cultivating Fields" organized by this brigade in the vigorous agricultural Dazhai Movement, and built culverts to split mountains and pads to repair farmland in Laolongwan for many years. In that era when all employees in the countryside worked in the fields for a living, there was a shortage of materials, food and clothing. Young people want to leave the countryside and say goodbye to eating chaff, and the only way out is to become a soldier. I once saw my third uncle serving as a soldier in Xinjiang in the 60s, and every year before the Spring Festival, the brigade gave 1 couplet and 2 catties of meat. After being rated as a five-good soldier, the commune brigade beat gongs and drums to send good news to the family, and at the same time, they also hung a plaque on the street door of the "home of the five good soldiers", the family was very happy, the villagers were also envious, and the glorious atmosphere of being a soldier was very strong.
When the army was conscripted after the autumn, 355 young people from the seven communes of Donggang, Rencun, Chengguan, Caisang, Xiaodian, Zexia and Shibanyan in Linxian County, Henan Province (Linzhou City was withdrawn from the county in 94) were enlisted at the end of the year, counting 75 soldiers. After we left home, we trained in Sichuan and were given a monthly allowance of 6 yuan. After three months, he took a car from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sichuan-Tibet highways into Tibet and went to serve in the Shannan and Qamdo military subdivisions in Tibet. The 147 recruits from the three communes of Dongdonggang, Rencun and Shibanyan arrived in the Shannan Military Division, and I and 58 comrades-in-arms were assigned to Unit 7898 (Independent Second Regiment), and the number of the following year became Unit 56185 (Second Frontier Regiment), and the allowance here was 10, 11, 13 and 15 yuan per month for 1 to 4 years.
Our comrades-in-arms came from mountainous rural areas, were born from 1953 to 1957, grew up in the period when food depended on work, clothing was based on cloth tickets, materials were to be distributed, education was revolutionary, and the school system was shortened (five years of primary school, two years each for junior high school and high school). When they went to the troops, they were very frugal in their daily lives, and they were reluctant to spend the allowances they received, and when they were sent home during the holidays, they generally performed well; in about two years, some of them were already training experts, some became professional backbones, some joined the regiment (party), and some became deputy (full) squad leaders. There are fewer demobilized soldiers after the three-year compulsory period, most of them serve for four to six years, and the longest is Fan Shengtang's comrades-in-arms in Dingye Village, Donggang Town, who were demobilized after 10 years. More than 30 people have been transferred to the military industry, volunteers, or promoted cadres, and all of them have served for more than 12 years.
Second, the border environment
The border between the mainland and India is a historical legacy, and the disputed area has three sections, eastern, central and western, with a total length of about 2,000 kilometers and a total area of 125,000 square kilometers. The Shannan and Qamdo military subdivisions guard the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the eastern sector of the same Sino-Indian border, with a disputed area of 90,000 square kilometers to the south. Since 1959, the Indian side has repeatedly crossed the line and provoked, forcing the mainland to carry out a self-defense counterattack in 1962.
In recent years, the media has reported that the Indian army has provoked in Doklam in 2017, Dongzhang in 19, Galwan Valley in 2020, and Pangong Lake in 21, and triggered different degrees of physical friction or military confrontation. In recent years, the two sides have held 21 rounds of commander-level talks at meeting points on both sides of the Line of Actual Control, mainly to strengthen border control and maintain stability. However, there has been no substantial progress in resolving the border dispute completely. This spring, the Indian side decided to add 10,000 troops to the border near the mainland and conducted large-scale military exercises, which shows that it will not let the border stop. The territorial issue involves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, and has a bearing on the mission and dignity of the soldiers stationed in the border areas.
Our regiment is located in Cuona, with an altitude of 4,380 meters, which is a typical alpine county. During the counterattack in 1962, the two main battles of Kejielang and Tawang took place in Cuona County, which illustrates the importance of Cuona's strategic position. It can also be seen that before the territory of southern Tibet is recovered, Cuona will still be one of the main positions of encroachment and anti-encroachment, and in March 2023, Cuona has withdrawn from the county to establish a city, and the county will be moved to Mamamenba Ethnic Township, and under the nearby cliff is the former site of the 62-year counterattack operation headquarters against India. In order to declare territorial sovereignty, since 2017, the mainland has issued four announcements on the naming of settlements, mountain passes, passes, rivers and mountain peaks in southern Tibet, which is of far-reaching strategic significance.
