one salute, two generations of patriotism
2024-09-23
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on the evening of september 21, in tianjin, ashar nurtai from the xinjiang armed police corps saluted his father's photo at the "write the splendor of youth on the land of the motherland" ideological and political course online theme promotion and interactive guidance activity held at nankai university. photo by tian jiashuo
ashar nurtai often tells reporters about two moments.
the first moment was on june 26, 1998, when ashar's father, xinjiang anti-terrorist policeman nurtai anivalbek, died in a mission to capture terrorists. ashar was only two years old at the time, and his father left only a "vague" impression in his memory.
the second moment was in july 2018. ashar, 22, served in the armed police force. that year, the huaihe river basin suffered from floods. the rescue team was about to set off, but ashar found that he was not on the list of flood relief teams. he was very excited, picked up a piece of paper, and quickly wrote a "letter of request" to apply for disaster relief on the front line.
twenty years later, ashar finally understood his father's decision. he wrote in his childish handwriting: "now that disaster has struck, people's lives and property are in danger. as a soldier, how can i stay out of it? i am willing to fight for the people and the country."
on the evening of september 21, at the "write the splendor of youth on the land of the motherland" online theme promotion and interactive guidance activity of the ideological and political course held at nankai university, ashar talked about his understanding of his father at that moment. he said that his father's heroic fight seemed to be a split-second decision, but "for a policeman who has participated in more than 40 battles and hunted more than 130 criminals, it is his instinct to stand up in the face of danger."
ashar had complained about his father countless times. in the second grade of primary school, the school assigned him to write an essay titled "my dad", but he could only write about the father in the photo. on the stage of nankai university, a young actor performed his childhood thoughts: "i don't understand, are my comrades more important than my mother and me?"
at the meeting, a loving voiceover replied: "when you grow up, you will understand the meaning of your father's sacrifice."
"i have dreamt of this conversation countless times," said ashar.
however, in reality, he could not get a clear answer and could only find the answer through each moment.
when he was a child, he went to a clothing store with his cousin to buy clothes. his cousin chose ultraman, but he fell in love with the camouflage uniform at first sight, "because that was my father's color." when he applied for the college entrance examination in 2015, he wanted to apply for the people's public security university of china, but his mother, considering his safety, did not want him to take this path. he understood, but still filled in the "law" major for all five choices. in his opinion, this was a preparation for him to become a people's policeman in the future. later, he was admitted to the law department of nankai university. in 2017, during the college student recruitment season, he again proposed to join the army. this time his mother agreed. in the special operations team, he gave up being a sniper with a more heroic aura and chose to be a bomb disposal soldier, "just hoping to be on the front line when facing any danger."
before joining the army in 2017, nankai university organized eight newly enlisted college students to study "xi jinping's seven years as an educated youth". the eight students unanimously decided to write a letter to president xi jinping. on september 23 of that year, xi jinping wrote back to the eight college students, expressing his satisfaction with their passion to serve the country and encouraging them to display their talents and temper themselves into steel.
after serving for two years, ashar returned to nankai university to complete his university studies. in the 2021 graduation season, he once again set his sights on the military camp and signed up for the direct recruitment selection for the command and management post of the xinjiang corps of the armed police force.
now, after serving in the xinjiang corps of the people's armed police for three years, his footsteps have overlapped more with his father's.
during every festival, he always patrols the airport, watching the passengers coming and going, witnessing families reuniting and lovers hugging each other, thinking of his father who once worked at a job, also "making one family unhappy" in exchange for "making thousands of families happy." "our profession plays such a fundamental role in social development," ashar said.
in kazakh legends, "ashar" is a majestic mountain. many members of ashar's family have served in the military. "my goal is to become a person like my father and grandfather, and to continue to make my own contribution to the harmony and stability of xinjiang," he told reporters.
he likes to read about the deeds of nankai university's predecessors and heroes, and is particularly impressed by the story of former president zhang boling, who "sacrificed his son for the country". in 2019, he returned to school after completing his two-year compulsory military service and carried out patriotic propaganda on campus. now, he has returned to campus as a graduate of nankai university and an active-duty police officer of the armed police force, and is influencing young people with his personal experience. "i think this is also a kind of inheritance," he said.
returning to campus, he wants to tell today's young students, "if you decide what to pursue from the beginning, you must pursue it firmly."
his father was only 29 years old when he died. he was posthumously awarded the title of "national public security system second class hero model" by the ministry of public security. this medal has been kept by ashar's mother. before returning to xinjiang to work, his mother gave him the medal. he felt that it was full of his mother's expectations.
on the evening of september 21, with the help of ai technology, the photo of ashar's father moved. in the photo, nurtai aniwarbek, wearing a green military uniform, smiled at his son. ashar turned around, faced his father on the screen, and saluted with a standard military salute. "dad, your son has grown up and become a man like you, a steely guard like you." with the help of new technology, the father in the photo saluted him back.
china youth daily and china youth network reporter guo yujie and trainee reporter cao wei source: china youth daily
(source: china youth daily)
