Li Ruyin
Put on the green uniform
Speaking of which, becoming a railroad soldier is still a very accidental thing. Originally, the ground service unit of the air force of the Nanjing Military Region was recruited in my hometown, but the day before the change of uniforms, the ground service of the air force was changed to a railway soldier, and the place of service was also changed from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province to Qinghai.
March 9, 1978 was an important turning point in my life, and it was the beginning of my journey to the army and many firsts in my life: the first time I saw the railway, the first time I got on the train, and the first time I left my hometown. At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, with a whistle, the long military train slowly left the Xinpu Railway Station, and after nearly 30 hours of driving, the military train arrived at Ping'an Commune, Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province at about 7 o'clock in the evening of the 11th. The snow, the desolate Loess Plateau, and the unfamiliar northwest dialect all remind me that I am not yet 18 years old, and I am far away from my hometown, away from my parents, and away from the familiar landscapes and plants. During the training of recruits, the strict schedule of work and rest, the arduous military training, the almost rigid requirements of housekeeping, and especially the emergency assembly without warning quietly eroded the freshness of entering the barracks and the pride of serving the country. The attentive Qinghai squad leader noticed my thoughts in time and started a family routine with me like a brother. The squad leader is not very old and his education level is not high, but his simple language and sincere words tell me about his personal experience, which makes me feel like a spring breeze and feel a lot more at ease.
Two months of recruit training have passed in a blink of an eye, and for the first time, we wore a military uniform wearing a five-star cockade and a red collar badge, which made us young people called recruit eggs by veterans refreshed, excited and proud and difficult to hide.
In the afternoon, we set off from the recruit company's station, and after an overnight drive, we arrived at Tianjun County, where the regiment headquarters is located, at 9 o'clock in the morning, and I and 43 recruits were assigned to the 18th company. The car carrying us drove for about an hour on the steppe to reach the company. Amid the sound of welcome gongs and firecrackers, we were surrounded by veterans to welcome each class. I was placed in Class 6, which was well-known in the whole group. The certificates and pennants won by this class accounted for almost one-third of the entire company.
Warmth in the barracks
On the first day of the old company, the company commander arranged for the recruits to rest in the afternoon, and several of us recruits discussed going to work with the veterans. However, when I was woken up by the wake-up call for my lunch break, I found that the class was empty and I was alone. Later, I learned that going to work early and taking the initiative to work overtime is one of the traditions of Class 6, and the short meal time, fast housekeeping, good completion of tasks, and competition for large and small labor are all advanced points of Class 6.
The lessons of the first day made me struggle for a long time, and after that, whether it was commuting to work, cooking, cleaning the environment, and tidying up housekeeping, I kept an eye on it. It's strange to say, although I sleep less and do more work, my mood is surprisingly good, and every time I finish something, there is always an indescribable pleasure, which is the sense of accomplishment that people often talk about now, and after enlisting in the army, I was the first to receive a commendation among the recruits of the whole company, which made it difficult for me to hide the joy in my heart.
The 18th Company was one of the hardest companies of the 47th Regiment, and our 6th Squad was the most arduous process of the whole company - moving the blasted flakes of different sizes (more than 20 cm in diameter and needing to be hammered) onto the bucket truck and unloading them to the crusher feeding hopper.
Maybe it was because my nerves were too tight, or maybe it was family interference, and I was injured during the construction. It was an afternoon in February 1979, because I received a letter from my sister a few days ago and learned that my mother was hospitalized due to illness, and I was in a trance. After the squad leader from Weining, Guizhou Province found out, he asked the platoon commander to transfer me to the battalion headquarters health center while carrying me on his back. In the improvised operating room of the battalion health center, the military doctor skillfully cleaned the wound and cut off the nearly broken muscle, and the sound of the scissors still shuddered when I thought about it. After disposing of the bandage, the squad leader, after expressing his gratitude to the military doctor who was busy before and after, carried me on his back and gently placed me in the co-pilot position of the cab of the liberation vehicle, which only the company commander is entitled to, and the driver also slowed down the car, avoided potholes, and sent me back to the squad smoothly. During the period of recuperation, the company commander asked for warmth, the platoon commander sent the nutritional products distributed to him, and the squad leader and his comrades-in-arms competed to bring me sick meals, wash bedding and bed sheets. What is especially unforgettable is that the Anhui veterans in the same class were afraid that I would be lonely, so they took the initiative to lend me their most precious "home appliance" - the semiconductor radio, which accompanied me through the whole month of illness.
