Source: PLA Daily WeChat·Chinese military number
National flag on the top of the snowy mountain
■Liu Yuqing
Morning light is slightly dewed, and the golden wind is passing by. On October 1, 1982, my comrades in the 5042 outpost squad, wearing neat military uniforms, protected the national flag, walked to the top of the mountain, raised the flag, displayed the flag, and sang the majestic and solemn national anthem... In an instant, the national flag and the fiery red morning glow shone, making the sky on the snowy plateau red. Staring at the five-star red flag with the blue sky as the background and waving in the wind, I seemed to see the smile of my motherland, and I couldn't help but feel passionate and passionate.
5042 outpost squad, located in the ice peak and snow ridge of Pamir Plateau , is named after the altitude. It has snow all year round, high cold and oxygen deficiency, and is a "forbidden zone for life". The 9-kilometer road leading to the outpost by the border company is a simple pasture, steep as vertical and extremely high difference. The outpost is a simple house for soil, stone and wood. Drinking water is delivered regularly by melting ice and snow, vegetables and other daily supplies. The border defense company where it is located uses yak to deliver it. Being alone, in a snow-capped island, communication is maintained by a telephone line that is sometimes good and sometimes bad.
The mountains are silent, loyal and speechless. Going to the border defense and going to the most needed and most difficult places in the motherland is the ambition of generations of border guards.
In June 11982, we graduated from the military academy and walked up to the plateau as we wished and came to the border defense company on Beiyi Bingfeng. I thought I would get home when I arrived at the company, but later I found out that my location was on the top of the snow-capped mountain. There is a squad in the platoon leader in the platoon that I am responsible for the observation and duty of the 5042 outpost squad, and the superiors clearly stipulate that a cadre must lead it. The company commander said: "I should have adapted to the altitude and then walked up the mountain when I first arrived at the plateau, but the outpost team needed cadres." The next day, a car was about to go to the 5042 outpost team to survey the planned road and take me and my luggage to the foot of the mountain. I walked towards the outpost shift alone with my luggage. I could see three or four kilometers of roads, but it seemed that I was walking longer and longer, and I was getting farther and farther away. I had headaches and shortness of breath, and my chest was tight and my legs were weak. I felt obviously unable to do so. If the comrades from the outpost team hadn't seen it and took it, I really didn't know when I could get up. When we arrived at the outpost shift, Gaoshan's reaction came in a hurry. For two days, I was drowsy, retching and anorexia, and my comrades around me were worried about me for a while. On the third day, my reaction was much smaller and I devoted myself to observation and duty. The work of the outpost shift is tense and orderly. It is observed 16 hours a day, and stands on guard for 8 hours at night. It also needs to train simultaneously with the company. During the spare time on duty, it is necessary to strengthen physical training, carry the water and cook. A bucket of 15 kilograms of water was carried to the outpost, and it took 4 hours to walk back and forth, 1 hour to go down the mountain and 3 hours to go up the mountain.
html In August, the 5042 outpost team road construction project, which had been looking forward to for many years, finally started. The construction team lacked plateau life and construction experience when they first went to the plateau. In a few days, the four people could not bear the mountain reaction and parted one after another. The people who stayed were also tortured by the Gaoshan reaction in great pain. They fucked for a few times and then lay down on the side and gasped. We built roads for our outpost team. Needless to say, we were the owners of the road. When the construction team entered the site, all the staff of our outpost team were in high spirits and expressed their willingness to support them free of charge. The comrades on duty took the initiative to take over the observation task, and each person did the task, and took turns to send two or three people to help them with construction. The soldiers and the workers set off firecrackers, carried stones and bulldozing side by side, and taught them step by step to steam buns and make rice in a pressure cooker. As the road continues to extend to the top of the mountain, the whole class of comrades were happier than during the New Year, and reported the progress to the company leaders and comrades on the phone every day. On September 30, the roadway connecting the border guard to the 5042 outpost was fully connected, and the problem of road difficulties for many years was solved. Standing at the outpost station, looking at the winding mountain road that had turned 33 turns, the comrades shed tears excitedly. The road construction makes us feel closer to the company and the superior authorities, the feeling of hanging alone is eliminated, and the way of living security and quality have also undergone fundamental changes.
The next day was National Day. I organized all my comrades to hold a flag-raising ceremony on the top of the mountain.Watching the national flag rise with the rising sun, a confident and proud smile bloom on everyone's face...
The unimaginable hardship and unbearable loneliness can best temper people's strong will and perseverance. Over the past 30 years, more than 60 soldiers from the 5042 outpost squad have honorably joined the Communist Party of China, and more than 30 soldiers have grown into officers. My comrades are not afraid of the hardships of the environment, they take the checkpoints as their homes, take pride in hardships, and use the bloody and pride of soldiers to express their magnificent poems of being loyal to the Party, the motherland, and the people on the "permafrost", and protect the grass and water green at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, tranquility and harmony.
In 2004, with the approval of the Chinese government, the border near the outpost was opened to a national first-class land port for both man and cargo. On March 25, 2004, the 5042 outpost class completed the sacred mission entrusted by a special historical period and withdrew from the historical stage.
History has gone far away, but the strong fortress of the outpost team has always stood in my heart. Although I left the army after 28 years of serving in the army, the youth of guarding the motherland at the highest garrison on the Pamir Plateau is the most beautiful and unforgettable memory in my life, and also makes loyalty, responsibility and dedication my eternal spiritual pursuit.
(The original text was published in the " Long March Supplement" on September 30, 2019 of the People's Liberation Army Daily, with slightly deleted content; the picture is China Military Network .)
(Produced by the People's Liberation Army Daily WeChat·China Military Account)
