In October 1973, I enlisted in the army, and with loyalty to the motherland and a vision for the future, I resolutely embarked on the road of military service. After more than a month of conscription physical examination, political examination, and visits, I arrived at the unit of my dreams at the end of December and began my military career.
I was born into a military family, my father was a veteran of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and he was injured in the past, and later transferred to work in the local area. My mother was an employee of a soy sauce factory. I also had two older sisters who were not doing well in school and dropped out of school early to work as apprentices in a soy sauce factory with their mother. I am the only child in my family, and I am adored by my two older sisters and my mother.
At that time, the total monthly income of our family was more than 100 yuan, which can be regarded as a family with better conditions, bicycles, radios, and other things, our family had them back then. I was naughty since I was a child, and I often caused trouble at school, but every time my mother and sister would help me out, so I also developed my arrogant personality. There was always a day when things could not be hidden, and later my father found out that I was causing trouble everywhere, and at first he gave me oral education and reasoned with the facts. But I didn't take my father's words to heart at all, and continued to be naughty. Later, my father also knew that preaching was not good, and he had to "produce filial piety under the stick".
I still vividly remember the scene where my father beat me for the first time, and that time was like this: the classmate sitting in front of me was a girl with long hair, and the big braid was always sweeping around my desk, and I felt very annoyed. One day I quietly brought the match to school, and when I struck the match at the end of school, I burned a section of her big braid, and fortunately some other students hurriedly extinguished the fire, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable (now I think about it and feel guilty for a while). Then her parents came to my house, and as soon as I entered the door and saw my father's serious face, I immediately felt a chill. That day I was punished for kneeling for the first time, and for the first time I endured the "great love" of my old father's stick. When my mother and sisters came back that night, they saw my miserable condition, and for the first time after seeing my father's anger, they did not dare to favor me.
At that time, he was very rebellious, and although he was beaten at the time, he was not convinced at all. So since then, my old father has "loved" me every once in a while, but later kneeling for a while turned into kneeling for a night, sticks have also become thin bamboo branches, and often appear on the altar squatting on the horse with a basin of water on his head, or kneeling on the ground with a basin of water on his head and other corporal punishments.
Then I thought I had to escape my father's grasp. As recently as October 197, the recruitment propaganda began, and I knew it was a great opportunity. So I discussed with my family, saying that I wanted to be a soldier, but my two sisters and my mother resolutely disagreed, and looking at their panicked expressions, I understood and moved them with reason, and told them that a good man must be determined in all directions, and should do things to protect his family and defend the country, and he is willing to do what he can for the motherland and the people with his useful life. They couldn't resist me, sighed and agreed. At this time, I glanced at my father, and his face showed a look of satisfaction.
I am in good health, my identity is innocent, my roots are red, and I have passed the physical examination, political examination, and visit of the conscription smoothly. Soon it was the day we left for the army, and my mother and two sisters were too busy with work to see me off, so they told me the day before. (Actually, they were afraid that they would be reluctant to let me go, and they cried at the station, which made me worry) that day, my father's old illness ** was resting at home, and I walked over to say goodbye to him in a brand new military uniform, and he was reading in the study at that time, and I said, "I'm leaving." The father said, "Yes." Then he said: "When I got to the army, I wrote a letter to my family." He kept staring at the book and didn't even look away from me. I put on my backpack, hummed a little song, and rushed to the train station in a happy mood, thinking that I finally didn't have to suffer my father's "love" anymore.
The square of the railway station was crowded with people who came to see me off, and I strode on the train to the troops, and I was on the "stuffy tank" train, which at that time mostly used "stuffy tanks" to transport troops, and the doors were chained, and there were four small windows of one foot square on one side, through which some people waved goodbye to their families. The train started slowly, and a carload of recruits, most of whom left their hometowns for the first time. Inside the carriage, the air seemed to freeze, full of the sadness of parting. Some people began to lose control of their emotions, tears rolled in their eyes, and they began to sob.
In this atmosphere, the cadres who received the troops also felt the oppression in the carriage. He walked over and comforted everyone softly: "Let's all cry, it will be better to cry." Most of you are reluctant to leave home for the first time, but this is also the way you must grow. ”
Hearing the words of the receiving cadre, everyone burst into tears. I sat on my backpack and my mind raced back and forth about the past. Those familiar scenes, the smiles of relatives, and the customs of my hometown came to my heart for a while, and I had a deep reluctance.
My heart was empty, as if I had lost something important. I knew that this departure meant that I would have to face a new life and challenges. At the same time, I quietly shed tears.
After a 6-day trip, we finally arrived at the unit, (when we set off, we didn't know at all that we would go to **, how far we would go) The training of the recruit company was very tiring, and life was very hard. Three months later, the recruit training camp ended, and I was assigned to the first company, the second platoon, and the fifth squad, fortunately, the veterans in our class were very good, and took good care of our recruits, and with their explanation and help, I also quickly adapted to the life of the army.
After leaving the company, I experienced the hardships of being a soldier and the longing for not seeing my family for a long time. I bought a letter and began to write letters to my family, adhering to the attitude of reporting good news and not bad news, every time I wrote in the letter, I said that I had a good life in the army, got along well with my comrades-in-arms, and grew up sensible, and then I said some interesting things in the army, so that my mother and sisters could rest assured.
In this way, I kept in correspondence with my family, until one time when I was writing a letter, a veteran saw my stamp and came to me and asked, "Do you have an airport and a plane there?"I shook my head and replied inexplicably: "No, how can my family fly in the county, you are laughing at me." Then he smiled and pointed to the stamps on my desk and said, "Then what are you doing with airline stamps, there is no airport, do you want to throw your letter from the sky when the plane flies over your house?" ”
I pouted, "Isn't it faster for airline stamps?" At this time, the veteran told me: "If there is no airport near your home, the delivery time of ordinary stamps and air stamps is about the same, are you stupid and have a lot of money, 8 cents of ordinary stamps are enough, you insist on using 1 dime of air stamps, save to buy some daily necessities is not good?."”
The veterans laughed at me for a long time, but it was also another sign of my homesickness. (Okay, this little episode is here first, and it will continue tomorrow.) If you have a similar experience, let's talk about it in the comment section. ）