Junction with the Guanjiao Tunnel
If someone asks me what I am most proud of as a soldier, I will answer without hesitation and participate in the construction of the Guanjiao Tunnel. Being able to participate in the construction of the tunnel with the highest altitude, the longest line and poor geological conditions in China at that time was the most bragging record of my life.
With a total length of 4,010 meters and a track elevation of 3,700 meters, the Guanjiao Tunnel is located in expansive rock formations with relatively developed groundwater. In 1975, the tunnel collapsed and blocked 127 officers and soldiers working in the tunnel, which aroused great concern among the central leaders, the headquarters of the Railway Corps, the head of the Lanzhou Military Region, and the leaders of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. After 14 hours of hard fighting by officers and men inside and outside the cave, the blocked people finally escaped safely without any casualties.
In 1982, I graduated from the former Changsha Railway Military Academy and was assigned to the 1st Battalion and 1st Company of the 47th Regiment of the 10th Division as a platoon commander. At that time, the main task of the 1st Company was to blow up the old inverted arches and low side walls in the pipe area, re-pour the side walls, lay the track bed, and replace the sleeper plates. I was in the 1st Company and 2nd Platoon, and the task was to blow up the inverted arch and change the sleeper plate. At that time, the machinery and equipment were simple, the ventilation conditions were poor, the light in the cave was dim, and most of the work was carried by the soldiers. The transport vehicle is a 5-ton liberation dump truck known as a dump truck, and the mixing equipment is a 0.4 cubic drum mixer, and the slag loading in the hole and feeding the mixer are all completed by hand, and carrying sleepers, lifting rails, and carrying cement are commonplace, and the labor intensity can be imagined.
The poor construction conditions and the high physical exertion did not make the comrades-in-arms retreat, and the tenacious style and fine traditions of the 1st Company were reflected in all aspects. In the construction, everyone is fighting bravely, dirty work, tired work to do. Cadres and party members can always be seen in dangerous areas and key processes, and they can be seen everywhere if they are slightly injured on the construction site and insist on going to work with illness.
On January 1, 1984, the million-dollar disarmament came to an end to my military career, and my military status came to an abrupt end with the removal of the collar badge and cockade. Although they have bid farewell to the military flag and separated from the army, the feelings of officers and soldiers and comrades-in-arms formed over the years of training, study, labor, rest, cheering, and sorrow have long become lifelong memories and precious spiritual wealth. The harmonious and friendly company atmosphere, the warm and strong barracks culture, the passionate youth, and the positive and enterprising spirit have always inspired me, and I can think calmly and face them calmly, whether it is good or bad.
In 1983, the first phase of the Qinghai-Tibet project was put into trial operation, and in 1984, the "May Day" International Labor Day was officially put into operation. Riding on the train on the railway built by himself, looking at the heartfelt praise and enthusiastic smiling faces of passengers of different colors, and listening to the rough and bold singing of Tibetan compatriots, the comrades-in-arms all showed knowing smiles.
It has been 35 years since I took off my military uniform, but the fiery construction site of the past, the deep friendship of comrades-in-arms, the endless grassland, and countless cattle and sheep all come to mind all the time. Looking back, I am glad that I was once a soldier who built the Qinghai-Tibet line; I am proud to have been a member of the glorious railroad soldiers; I'm proud that I didn't waste my youth.
Author: Li Ruyin, who enlisted in the army from Guannan, Jiangsu Province in 1978, served as a soldier of the 18th Company of the 47th Regiment and a platoon commander of the 1st Company
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