Squad Leader Gao Likes to "Seek Out Hardship"—He Says the "Joy Within the Hardship" Feels Solid and Happy

Squad Leader Gao Likes to "Seek Out Hardship"

■ Han Ying

"Squad Leader Gao—that man just loves to 'seek out hardship'!" When it comes to Gao Bo, a First-Grade Sergeant Major (一级军士长) in a service support battalion (勤务保障营) of a unit under the Information Support Force (信息支援部队), everyone's assessment is remarkably consistent.

Where does that come from? Second-Grade Sergeant Major (二级军士长) Li Bingxiao, who has fought alongside him for many years, is best placed to say: "When there's clearly an easier way, he insists on doing it the hard way; when clearly following the standard procedure would do, he insists on refining it further; when he's clearly reached an age where he could take a breather, he's always the one charging out front."

Gao Bo's hometown is Jinxiang, Shandong—the hometown of hero Wang Jie. The words "fear neither hardship nor death (一不怕苦、二不怕死)" were carved into his bones from childhood.

When he first enlisted, Gao Bo became a driver. In those years, driver was a coveted position, but Gao Bo had thoughts of "switching trades"—and the reason was simply that he could drive but couldn't repair. During one mission, a vehicle suddenly broke down. Gao Bo tinkered with it for a long time without finding the fault, but a maintenance technician fixed it in no time at all. In that moment, Gao Bo's face burned.

Before long, he submitted a transfer application to his superiors, requesting to work in the repair shop. His superior was puzzled: "Repair work is hard labor. You drive so well—why put yourself through that?" Gao Bo answered plainly: "I'm not afraid of hardship. Only by enduring hardship can you become an elite soldier and win battles."

After transferring to the equipment maintenance specialty, Gao Bo started from zero. Not understanding the principles, he followed the diagrams and disassembled and reassembled hundreds and thousands of parts, over and over. His skills were lacking, so for three consecutive years he made a four-hour round trip every weekend to attend classes at a military academy, and used his leave time to apprentice at a civilian repair shop. Comrades joked that he was "seeking hardship where there was none," but he laughed and replied: "Endure more hardship now, and you'll be able to hold the line when it really counts."

Today, from driving, maintenance, and servicing, to electrical welding, sheet metal and painting, lathe operation, bench work, and special equipment operation—anything related to vehicles, Gao Bo can handle it all.

Some say: as long as Squad Leader Gao is around, you feel at ease. Others say: at his age and with his seniority, following the standard procedure to complete tasks is enough—there's no need to keep enduring hardship.

But Gao Bo refuses. Early last year, he learned that a major mission was selecting equipment support personnel and would involve exposure to a great deal of new equipment and new concepts and methods. "Isn't this exactly the kind of good opportunity to build skills and broaden horizons?" Gao Bo signed up without hesitation.

During the collective training period, as the oldest sergeant in the unit, he competed side by side with young soldiers throughout. Every day he arrived at the vehicle park before dawn; after every training session, when everyone else had left, he would still be there inspecting and repairing equipment and working out ways to improve. Faced with others' bewilderment, he said: "The force is developing fast—it changes by the day. If I don't keep progressing, sooner or later I'll be left behind."

And so, Gao Bo cleared one hurdle after another and was successfully selected.

During a cross-region mobility exercise that year, a piece of equipment suddenly "broke down." When Gao Bo heard the news, he immediately led a team to the scene. Although the fault was quickly cleared, on the way back he kept his brow furrowed and said nothing. After a while, he suddenly spoke up: "Maintenance spare parts and support personnel can't keep up—this problem must be solved." A young soldier was taken aback: "We just need to complete our normal tasks. Why go looking for trouble?" Gao Bo grew agitated: "On the battlefield, things don't divide into yours and mine."

In the period that followed, Gao Bo worked from early morning to late at night, studying the principles of mechanical equipment, analyzing fault data from previous years, and sorting through high-frequency wear-prone components. He ultimately developed a portable maintenance first-aid kit (便携式维修急救包) covering more than 50 types of emergency spare parts for multiple types of equipment, which was warmly received by all.

Over the past two years, comrades around him have urged Gao Bo: "You're only a few years from retirement, and your energy isn't what it used to be—you can slow down." But Gao Bo has other plans: "I can't stop. I have to make the most of the time before I retire to develop more successors who can shoulder the heavy load."

And so, starting last year, Gao Bo broke down specialty barriers and opened a "use-and-repair dual-study (用修双学)" training class to develop professionals who can both drive and repair; he compiled and wrote an Equipment Maintenance and Servicing Manual (《装备维修保养手册》), turning complex theory into plain and accessible language; he uses battle-damaged components he has collected from actual operations as living teaching materials, guiding everyone hands-on through sensing faults, judging their causes, and carrying out repairs.

Late at night, Gao Bo's silhouette appears once again beside the equipment. The lamplight stretches his shadow long, illuminating this veteran soldier's decades of unwavering dedication. Some call him foolish for loving to "seek out hardship." He, with a face full of contentment, says: "This 'joy within the hardship (苦中之乐)' makes me feel solid—and happy."