At around 3 a.m. on February 19, 1979, as the platoon commander of the heavy machine gun platoon of the 3rd Battalion Machine Gun Company, I experienced an unprecedented emergency rally. At that time, the whole regiment suddenly sounded the whistle of emergency assembly, and we immediately organized the soldiers to assemble, and the company commander announced with a serious expression that we were about to set off for the front line to fight, and all the itinerary should be kept secret. After hearing these words, the people of the whole company were in a very tense atmosphere. Although the mission of soldiers is to protect their families and defend the country, after all, it is the first time they have encountered actual combat, and most of them are not mentally prepared. The departure destination of our regiment was the Sino-Vietnamese border in Yunnan, and it went to the battlefield as the second echelon, and the troops of the first echelon were already fighting on the Sino-Vietnamese border in Yunnan. Our machine gun company will be split and assigned to other infantry companies, and my high machine platoon will be assigned to the second infantry company of the third battalion, forming an integrated reinforced company, with a total strength of about 200 people. In this battle, we will directly obey the command of the infantry company commander in the battle, not the original company commander, and will belong to the original company structure after the battle is over. This sudden situation made me deeply understand the responsibilities and missions of soldiers, and also gave me a deeper understanding of war. This experience also made me cherish peace and life even more.
In the 38 years since the establishment of our unit, there has never been such a critical juncture as this one, and each and every one of us has walked onto the battlefield without looking back. Although we are all ordinary soldiers, this sense of responsibility and responsibility has always been our creed. Just this month is our Army Day, our company also organized a symposium, everyone is talking about the deeds of the battle that year, the battle in that era was very tragic, it is said that our regiment was outstanding on the battlefield in Vietnam that year, everyone has a lot of military exploits and medals. During this Sino-Vietnamese war, I also deeply realized the responsibilities and responsibilities of soldiers, and I also better understood the feelings of the veterans. How cruel the war is, every victory is hard-won. In this battle, the environment and conditions we are in are very difficult. The Sino-Vietnamese border area in Yunnan is a dangerous terrain, the climate is changeable, and the combat environment is very harsh. And we were redeployed to other companies in an emergency, and we didn't have much time to prepare, which added to our pressure. In such a situation, we can only be more united, support each other, and face every challenge together. On the battlefield, we are always ready to deal with whatever may happen and are ready to fight at any time.
Our fighters are brave and fearless, they always maintain a high fighting spirit, and firmly carry out every order. I am deeply proud of the team I am part of, we are a united, brave and strong team. Although war brings us endless dangers and tests, it also makes us cherish peace even more. War is unforgiving, and it brings nothing but pain and hurt to people. On the battlefield, every victory is hard-won, and behind it is blood and lives. Therefore, it is more important to cherish peace than to use war to solve problems. This war has also made me feel the preciousness of peace even more and made me cherish everything in front of me even more. May peace be forever!"The Gathering of the Barracks in the Shadow of War" Whenever the shadow of war looms, the assembly of the army is always so neat and skillful. From the assembly of the company to the reassembly of the battalion headquarters, to the detailed combing of the battalion commander and the pre-war mobilization of the battalion instructors, the whole process was rapid and orderly. In about 20 minutes, the whole brigade was already standing on the playground, the lights were bright, and the vehicles were neatly parked. The solemn expression and impassioned speech of the regiment commander made people feel the severity and responsibility of the war.
The words of the regiment commander revealed the memory of history and loyalty to the country, and he used his personal experience to encourage the soldiers to defy the war, face the difficulties, and defend the country and homeland. The regiment commander fondly recalled the experience of the Sino-Indian border war in 1962 and bluntly spoke about the cruelty and sacrifice of the war. He admits that he felt flustered and lost during the war, but the responsibility of the soldiers drove them towards the battlefield. The regiment commander encouraged the soldiers to face the war bravely, to remember the happy life that their ancestors bought with their lives and blood, and to defend the peace of the motherland. He stressed that modern China is no longer the decadent Qing Dynasty of a hundred years ago, and that we have the strength and will to repel any enemy attack and defend our homeland. Many of the cadres and technical veterans of the regiment have experienced the war, and their experience and determination will be a strong backing for the soldiers. The whole team is at the forefront of front-line operations, a team that has experienced the baptism of wind and rain, and they use their flesh and blood to guard the frontier of the country. Under the clouds of war, every soldier will assume the responsibility of defending the country, which is not only a war, but also a test of the country and the nation. Every soldier assembled will shoulder the mission of defending the Motherland, and they are always ready, firm and fearless.
Because, they know, only a strong army can defend peace, and only brave warriors can protect their homeland. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has always been known for its high combat effectiveness and firm will, whether it was in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the War of Liberation, the Korean War, or the Sino-Indian War, the squadron has displayed strong military strength and indomitable fighting spirit. They have written the loyalty and responsibility of generations of soldiers with their blood and lives, and have made immortal contributions to the peace and stability of the country. The assembly of the barracks is a symbol of the great strength of the motherland, and every assembly embodies the loyalty and responsibility of the soldiers. When they shoulder the mission of defending the country, the entire army is an impregnable wall, keeping the flames of war and the enemy out of the country. At this special moment, let us pay tribute to every soldier, because with their perseverance and fearlessness, our country can be safe and our homeland can be peaceful. May every soldier return triumphantly and safely. When we are young, we always desire to experience something extraordinary, but when these things do come to us, are we really ready?
