Visiting the air defense platform of a certain brigade of the Eastern Theater Air Force
2024-08-07
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On the top of the mountains: I watch the war eagle sail away
——Visiting the air defense station of a certain brigade of the Eastern Theater Air Force
■ Qi Jisheng Liberation Army Daily reporter Li Lidi
"Look, that's the anti-aircraft platform!"
Standing on the side of the runway of an airport of a brigade of the Eastern Theater Command Air Force Aviation Corps, the reporter looked in the direction of the finger pointed by An Zhiyuan, the instructor of the brigade's communications company - a faint reflective spot was faintly visible at the highest point of the mountains.
An Zhiyuan told reporters that the air defense station is stationed on the highest mountain in the vicinity, with only three soldiers, but they are responsible for the heavy task of ground-to-air communication support. Fighter planes rely on it to guide takeoff and patrol the air, and ground commanders rely on it to transmit orders. It is a relay station for ground command and communication between aircraft in the air.
Soldiers on the air defense platform held a flag-raising ceremony. Photo by Li Zhirui
Driving to the air defense station "scout post", the mountain road along the way is winding, with lush trees on one side and steep cliffs on the other side, giving people a feeling of "ice and fire". The car also carries the dishes and other daily necessities needed by the air defense station soldiers.
After driving for more than 20 minutes, two lines of large characters on the mountain, "Living in the mountains without complaining, willing to devote youth to strengthening the army" came into view. An Zhiyuan told reporters that the anti-aircraft station was coming. Sure enough, after turning a sharp corner, a three-story building on the top of the mountain appeared in sight.
Although it is located in the south of the Yangtze River, the natural environment and climate conditions on the top of the mountain are not poetic at all. Qu Manlong, director of the Space Observatory, told reporters: "The temperature difference between day and night is large here, and it is normal to have strong winds for dozens of consecutive days. The highest temperature in summer often exceeds 40℃; in the coldest winter, the temperature is close to minus 20℃." The reporter glanced at the thermometer - it was noon and the temperature had reached 42℃.
However, for them, the biggest challenge of the dog days of summer is not the heat, but the thunder and lightning.
A few days ago, one evening, the weather suddenly changed, with lightning and thunder. Qu Manlong and two of his comrades immediately rushed to the computer room, unplugged all the antennas, remote control wires, grounding wires, and network cable connectors of all the equipment, cut off the power supply of all the equipment, and then pulled down the main power switch, and carried out lightning protection shutdown according to the operating procedures.
Qu Manlong, who has been stationed at the air defense station for more than 10 years, is familiar with lightning protection and shutdown work. He told reporters that the station has frequent thunderstorms and the air defense station is the highest point in the surrounding terrain, so the risk of lightning strikes is extremely high. On a rainy night not long ago, the power switch of the air defense station was damaged by lightning. They urgently contacted their comrades in the electrician class of the barracks unit, who rushed to repair it overnight, which ensured the normal flight training the next day.
"Equipment safety is very important, and personal safety must not be taken lightly. One of our comrades was once knocked unconscious by lightning." Qu Manlong recalled that not long after he went up the mountain, a corner of the stone house was struck by lightning, and he still has lingering fears.
The sentry posts here are different. Although you don't need to stand upright at the sentry post, you still need to have a sharp eye and high concentration; although you don't need to face the scorching sun and sweat profusely, you still need to face the test of harsh natural environment and heavy duty tasks.
"The plane is ready" "Received"... Walking into the engine room, the conversations between the ground commander and the pilot can be heard from time to time. The check-in clerk, First Sergeant Shen Jin, stares at the screen, paying close attention to the equipment operation at all times to ensure smooth air-ground communication.
Walking out of the machine room, a corridor behind the activity room on the second floor caught the reporter's attention. Qu Manlong opened the door of the corridor and said to the reporter: "The other end of the corridor is the stone house where we used to live. It is also a special witness to the history of the development of the air station. When the new building was built, the stone house was preserved intact."
"When I first went up the mountain, there were only these two simple houses made of stones, and the activity area on the mountain was less than 100 square meters." Qu Manlong pointed to the stone house and told reporters that the conditions were difficult at that time, the living conditions were simple, and it was even more difficult to travel. There was only a path built by the soldiers with shovels and pickaxes to go up and down the mountain. In summer, thorns and vines grew wildly on both sides of this narrow path. Everyone had to bring machetes and clear the way as they went up and down the mountain. Under such transportation conditions, the soldiers could only carry supplies on their shoulders.