Third, the main experience
During my 17 years in the army, I participated in the Toulon Pass incident in 1975, the stationing and construction of the Sandolo River Valley in '86, and the military exercises in '87. The working hours are divided into two periods: before and after school (note: 82 to 84 years of military school study):
The first period is 8 years in the 2nd Frontier Regiment from 1975 to 1981: successively served in the 5th Frontier Company, the 2nd Infantry Company and the regimental logistics, successively serving as soldiers, custodians, squad leaders, platoon leaders, trainee assistants, and combat staff officers. In such activities as standing guard on duty, patrolling borders, building roads and houses, and training for combat readiness, he worked hard in a down-to-earth manner, and received the care of the leaders and the help of his comrades-in-arms. It can be said that the wrong was the turning point of my fate. It is also the starting point of life growth.
The second period is the 7 years after graduating from school in 84 and transferred to the Logistics Department of the Shannan Military Subdivision until 91 years: successively served as a combat staff officer, deputy section chief, section chief and other positions. We should pay attention to integrating the knowledge we have learned with our own work, centering on the decisions and arrangements of our superiors, taking the seven duties of our combat service staff officers as the basis, correctly understanding the intentions of our superiors, and putting forward reasonable work suggestions for the commanders in a timely manner in light of the current situation in which the areas from the sub-divisions to the frontier defense are high and the roads are long, the seasonality is strong, and the troops are scattered. The administrative management, professional training, and security of the organs and detachments of the logistics department shall be reasonably arranged as a whole. We also pay attention to collecting information on the enemy's situation, terrain, social conditions, and so on, so as to prepare for urgent needs and devote ourselves to our work.
Due to the needs of his work, he went to the grassroots companies of the 1st and 2nd Frontier Regiments and the 5th Battalion many times to investigate and experience the hardships and tensions of being stationed on the front line with the working group led by Commander Liu Chengwen, Political Commissar Xie Xiaoguo, Deputy Commander Yang Rongfu, Deputy Political Commissar Tsering Dunzhu, and Logistics Department Director Min Xuqing. The memories are still fresh by:
In Wangdong: I climbed a steep slope to drill into the low, damp and narrow space "cat's ear hole" dug (lived) by my comrades-in-arms, and experienced the difficulty of eating dry food and drinking cold water and the tension of being ready to fight at any time.
On the unnamed heights: only three or four meters away from the Indian soldiers, separated only by a sparse barbed wire fence (interpreted), I began to feel uneasy. But when I saw so many comrades-in-arms nearby and thought that there was a great motherland behind me, I immediately felt at ease, physically and mentally.
In Wang Deng, he observed the company's emergency occupation drill organized by Liang Deyu, commander of the Eighth Company, and exchanged views on the advance delivery of wartime materials. At night, night vision devices were used to observe Indian troops in military uniforms swimming in the bushes on the other side of the Kejielang River.
On the night of his arrival, in order to rush to the designated point within the specified time, he led the team to climb the mountain and jump off the cliff in the rain, causing the thumbs of his feet to be swollen and black, and he could not get out of bed and stand.
In the Nameless Lake: I saw the officers and soldiers living in single-story tents and sleeping on the ground on the 4,520-meter-deprived and cold slopes, climbing the mountain from the bottom of the ditch for more than 40 minutes to carry water.
I went to the border defense to receive an education, which shocked people's hearts and consciously enhanced their sense of responsibility and urgency.
Shannan is the birthplace of Tibetan people and Tibetan culture, including the first village in Tibet, Yalong Soka, the first farmland of Sarisu, the first palace Yongbrakang, the first Buddhist hall Changzhu Monastery, the first sutra Banggong Chaga, the first Tibetan opera Bagabu... Wait a minute. Today, the city is enlarged, lined with high-rises, lit with neon lights, and connected to highways and railways. Gonggar Airport has been expanded, Longzi Airport will be completed, the border people have moved into the new folk village, and people's food, clothing, housing and transportation methods and conditions have undergone great changes. Since the beginning of the new era, military sub-divisions have accelerated structural reforms, and the conditions for transportation, communications, and equipment of the troops have been continuously improved. I was fortunate enough to guard the border here, and I was awarded a third-class meritorious service in the "874" exercise. In 1988, when the military rank system was restored, he was awarded the rank of major. Since changing jobs, I have often paid attention to the development and changes of my "second hometown", and she has left me with endless thoughts.
