I was born in 1955 in an ordinary rural family in southwest Luxi, with an older brother and an older sister. As the youngest child in the family, I was pampered by my parents, my older brothers and sisters were very humble to me, and I had a very happy childhood, playing with my friends every day, and hardly suffering anything.
Children in rural areas generally start school late, and I only started the first grade when I was 7 years old. Since my father attaches great importance to education and is strict with me, my grades have always been very good. Five years of primary school passed in a flash, and I successfully entered the township middle school. The township middle school is nearly 6 miles away from our village, and all students live on campus and go home once a week. In our village, only me and a girl named Li Yue were admitted to junior high school.
The adults of the two families had a good relationship, and at that time, there were no bicycles in rural families, and adults were busy with farm work and could not pick up and drop off their children. So after discussing with the two families, it was decided that Li Yue and I would go back and forth to school together every week. In the eyes of a 13-year-old boy I was the prettiest girl in our village primary school. However, in the 5 years of elementary school, we didn't have much contact, and we didn't even say a few words.
As a 10-year-old child and a good student in everyone's eyes, Li Yue and I couldn't refuse the arrangement of the adults, so we could only go to school in the countryside together. However, as an adolescent teenager, Li Yue and I were very restrained at first, and basically didn't say anything all the way. What I say the most is "I'll help you get something", and Li Yue always blushes and whispers "thank you". But as time went by, Li Yue and I gradually became acquainted, and the same age and study life made us communicate more and more, and the interaction became more natural.
In the township, Li Yue and I were in the same grade but in different classes, but our grades were excellent in school. After graduating from junior high school, Li Yue and I both successfully entered high school and are still studying in the township. At that time, it was common for township middle schools to open high schools. As I grew older, I had grown into a tall, handsome and handsome half-grown child, and Li Yue had also become a slim girl. I don't know when it started, there was a special emotion between Li Yue and me, but none of us had the courage to break that layer of window paper.
In 1972, my high school life ended. Although Li Yue and I had excellent grades, we had to go home to farm because the university stopped taking admissions exams in those years. When I first got home, I was very depressed, I was not good at farm work since I was a child, and I was always clumsy when I worked with my family, and I was not even satisfied with myself. Moreover, I have been in school for many years, and I am full of yearning for the outside world, and I am not willing to work as a farmer in the village for the rest of my life.
Li Yue saw my troubles and asked me out to enlighten me a few times. But since we were still young and she felt very uncertain about the future, it didn't help my restless mood much.
The head of our village is a distant uncle of mine, who is also one of the few college students in our village, who usually has a good relationship with my parents and often praises me for being smart and studious.
I remember that day he came to my house in a hurry and said to my parents, "The town has given the village three places to be soldiers, ask Xiaowei if he is willing to go?" ”
Before my parents could speak, I quickly said "I do" happily, and then my parents and uncle discussed it and registered me.
The next day, my uncle took me to the town on a motorcycle to go through the official registration procedures, and the subsequent medical examination and other procedures went very smoothly.
In 1992, I became an honorable soldier.
Before I officially enlisted in the army, I asked Xiaomei to the creek in the east of the village and showed her my love, Xiaomei was very happy and shy, and I promised her that after I was discharged from the army, I would come back to marry her.
My place of service is in the vast desert region of the northwest, and the train goes all the way to the west, allowing me to appreciate the magnificence of the border of the motherland.
The life of the recruit company is hard and fulfilling, but there is also a lot of laughter, and the squad leaders and veterans are very caring for us and help us quickly grow into qualified soldiers.
After the training of the recruit company, I was assigned to the armored unit, I obeyed the command, trained hard, and quickly adapted to the life of the army.
After a year of service in the army, I was promoted to squad leader. I wrote to Xiaomei about the good news, and she was sincerely happy for me and encouraged me to behave well in the army, and she would take care of the two old people.
With Xiaomei's encouragement, my performance in the army became more and more outstanding, because I was a college student with a high level of education, and I actively participated in some writing and propaganda work in the company and even in the regiment, and the leaders were quite satisfied with me.
One day in 1993, Company Commander Zhang called me to his office, said that the new policy had come down, and asked me if I would like to apply for a military school.
I hurriedly replied that if I met the conditions, I would be very willing, but I was afraid that my studies would delay my work.
Company Commander Zhang said: At present, the troops need high-quality commanders, and it is possible to take both study and work into account.
I hurriedly said happily that I would follow the organization's arrangement.
I wrote to Xiaomei with excitement about the idea of applying for a military school, and Xiaomei said that she fully supported me and was willing to wait for me all the time, and she would take care of the two old people.
Xiaomei also told me in the letter that she worked as a substitute teacher in the village primary school, and she liked the job very much.
When I received Xiaomei's reply, I was very excited, and I had to redouble my efforts for Xiaomei's affection and for Company Commander Zhang's appreciation.
Later, after research, Lianli transferred me to the company to work as a clerical worker, and my study time was more sufficient.
A month before the military academy examination, Company Commander Zhang reported to the regiment for approval and asked me to take time off work to prepare for the exam.
After the exam, I was admitted to a key military academy in China.
I specifically found Company Commander Zhang, bowed deeply to him, and sincerely thanked this leader and mentor.
After several years of studying in a military academy, I have mastered a wealth of military theoretical knowledge, tempered my will, broadened my horizons, and determined to contribute more to the country.
After graduating from the military academy, under my application, the organization assigned me back to work in the old army, and Company Commander Zhang had been promoted, and I called him to report my situation.
After taking up the leadership post at the grassroots level of the army, I aspired to become an excellent soldier and leader like Company Commander Zhang.
In the following years of my military career, I was strict with myself, did my job well, cared about grassroots soldiers, and paid attention to discovering and cultivating talents, and more than 20 people were recommended by me to apply for military schools and were admitted.
After graduating from military school, I took the opportunity to go home to visit relatives and held a marriage ceremony with Xiaomei, fulfilling my promise to her: hold the hand of my son, grow old with my son, and live forever. After getting married, Xiaomei and I faced the choice of living separately or joining the army. After several discussions with Xiaomei, Xiaomei still decided to separate the two places first, she said that we are still young, and we will be together for a long time in the future, and the elderly on both sides are not in good health and need to be taken care of, and she is reluctant to take care of the children at school.
In this way, Xiaomei and I lived apart for a few more years. In the past few years, our son has fallen to the ground, Xiaomei has also become a full-time teacher, and my position in the army has also been promoted many times.
In 97, I formally applied to the organization for retirement, and transferred to work in a prefecture-level city in southwest Shandong with a regimental position. In the new unit, although I no longer wear military uniforms, I still strictly demand myself according to the standards of a soldier in many aspects, obey orders, dare to take responsibility, be willing to contribute, and treat others sincerely, and the excellent qualities of these soldiers will accompany me throughout my life. After I was demobilized, with the help of the organization, Xiaomei's work was also transferred to a school in the city, and we were finally reunited. My son also responded to my call and joined the army while in college, completing the inheritance of our two generations of military complex.
In 2013, I took a leave of absence as a deputy department and officially retired two years later. Now I am with my wife Xiaomei, enjoying my old age, and I am very satisfied with life. Looking back on the first half of my life, I am grateful to my parents, brothers and sisters for their love for me, my uncle in the village and Lian Commander Zhang for being a good leader, and my wife Xiaomei. Without their care and encouragement, my life would not have been so smooth and happy.
I am also grateful to the fiery military camp, which has exercised my strong physique and strong will, which has benefited me a lot.