Before going up the mountain, Qu Manlong could not help but imagine the air when he heard the name "air defense station". In his imagination, the air defense station has a beautiful environment, is quiet and comfortable, and is an ideal choice for new recruits to join the company.
Once he got up the mountain, he was surprised by the reality. Walking on the mountain road and carrying supplies was a novelty once or twice, but it became exhausting after a long time. In his spare time, his comrades at the foot of the mountain played football and ran on the playground to relieve their fatigue. They could only walk around the small space.
Recalling that experience, Qu Manlong said with deep feeling: "Loneliness is the poetry of air force personnel." At that time, he looked down at the mountain road under his feet and looked up at the high-flying fighter planes every day. He felt mixed emotions in his heart. Should I leave or stay? During that time, this question mark lingered in Qu Manlong's mind.
Later, the brigade organized the first lesson for the new recruits - "climbing an anti-aircraft platform". The new recruits were panting and climbed for more than two hours before reaching the top of the mountain. That day, Qu Manlong served as a tour guide and told the new recruits about the hard work of the predecessors of the anti-aircraft platform.
"Faced with the harsh environment, our ancestors took root on the mountain top with their unyielding perseverance, which is amazing." "I want to learn from the veterans of the air defense station and take root wherever they are needed."... Seeing the admiring eyes of the new recruits, Qu Manlong felt a sense of pride. At that moment, he secretly made up his mind: to stay and stand guard every shift to protect the fighter planes.
Some people say that in a place like the air defense station, "lying down is a contribution." But the soldiers of the air defense station don't think so. For them, "staying in the mountains is not a hero, but achieving results is glorious." Over the years, successive generations of officers and soldiers have always adhered to the belief that "the higher the mountain, the higher the standards; the fewer people, the heavier the responsibility; and the more dedication, the more contribution" and have made contributions based on their posts.
One winter, the mountain was blocked by heavy snow and supplies could not be delivered. The then station director Wang Wencheng led everyone to drink snow water, eat rice with soy sauce, and brave the cold wind to clear the snow again and again to ensure the normal operation of the station. Although the conditions were difficult, everyone never mentioned the word "hardship" in their calls with the company.
One summer night, the anti-aircraft radio station suddenly went offline. Qu Manlong, who was on duty, failed to repair the faulty parts, so he went down the mountain overnight, rushed back to the company to replace them, and immediately returned. It was not until two o'clock in the morning that communication was finally restored. It was not until then that his comrades discovered that Qu Manlong's arms and legs were scratched by thorns, but he looked at the equipment that restored the signal and smiled with satisfaction.
Talking about his past experiences, Qu Manlong told reporters: "As long as the fighter plane takes off and lands safely, everything we have done is worth it."
"The working and living conditions of the air defense station are very different from before!" Standing in front of the three-story building, Qu Manlong counted the changes on his fingers: a winding mountain road was built, so cars can go up and down the mountain without hindrance; the barracks were rebuilt, and air conditioners and heaters were installed, with all kinds of equipment; the station history museum and family housing were built, which completely ended the history of having to carry food, clothing and daily necessities on shoulders and hands...
As they were talking, a bright light suddenly flashed from the top of a tall building in the distance. Qu Manlong immediately became alert and told the new recruit Su Yeyang: "Report to the agency immediately and conduct an investigation for potential problems!"
"The air defense station is located at a commanding height, which makes it convenient to observe the surrounding situation. As long as we find any abnormalities, we will report to the authorities as soon as possible to ensure that the bottom line of safety and confidentiality is maintained." Qu Manlong told reporters.
Every morning, the air defense station soldiers start up the machine, debug the equipment, and stand by at any time... 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, they never stop guarding the "cloud post". For more than 50 years, the air defense station soldiers have adhered to their positions with a conscientious attitude and selfless dedication, ensuring that the quality rate is always above 96%, and have won 20 collective third-class merits and 19 individual third-class merits.
Standing on the top of the mountains, watching the war eagles take off and land lightly, Qu Manlong's eyes were full of pride: "Watching the war eagles sail far away is the meaning of our perseverance!"
Source: China Military Network-People's Liberation Army Daily