Fourth, two gunshots
The first time was an emergency. In October 1975, when the border checkpoint of our regiment in Kada organized a patrol to patrol the designated area, it was found that four Indian soldiers with guns had crossed the border, and our side immediately warned and advised them to withdraw. However, they ignored it, continued the provocation and fired first, forcing us to launch a counterattack and kill them all in one fell swoop. After the incident, the whole regiment immediately entered the first level of combat readiness, and the mobile detachment moved in the direction of the incident overnight, and our five companies in the vicinity were all engaged in combat, and the weapons, ammunition, compressed dry food, and other materials were not left with them, and the bundled backpacks were not allowed to be untied at night, and they slept in cotton clothes wrapped in overcoats, ready to set out for reinforcements at any time. After repeated representations between the diplomatic departments of the two countries, a few days later, the Indian side came to the scene of the incident and took away four bodies, guns and ammunition. In this incident, there was not a single casualty on our side, and some of them made meritorious contributions, some won awards, and some were punished, and this was the "Toulon Pass Incident."
The second was the seizure of high ground. Since 1985, in order to expand its territory, the Indian side has successively assigned troops to cross the line on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and set up 18 settlements. Then the disputed southern Tibet region unilaterally announced the establishment of a pseudo-"Arunachal Pradesh"; It also mobilized more than 200,000 troops to conduct exercises and demonstrations on the border. In order to curb its encroachment on territory, our side has also engaged in-for-tat. On an unnamed plateau in the valley of the Sandolo River (note: the Indian army has set up sentry posts day and night). We sent an elite detachment, taking advantage of the night to climb and outflank it, and suddenly appeared in front of the Indian army, 2 sentries in horror raised their guns and rushed back, and then the Indian troops on the high place fired several points at our side, trying to force our retreat, but our side was not afraid of danger and quickly occupied this high ground. The gunfire made all levels more nervous, the main position of Wangdong 24 hours non-stop construction of combat fortifications, the two sides accelerated the action of seizing the favorable terrain, in a short period of time near the line of actual control formed a dozen close confrontations, the nearest soldier between soldiers is only 4 meters, the slightest carelessness may trigger a war.
The 1987 military operation was the largest investment in manpower, material and financial resources by the Tibetan military and local governments since the 1962 counterattack. Because our side has carried out a reasonable, beneficial, and restrained border defense policy, and has better cooperated with the country's political and diplomatic struggles, this is the "874 exercise" that is close to actual combat.
5. Retirement reverie
The retirement of soldiers from active duty is inevitable for every soldier and the demand of the country. Personal service time is only a short moment in the long river of history. However, when I think back to the time when I lived in a harsh climate and tense border environment for a long time, and had to engage in heavy labor and construction and combat readiness training, and lived a boring and monotonous life, I was really irritated at times, and felt that the time was long and difficult. However, it is nothing compared to the difficulties of the old-timers of the 18th Army when they entered Tibet on foot, quelled the rebellion, and established points to defend the points. It's just normal and proper when doing your duty. Looking back on these experiences, it is not to show off the so-called achievements, but to remember the people and things of the year, summarize the experience, learn lessons, realize that in this world, everyone's experience will not be smooth sailing, with an open-minded and entertaining attitude, to face the confusion and confusion encountered in real life.
In recent years, there has been a saying in society that "if you don't become a soldier, you will regret it for a lifetime, and if you become a soldier, you will regret it for a lifetime", and I think the second "regret" is inappropriate. Because military service is a civic duty, everyone should fulfill it, and they should understand the truth that there is a country first, and then there is a home. But when it comes to a specific person, it must be comprehensively measured according to various factors such as body and family. Everything has its two sides, it varies from person to person, from event to event, and from time to time. Whether in the army or in the locality, as long as what is done is beneficial to the motherland and the people, he is a noble and qualified citizen.
In the 33 years since you retired, people have asked many times, did you suffer when you were a soldier? I replied, "I was young at that time, and I came here in a daze." People who have never been to Tibet only know about remoteness and hardship, but they don't know what the hardships are. In recent years, more people have traveled to Tibet, and they have experienced the taste of altitude sickness, and they will also think that it is more difficult to live in border defense than in tourism. In fact, suffering and happiness are psychological feelings, people who are optimistic can also find happiness in times of hardship and hardship, and people who are narrow-minded will also find trouble in comfort and comfort. In those days, there was a certain contrast between the objective living conditions we encountered at the border and those in the interior, and when we carried out special tasks, our physiological reactions and our desire to be at ease and at ease were contrary, and it naturally produced a depressed mood, which had a direct impact on people's words and deeds. If you treat it with the mentality of serving the motherland and being grateful to your parents, you will be optimistic, otherwise it will be the opposite. Whether or not you can endure hardships when you are on the border is also related to your family background when you were a child, because of your different experiences and upbringing, your views on hardships will not be the same.
