Editor's Note: The delegates to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are outstanding Party members with remarkable achievements. They are selected from and trusted by more than 96 million members and more than 4.9 million grass-roots organizations of the CPC, embodying the pioneering nature of the CPC and carrying the expectations of the Chinese people. China Military Online is publishing a series of stories to elaborate the outstanding deeds of some delegates.
Since joining the PLA 16 years ago, Weng Chunfang, a battalion commander in a brigade of the Strategic Support Force, has been staying on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau to guard the communication lines for national defense.
Weng's battalion is entrusted with the task of maintaining a trunk communication line for national defense which stretches hundreds of kilometers and reaches an altitude of more than 4,000m at most. Rush repairing the communication line on the plateau is not easy due to the extremely harsh natural environment and frequent geological disasters like debris flow and landslide. Weng and his men usually carry out emergency repairing tasks in such a harsh environment.
How to boost the soldiers' morale and make them devoted to the mission of maintenance of the national defense communication line on the plateau? "We CPC Party members and officers must take the lead and set a good example. I tell myself that whatever I ask my men, I must do it first – be their lead and example," Weng gives his answer to this question.
In the summer of 2017, the water level at the Lancang River rose sharply due to days of rainstorm, and the optical cable poles were destroyed by the waves. Weng, a company commander at that time, and his men rushed to repair the poles. It was the flood season, with gales bellowing on the river and torrents roaring under the feet, Weng climbed up the wire pole and inched toward the center of the river. After three days of unremitting efforts, more than ten breakpoints were all recovered and communication signals went back online again.
As Weng Chunfang recalled, "it was an urgent situation. The environment was really dangerous. But for us signalmen, the communication lines are like the life lines and keeping them on is the precondition for winning battles. There was no time or room for fear at that moment. All I knew is that as the company commander, I must stand up and took the lead to fulfill the dangerous task and get the line back in operation at any cost."
Numerous emergency situations like this have made Weng Chunfang the most trustworthy commander for his comrades-in-arms. He often tells his men that signalmen stationed on the plateau must be as sturdy as the yaks, and that keeping the national defense communication line running smoothly is more of a responsibility, a mission than just a duty.
Speaking of his being selected as a delegate to the 20th CPC National Congress, Weng said with determination, "As the country comes to the new era and embarks on a new journey, I will fulfill my duties with dedication and continue to work diligently on the plateau to realize my value as a soldier in the ordinary position of communication line patrol."