There is a technical veteran in my company who has participated in the Sino-Indian border war, so he is highly respected by everyone. After receiving the combat mission, we nervously boarded the troop carriers, set off from Kunming, and arrived at the designated garrison on the Sino-Vietnamese border at noon the next day. In the evening, we received a combat mission that the whole regiment should enter Lang Son by 12 o'clock tonight to cooperate with the advancing troops of the Eastern Front. We had already finished dinner at 6 p.m., and officers above the company commander level went to the regimental headquarters for a meeting while we were having dinner to listen to the specific arrangements. At 8 p.m. on 20 February, our heavy machine gun platoon followed the infantry company to Lang Son 132 for defense. When entering the main battlefield, the 132 heights had already advanced for the third time, and the first advance took our troops less than 3 hours to break the first line of defense of the Vietnamese army. The second advance was smoother than the first, after a dozen consecutive rounds of artillery bombardment. The infantry regiment and the motorized regiment completed the advance task in only one and a half hours, and by that time our troops had already penetrated more than 30 kilometers into the territory of Vietnam. The objective of the third advance was to destroy all the Vietnamese defenses at Lang Son and to advance more than 50 kilometers into Vietnamese territory.
My infantry company didn't encounter much actual combat during the third advance. Basically, I followed the first echelon of troops to advance, and I slowly began to adapt to the actual battle. On 21 February, the Vietnamese army continued to gather more than 100,000 troops on the eastern flank of Lang Son in an attempt to recapture the Lang Son defensive point. The Vietnamese troops, with the support of artillery, continued to bombard the skies above our defenses, but this method was in vain. We had already received orders to dig three or four meters deep cat's ear holes and fortifications for defense, and a dozen rounds of artillery bombardment did us no harm. At around 3 p.m. on February 21, 1979, it suddenly began to rain heavily in the sky, and it was the bad weather that the Vietnamese army liked to take advantage of, and our soldiers had to be more vigilant. Sure enough, half an hour later, the Vietnamese army launched a new round of artillery attacks, and the first echelon artillery of our army quickly made an artillery counterattack, and the 11th and 13th armies advanced under cover. The Vietnamese did not expect our troops to attack in such weather, and they had thought that we would only be on the defensive, which caught them by surprise. The vanguard of the Vietnamese army suffered heavy losses, and then the 41st and 42nd armies also attacked.
At about 8 o'clock in the evening, our army successfully advanced 50 kilometers into Vietnam, annihilated more than 5,000 enemies and captured hundreds of Vietnamese soldiers. On February 22, 1979, the battalion commander called me to the battalion headquarters and told me that I would be promoted from platoon commander to deputy company commander. I only served as a platoon commander for one year, and the speed of promotion was really beyond my expectations, but promotion in wartime must have important tasks. The battalion commander told me that the regiment had received an order to form an assault battalion, interspersed with the 131 front to strengthen the defense, and at the same time serve as a fulcrum to protect the supply of the Eastern Front Transport Regiment. Our heavy machine gun platoon was transferred to the assault battalion, and I was promoted to deputy company commander, directly directing the operations of the heavy machine gun platoon. This means that in the event of a breakthrough, I can quickly deal with it without waiting for the command of the assault battalion commander. I was surprised by this order, but as a soldier, I had to obey it 100 percent. After bidding farewell to the battalion commander, I led my comrades from the heavy machine gun platoon to the assault battalion to assemble. On February 23, 1979, our heavy machine gun platoon entered the forefront of Heights 131 as required to carry out defensive missions. My task was to be responsible for the defense of the battalion headquarters, and the heavy machine gun platoon had three squads equipped with three heavy machine guns, and I arranged for one squad to defend at an altitude of 100 meters behind the battalion headquarters.
The heroic War of Resistance is the glorious tradition of the Chinese nation, and in the Sino-Vietnamese border self-defense war, the squadron showed incomparably strong combat effectiveness. On February 25, 1979, my unit successfully recaptured the Chinese territory occupied by the Vietnamese army, and achieved a major victory. In this arduous battle, I was well aware of the importance of being a deputy company commander and experienced the tragedy and cruelty of the war. In the border war, my unit annihilated more than 50,000 Vietnamese troops and successfully destroyed the Vietnamese defense line. This was a Sino-Vietnamese border battle that won a great victory, and it was also an important victory for our army in history. Although the war was brutal, our army showed the demeanor of a brave soldier who was not afraid of sacrifice. Now, looking back, I am full of expectations for the future of my motherland, and I hope that the motherland will continue to develop peacefully and peacefully. At the same time, I cherish my physical health more and hope that my family will be safe and secure and spend my old age together.