My view of being a soldier is: find joy in suffering, happiness comes from suffering, bitterness and happiness are accompanied, and there are gains and losses.
Sixth, a few points of experience
1. Enlistment experience can promote transformation. After joining the army, young people often receive education in political ideology, unity and cooperation, fighting spirit, and legal discipline, and this has virtually improved their inner quality. Working with comrades-in-arms from all over the world broadens horizons, enlightens the mind, and makes it easy to develop a character of unity and helpfulness. Able to overcome inertia, smooth edges and corners, and develop the habit of exercising, honesty and discipline. If you are in a technical position, you can master a skill. Among my comrades-in-arms of the same year, all those who learned the skills in the army were still thriving and prosperous after arriving in the localities. During the service, eat at home in other provinces, wear it for free, pay a monthly allowance, and enjoy the treatment of military dependents, and obtain the qualification of retired soldiers after retirement, and enjoy preferential treatment. In short, the "big school" of the army is a place for improving quality, a furnace for growth and tempering, a mixture of sweat and performance, and a symbol of dedication and honor. Can temper a person who is timid and lazy by nature into a person who is not afraid of hardships and dangers, diligent and neat, and his behavior and habits will generally be admired by people, and he will benefit for life after a tempering.
2. Good conduct will be loved. The army is a world of young people, and there is an invisible vigor and vitality in daily life and various activities, urging people to work hard. As long as you always have the collective and others in your heart, walk in the front in daily chores, strive to be the first when the task comes, rush ahead when difficulties and obstacles, have good things first, and be diligent and humble, you will be praised. When there is a conflict between collective interests and individual interests, subordinating individual interests to collective interests will gain the trust of the organization. When you are tired and painful, you can hide the pain in your heart, swallow your tears in your stomach, encourage others with positive energy, and take the overall situation into account, and you will be recognized by everyone. As long as the tasks assigned by the party and the people are satisfactorily completed, they will inevitably be loved.
3. Obey orders to produce combat effectiveness. The army is an armed group that performs special tasks, and servicemen must develop the habit of unconditional obedience. For example, no matter what you are doing, when you hear the command of "standing upright", you must immediately stop all activities you are engaged in, quickly put your feet close together, your toes about 60 degrees apart, your legs straight, your lower abdomen slightly retracted, your chest up naturally, your upper body straight, leaning forward slightly, your shoulders flat, slightly stretching back, your arms hanging down naturally, your fingers together, naturally slightly flexed, the tip of your thumb sticking to the second joint of your index finger, your middle finger sticking to the seam of your pants, your head straight, your neck straight, your mouth closed, your jaw slightly closed, and your eyes looking forward. Even if a mosquito bites on the face, it cannot move, which is to cultivate self-discipline and establish a sense of rules. Only by developing the habit of obedience can the overall team be prohibited, and when the task comes, can it be done without talking about the price, going to the soup and fire, and showing the overall power of the team.
4. The environment is difficult and there is national care. At that time, he lived in the "forbidden area of life unsuitable for human habitation" for a long time, and the oxygen content only accounted for 60% of the mainland, and he often endured altitude sickness such as taste failure and headache when he woke up. In order to protect us from nature, the state allocates four skins (coat, hat, shoes, and mattress); Specially issued sunglasses to protect against wind and snow; In order to make up for the shortage of vegetables, hexagram vitamins were issued; In order to facilitate everyone's bathing, the group used geothermal hot springs to build a algae hall; The allowance is $10 in the first year, which is $4 more than in the Mainland. These treatments made us feel the special care of the state for the troops in difficult areas.
5. Physical labor is a test of will. Today's border companies have asphalt roads, ropeways for transporting supplies in some sections, and sometimes drones. At that time, our company did not have access to roads, and the iron sheets, cement, and other building materials used to build the barracks and all the materials for the company's food and clothing were carried back on their own, about 10 kilometers along the goat's intestine path. Everyone brings their own back frame or flat shoulder, in order to avoid going on a second trip, they are doing their best to pick 100 pounds or 150 pounds on their backs, (the biggest one is carrying 5 bags of rice and 250 pounds), the kind of difficulty in panting, soaking underwear, swollen shoulders and back swelling and pain for several days in a row The taste of tiredness cannot be described in words. Only by not complaining about hardship or tiredness, completing tasks on time and with quality and quantity can we be qualified, and taking the initiative to help others is the basis for being praised, and it is also one of the conditions for joining the group and joining the party. In short, there is a lot of physical work in the border defense, which is not only a test of personal physical fitness, but also a comprehensive test of personal attitude, perseverance, and will.
