From 'Following Along' to 'Going It Alone': A Sergeant's Growth Offensive During Field Garrison Training

This year's field garrison training (驻训), the company arranged for me to take part in managing garrison support tasks. Not just me—another eleven young non-commissioned officers were all pushed overnight to the front line of garrison training to 'shoulder the heavy load (挑大梁).'

After receiving the mission, my palms were sweating. In the years since I enlisted, I had always been learning by following behind the senior squad leaders and helping them get things done. Now, suddenly having to take independent responsibility, I felt uncertain inside.

At the pre-garrison mission briefing, the company commander told us about two incidents: last year during a cross-region exercise, a senior squad leader took emergency leave, and the young soldier who filled in lacked experience handling things independently, nearly affecting the progress of the mission; at the beginning of this year, during a combat readiness mobilization assessment (战备拉动考核), a squad leader was absent for personal reasons, and two young NCOs who temporarily stepped up made repeated procedural errors when faced with a circuit break and equipment malfunction.

'When a mission is at hand, the veterans can handle it, but the young backbone can't pick it up—that absolutely won't do,' Company Commander Yang said. 'The Party branch studied and decided that this garrison training, you will be at the front line, and the senior squad leaders will be responsible for mentoring and guidance, ready to step in and catch any problems at any time.'

And so I was designated to be responsible for camouflage and protection work. When I first took it on, I thought that setting up camouflage nets and fastening tarpaulins were things I had watched done countless times before and shouldn't be difficult. But when it actually came to leading the work independently, I discovered that 'having watched' and 'having done' are two entirely different things.

When camouflaging vehicles and equipment, I organized the work using the old methods. But when Squad Leader Ding Junde inspected, he kept shaking his head: the camouflage net setup had not accounted for the local vegetation background, and the color difference was obvious when viewed from above; several support poles were angled incorrectly, creating glaring reflection points in sunlight.

Squad Leader Ding pulled me aside, pointed to the natural tones of the distant hillside, and explained step by step how to observe terrain and ground features, and how to use vegetation texture for blended camouflage.

Afterward, Squad Leader Ding also brought me a copy of a 'Garrison Support Case Compilation (驻训保障案例汇编)' and required the group to meet daily and summarize each evening. From that point on, I placed greater emphasis on reflection and summary in my work, and whenever I had a free moment I would pester the squad leader with questions.

Before long, when I organized vehicle camouflage operations, I had some new ideas: the traditional tarpaulin binding used only a single rope, which was prone to coming loose on windy days, and securing different vehicle types was especially time-consuming. I led several comrades in repeated deliberation and experimentation, and worked out a 'three-layer fixing method (三层固定法).' Once applied, it was both secure and time-saving.

I went to Squad Leader Ding to verify it. He tried it out, and the tarpaulin didn't budge. Squad Leader Ding praised it: 'This method is good!' He proactively recommended it to the whole company. Several veteran drivers came specifically to learn it, and one remarked with feeling: 'Young people have nimble minds, they're willing to use their heads, and they can be of great use.'

In taking on important responsibilities, both I and my young comrades were growing. Corporal Wan Xiaolong, responsible for field fortification, initially failed to account for drainage and had to redo the work; he then re-studied the standards and was able to lay out positions both quickly and well. Corporal Qin Jianji repeatedly worked through practical drills to tackle the problem of poor communications in complex field terrain, and sorted out a reliable set of procedures for establishing temporary tactical relay stations (临时战术中继架设流程). The twelve of us each took the lead on a subject to tackle, and each week we proactively compiled lists of problems to report upward, forcing dynamic optimization of the training plan.

During this garrison training, a subtle change also came over the company's atmosphere. In the past, the senior squad leaders set the methods and we simply followed instructions. Now, at every after-action review, regardless of whether someone is a new or veteran soldier, everyone proactively asks the group: 'What do you think would work better?' The relationship between new and old has shifted from one-way transmission to two-way mutual learning. Discussion on the training ground has increased, and everyone's drive is stronger.

Not long ago, the garrison training site received an evaluative assessment (检验性考核). Our company's bivouac area layout was sound, emergency access routes were clear, and the inspection team from higher command gave a positive assessment. At the debrief, Company Commander Yang said: 'Young NCOs are never a reserve formation—they are the fresh combat power (生力军) for preparing for war and fighting.'