Military Academy Image Ambassadors Encourage Young Students to Dedicate Themselves to National Defense

Military Academy Image Ambassadors Encourage Young Students to Dedicate Themselves to National Defense——

"Welcome to the Military Camp to Let Your Youthful Dreams Take Flight"

■ PLA Daily Reporter Li Lin, Contributing Reporters Hou Rong and Wu Xu

Military academy image ambassadors pose for a photo with young students. Photo by Tian Yuxin.

Early summer in the river city, rain falling like silk threads. On the campus of the Naval University of Engineering, immersed in the fresh fragrance of grass and trees, an exchange event between military academy image ambassadors and young students was unfolding with great enthusiasm.

Entering the university's auditorium, the words "Youth in Dialogue with Youth" (青春与青春对话) stood out prominently on the large screen behind the stage. Below the stage, student representatives from the Naval University of Engineering, the Information Support Force Engineering University, and the Air Force Early Warning Academy were seated in orderly rows, along with student representatives from multiple high schools in Wuhan, Hubei Xiantao High School, Hubei Xiangyang No. 5 High School, Anhui Qianshan Yezhai High School, and Ningxia Guyuan No. 2 High School.

The central figures of this dialogue were military academy image ambassadors from the front lines of combat training and war preparation: Dai Tianjiao, the 40th political instructor of the "Liu Laozhuang Company"; Liu Yueming, deputy commanding officer of the Nanchang warship; Chen Siqi, captain of the Y-20; Song Lingdong, astronaut of Shenzhou-19; Wang Xiaoze, the 14th political instructor of the "Counter-Terrorism Vanguard Squadron"; and Zhu Jiahong, sniper of the People's Armed Police Second Mobile Corps.

Stepping onto the podium, Dai Tianjiao's opening words immediately transported everyone's thoughts back to the brutal battle fought 82 years ago: "82 martyrs held their position to the death, exchanging their blood and lives for the glory of victory. The glorious tradition they left behind is something our generation of soldiers must never abandon." Drawing on his 12 years of experience rooted at the grassroots level, Dai Tianjiao said that carrying forward the red gene (红色基因) is not about shouting slogans, but about manifesting itself in the charge and struggle of routine training and major missions, time and again.

Amid warm applause, a student from the Information Support Force Engineering University rose to ask: "Soldiers and officers in the new era are open-minded and broadly informed—what does the company rely on to unite its personnel and inspire everyone to stand together and strive without letup?"

"In our company, every soldier has their own unique number; mine is 6371." Dai Tianjiao told the young students: "Everyone around you is pushing hard, and that invisible 'g-force' (推背感) will push you forward with full strength. This is precisely our company spirit (连魂)—as long as life endures, the fight never stops."

If Dai Tianjiao's youth was defined by "taking root at the grassroots," then Liu Yueming's youth was defined by "pressing into the deep blue."

Liu Yueming's account of the Yemen evacuation was gripping: a dock crane was struck by a stray bullet, an explosion erupted at close range, and they faced mortal danger at any moment. "Confronting the fires of war and rescuing trapped compatriots made me truly feel the immense weight of the burden a soldier carries on their shoulders!" Liu Yueming said.

Asked about the experience that had influenced him most during his time at the military academy, he paused briefly before answering: "Two months of long-distance navigation training—the spirit of unity and the conviction of certain victory forged in that harsh environment have sustained me as I press into every stretch of deep blue. Guarding the peace of our homeland and nation—every sacrifice is worth it."

Chen Siqi took the stage with a smile: "When I was a child, every summer vacation I loved soaking in the Naval University of Engineering's swimming pool—today counts as a return to familiar ground." His humorous words instantly lightened the atmosphere in the hall. But the moment the conversation turned to flight missions, Chen Siqi's expression became immediately grave: "Orders are as immovable as mountains. Whenever the mission demands it, we must be ready to take off at any time."

A third-year high school student raised their hand to ask: "I failed the pilot recruitment exam this time—does that mean I have no connection with the military?" Chen Siqi's reply was full of encouragement: "There are countless paths to serving the nation in uniform. A single setback is absolutely not the end. The battle eagle soars, but it cannot do so without countless hands lifting it aloft. Hold fast to your passion, and you will find the combat position (战位) that belongs to you."

From sky to space—this is not merely an extension of distance, but an extension of responsibility and an expansion of mission. The four words "zero margin for error" (万无一失) are deeply imprinted on Song Lingdong's youth.

Song Lingdong shared with everyone his journey of struggle from a rural youth to an astronaut: "There are no shortcuts to flying into space. One hundred and eighty-three days in orbit, three spacewalks—every precise operation was honed through tens of thousands of repetitive training sessions on the ground." As he described gazing down at the blue planet through the porthole and the magnificent sight of the space station, Earth, and the Moon all in frame as the robotic arm extended, the eyes of every young student in the hall shimmered with longing.

A student from the national defense class at Qianshan Yezhai High School pressed further, asking whether astronauts encounter danger while traveling through space. Song Lingdong gave an example: "During one landing operation, I nearly touched the wrong button by mistake—it was a split-second reaction in a fraction of a second that averted the danger. Only by maintaining reverence can one move forward steadily and far."

Like the astronauts, the youth of counter-terrorism fighters is also frequently accompanied by the challenge of pushing limits to the extreme.

Wang Xiaoze's voice was not loud, yet every word carried immense weight: "There is no buffer zone on the counter-terrorism battlefield. Our creed is 'pursue the utmost, challenge the extreme' (追求极致，挑战极限)!" After Zhu Jiahong took the stage, he shared his experience of winning honor for the nation on the international competition field: "That competition changed foreign judges' perception of Chinese snipers—that made me immensely proud!"

A student who had transferred from the People's Armed Police into the Naval University of Engineering asked the image ambassadors on stage for guidance on leading troops. Zhu Jiahong's answer was concise and plain: "During your time at the academy, proactively temper your management abilities—be rock-solid in physical fitness, professional skills, and troop leadership alike. Once you take up your post, you will certainly be able to build a rock-solid unit."

Six people, six paths. From land to the distant seas, from sky to outer space—the military academy image ambassadors used their individual paths of growth to answer one and the same question: where should youth shine.

As the exchange event concluded and the crowd gradually dispersed, this reporter noticed that Wang Xibo, a first-year student at the Naval University of Engineering, had been surrounded by several high school students in the corridor. One student asked him: "How can I put on that dashing ocean-white uniform like you?"

The scene was heartwarming. When the 2025 "Youth in Dialogue with Youth" event was held, Wang Xibo had been one of the students sitting below the stage asking questions. At that event, the invitation extended by the military academy image ambassadors—"We are waiting for you at China's military academies"—had been deeply imprinted in his heart. One year later, he successfully passed the military academy entrance examination and kept his appointment as promised.

In the 2025 graduation season, nearly 135,000 young students across the country chose military academies when filling out their college entrance examination preferences, and 16,900 had their wishes fulfilled—Wang Xibo was one of them. From "being summoned" to "doing the summoning," he completed a transformation of roles in the span of one year. And this is precisely where the greatest value of the "Youth in Dialogue with Youth" activity lies—completing the relay of youthful aspirations through every exchange and interaction.

This year, 22 military academies will once again welcome 17,500 new students who carry their dreams with them. In the next graduation season, there will still be someone standing at the podium, dressed in military uniform, saying to even more young people: "Welcome to the military camp to let your youthful dreams take flight!"