6. Border patrol is the only way to realize the value. Patrolling is an important task of the frontier defense company, and the time and place of going are usually decided by the superiors, and our fifth company has five points: Gangla Pass, Tangla Pass, Riwulemara Pass, Xiela Pass, and Dongzhang. The distance (except for 8 kilometers in Dongzhang) is about 30 kilometers above sea level, and the altitude is 4 or 5 thousand meters above sea level. I will never forget that when I went on patrol, I carried a machine gun (weighing 43 pounds, a spare barrel of 11 pounds) and quilts, raincoats, dry food, etc., a total of more than 70 pounds, and marched in formation on the way, crossed mountains and mountains, and arrived at the designated camping site at 10 o'clock at night, extremely tired. At night, the two of them slept together on a quilt and a bed, and the uneven and cold rocky beach underneath them. The next morning, when I climbed to the patrol point on a high place and looked at the deserted snow-capped mountains, I felt the remoteness and desolation of the motherland's borders, the hardships and hardships of my predecessors, and the heavy and long way to go to recover the country. Although the patrol is tiring, it is nothing compared with the maximum speed of 120 kilometers of the 2nd Division and 4th Regiment of the Red 1st Army Corps during the Liberation War when they flew to capture the Luding Bridge. On the border line, only by walking to the field can we remove the traces of the other side and set up our markers, which is an important way to demonstrate territorial sovereignty, and is also a demonstration of the value of our own existence, and it is also the responsibility and mission of the officers and men of the border area.
7. Nervous days can add fun. In the border defense company, everyone is nervous, and there are not many sentry posts, and there are usually fixed posts, patrol posts, and lookout posts, which are the "eyes" of the company. As soon as you take up the post, you will naturally be nervous, the direction of the horizon should be observed, the source of the sound should be judged, and the situation should be dealt with according to the plan, so that you can be anxious and orderly, busy but not chaotic. In short, the string of high vigilance should be tightened at all times at the border, and the advantage of being nervous in the heart is that it can make people's hearts beat faster, enhance the vitality of the mind, and develop the habit of thinking quickly, acting quickly, and dealing with things decisively.
8. Life is hard enough to cleanse the soul. Our company did not build roads, lived in mobile tents, ate dried vegetables all year round, relied on the firewood for cooking in the house to raise money nearby, relied on himself to go up the mountain to pick up cow dung and carry it back to dry for fuel, and relied on candles for lighting. Due to the storage of war ready surplus grain, rice is stored for several years before being eaten. I always feel that I am sandwiched, and the reason is the lack of oxygen and rice aging. Once, I participated in the warehouse stacking, and turned out a bag of rice marked with the date of 1968, which had been stored for 8 years, and had a musty smell after cooking. These hardships in life have the effect of purifying the soul and are of great benefit to the growth of life.
The snowy area on the border is really home,
Seventeen years between pitches;
What is there to fear from hardship and toil,
Shoulder loyalty, filial piety, and hardship.
Ah San stirs up waves from time to time,
The invasion of the territory is ambitious;
fortress 隘口来挑衅,
The military and the people work together to fight the enemy.
Hardship and tension of the years,
It is not a pity to dedicate youth;
Ups and downs of ordinary things,
Pay attention to the military years.
The figure of the comrades-in-arms, the environment of the frontier, the gunfire at the border, the melodious sound of the horn..., have been fixed in the good memory. I am glad that I had the opportunity to enlist in the army when I was conscripted, and I am grateful to the leaders and comrades-in-arms for their care and growth.
This experience encourages me to always be a person who faces the light, steps on the ground, and does not forget the true character of a soldier.
(Note: All illustrations in this article are provided by the author)
About the Author:
Li Hongsong: December 1974 - July 1982.56185 Unit (Second Frontier Regiment), soldier, squad leader, platoon leader, logistics and combat staff officer; 1982-1984.7 Wuhan Senior Logistics School; 1984.8-1991.10 Staff Officer of the Logistics Department of Shannan Military Division, Chief of the War Service Section.
Author: Li Hongsong