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 army nine years ago, Xiang Yuedong, a staff sergeant (Class II) assigned to a vehicle regiment of the Joint Logistic Support Force, has always been a top gun in his unit and devoted to promote the improvement of the combat effectiveness of the troops.
Once at a field training site, a convoy of the vehicle regiment which was carrying out a transportation support task marched slowly forward on a mountain road with many bends and steep slopes. The heavy rainfall for several consecutive days caused a section of the muddy mountain road to collapse. Xiang Yuedong took the initiative to drive the lead vehicle to explore a safe route, and he finally led the convoy to pass the dangerous mountain road smoothly.
Recalling his feeling when elected as a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, Xiang Yuedong said: "At first, I was very excited, but when getting calmed down, I came to a conclusion that a qualified delegate, first of all, should be a competent soldier. A delegate should never lose the fighting spirit of overcoming difficulties and dauntlessly charging forward. This is also our duty and mission as a soldier."
The unit in which Xiang Yuedong is serving was established in 1948. It is well known as a "heroic cavalry" which has gone through wars like the War of Liberation, and the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. Since the early days enlisted in the army, Xiang Yuedong has branded his bones the gene of fighting bravely and striving for the first place. In 2021, Xiang Yuedong and his comrades in arms participated in the International Army Games (IAG) for the first time on behalf of the Joint Logistic Support Force. Driving the 2.2-meter-wide command vehicle to move through dexterously a three-meter-wide 8-shaped road and firing accurately at targets 25 meters away while driving the vehicle, passing through the corridor-style limited passage... The moment he crossed the finish line, Xiang knew he had made it -- winning the first place in the captain race of the "Masters of Armored Vehicles" contest and breaking the record of the event.
Speaking of Xiang Yuedong, Luo Yunwei, commander of the battalion where Xiang serves, commented that, "He has participated in multiple important tasks, gained a lot of honors and developed excellent skills. He has always tried to integrate his experience with military training, and worked out many practical and effective training methods. Besides, he has trained a large number of excellent soldiers for the unit."
In Xiang Yuedong's view, as a Party member, he should charge ahead himself, while functioning to promote the overall combat effectiveness of the troops. In recent years, as the driver training coach in the regiment, he unreservedly passed on his valuable experience summarized over the years to his comrades in arms and trained more than 100 excellent drivers.
"My growth is inseparable from the Party's care. As a delegate of the 20th CPC National Congress, I will give full play to my own strength and competence to bring out more top soldiers and get prepared to win in real battles," said Xiang Yuedong.