news

Sentry guards on duty at the apron. Photo by Zhao Zhiyuan

Although it was already night, in a hot and humid environment, the reporter could still feel the heat waves steaming under his feet. Liao Yuanfei, a cadre of the guard company of a certain station of the Eastern Theater Air Force, inspected the last post at the entrance and exit of the apron and took the reporter into the airport.

"'Three Reservoirs and One Ping' is the focus and key area of ​​security for the Air Force aviation corps, and is also an important point of alert and defense," Liao Yuanfei introduced to reporters as he walked.

"Stop, command!" As the loud command sounded, a beam of light quickly shot towards the reporter, and two sentinels vigilantly observed everything around them. Liao Yuanfei immediately responded, and the sentry let him go only after the command was correct.

Looking at the two sentries shrouded in dim light, the reporter felt a little confused: Why are there sentries next to the fighter plane?

"Airport sentries are not just simply standing guard on duty." Fu Shaowei, the squad leader, told reporters while checking the aircraft, "Whether the tarpaulin is in place, whether the wheel seals are intact, whether the air inlet plug is tight, whether the discharge brushes are damaged... We sentries have to check carefully to have a clear understanding of the situation."

Liao Yuanfei told reporters that Fu Shaowei has been guarding the War Eagle at his post for 11 years. If the steel gun is the "second life" of the sentinel, then the War Eagle is their "first comrade-in-arms."

After checking the plane, Fu Shaowei's face was covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat. As a veteran, Fu Shaowei knows the duty environment very well: in the dog days of summer, the ground is exposed to the sun all day, and the accumulated heat reaches its peak at night, so the clothes will soon get soaked when standing guard. When there is a flight mission, the huge noise, the exhaust with the smell of aviation fuel, and the heat wave of the engine are even more of a test; in winter, the howling wind is unobstructed, as if it can pierce the cotton clothes and take away the heat. Many comrades will get frostbite in winter, which is painful and itchy.

The reporter looked at his watch and it was already past 1 a.m., and everything was quiet. Liao Yuanfei told the reporter that for the sentinels, the quieter the night, the more they need to be vigilant.

"We must remain highly vigilant to any disturbance around us and always pay attention to various abnormal situations. After standing guard for a long time, many officers and soldiers have developed a pair of 'eagle eyes'." Liao Yuanfei pointed to Corporal Yuan Ziyang who was on duty and said that during a patrol, Yuan Ziyang discovered a suspicious target in time and successfully handled a special situation.

During the conversation, the reporter learned that the station focuses on the needs of the troops' combat effectiveness construction, and regularly holds activities such as "Eagle Shield Lecture Hall" and "Dialogues between New and Old Soldiers" to ensure that all officers and soldiers are aware of the combat readiness situation, remember their job responsibilities, and master the handling procedures; they carry out training closely based on real cases and scenes, and conduct regular training without scripts throughout the process to improve the sentinels' ability to deal with emergencies and confrontation skills.

At 2 a.m., it was time to change guards. New recruit Wu Zhanhong followed the squad leader to the sentry post. Wu Zhanhong was a "second-time enlisted" recruit, and this was his first night guard duty after joining the company. Not long after he took the post, a steady stream of sweat gathered on his face and slowly dripped from his chin.

"The guards at the airport have many duty stations and are very demanding in dealing with emergencies. This requires us to not only develop strong duty skills, but also have a strong sense of responsibility." Yuan Ziyang, who had just finished his duty, told reporters, "Every time we are on duty, we must carefully inspect every corner of the duty area and effectively play the role of the 'nerve endings' of airport security control to ensure that the combat and training missions are foolproof."

At about 3:00 a.m., the reporter returned to the camp by car. There were lights on both sides of the road.

Pointing to the "late-night canteen" that is getting closer and closer, Liao Yuanfei told reporters: "In recent years, we have turned unused rooms into 'late-night canteens', preparing nutritious meals according to the needs of officers and soldiers to ensure that officers and soldiers eat healthily and eat to enhance their combat effectiveness."

Milk, egg tarts, steamed buns, siomai, cooling drinks... Looking at the rich food in the insulated box, Liao Yuanfei said with emotion: "The logistics support conditions have been greatly improved, and everyone is more motivated to work hard."

In recent years, the company's officers and soldiers have focused on new combat support models and actively participated in major tasks such as off-site training support, verifying the feasibility of relevant plans and combat effectiveness in an environment close to actual combat. In response to the shortcomings exposed by the training missions, they expanded the content of front-line special situation handling training, from emergency dispatch to encirclement and annihilation of the enemy, from airport alert to control and evidence collection, and continuously improved their combat skills through special training.

Liao Yuanfei told reporters that the soldiers of the guard company are always in two states: fighting and preparing for battle. In recent years, the garrison conditions of the troops have greatly improved, and "hard work" has also acquired new and rich connotations. Over the years, generations of "watchers" have been concentrating on practicing combat skills, and the loyalty of guarding the war eagles will never fade or deteriorate.

When the first rays of sunlight in the morning passed over the horizon, the war eagles in the distance were bathed in a golden glow, majestically arrayed, ready to fly...

(This article was published in the "News" section of the "Liberation Army Daily" on August 13, 2024, with some minor deletions; cover image source: Liberation Army Daily）