Dialogue with Navy Senior Master Sergeant Wang Pengfei: Exploring the Spiritual Legacy of Submarine Officers and Sailors 'Fulfilling the Mission with Their Lives'

In the military history museum of a unit under the Northern Theater Command Navy, a letter with yellowed edges lies quietly behind a glass display case. The characters written in blue-black ink, after more than thirty years, still seem to press through the paper with force—this is a last letter written to his family by Dong Fusheng, a crew member of a submarine crew detachment in that unit, on the eve of carrying out a mission more than thirty years ago.

The paper is short, but the sentiment runs deep; every word carries the weight of a thousand pounds. The spirit of dedication embodied in this letter has always been forged into the bloodline of generation after generation of submarine officers and sailors. In this installment of "Traditions in Today's Discussion," we speak with Wang Pengfei, a crew member and Senior Master Sergeant (Grade 3) of the unit, to explore the spiritual legacy of submarine officers and sailors "fulfilling the mission with their lives."

Answer: Throughout the hundred-year history of the Party, many Communist Party members have left behind final letters, final poems, and final writings. Deng Zhenqian wrote in "Final Words from Prison": "No matter how many heads are cut off, the blood will never stop flowing"; Liu Shaonan wrote in "Song of Heroic Sacrifice": "One day, blood will be repaid with blood; a blade at the throat holds no fear"; Zhao Yiman, in her last letter to her son before her execution, said, "My child must continue the struggle in your mother's place"…

Such final words do not resemble an ending—they resemble a rebirth. They carry within them entrusted wishes, confidence, and strength. Countless successors, having felt the force of their convictions, followed the path they blazed, overcame one difficulty after another, won one victory after another, and ultimately welcomed the dawn.

This last letter carries the same meaning. It was written not only for family, not only for history, but also for us.

In the late 1980s, the predecessor unit of our formation organized an underwater deep-dive test of a certain type of submarine. Before carrying out this mission, the crew members who participated all prepared themselves to "fulfill the mission with their lives," and crew member Dong Fusheng wrote this last letter to his family.

There is one sentence in it that moved me deeply: "For society to progress and the nation to develop, it has always taken generation after generation pressing forward, shedding blood and sweat to make it happen. If we are to strive and advance, there must be sacrifice."

On the day of the test, the submarine slowly submerged beneath the water, and all crew members entered a state of intense combat readiness. As the depth gauge needle descended steadily, each compartment maintained close monitoring, reporting conditions once for every ten meters of descent. The depth continued to increase; the hull, under pressure, emitted low groans; the angle iron supporting the depth gauge silently deformed… In the face of a life-and-death test, every officer and sailor held their post like a rivet, operating with calm composure, until the test depth was reached and the mission was successfully completed.

Thereafter, the crew detachment, relying on the spirit of daring to sacrifice, successfully completed various missions on multiple occasions and was awarded the honorary designation "Underwater Vanguard Submarine" (水下先锋艇) by the Central Military Commission.

Question: What force enabled Dong Fusheng and his comrades to press forward without hesitation when facing the possibility of sacrifice?

Answer: A letter received by our unit last year can answer this question. The sender was the grandson of veteran predecessor Hao Jisheng, one of the 36 crew members of the first-vessel reception crew (接艇队) for a certain type of submarine in our unit.

We got in touch with Elder Hao, and from him we learned of that extraordinary period. More than fifty years ago, 36 officers and sailors were called to duty from across the country in a time of urgent need, forming the first-vessel reception crew for a certain type of submarine.

"Back then there were no computers—we could only grind away every day with abacuses and slide rules. At night we curled up on wooden plank beds, and even in our dreams we could hear the clatter of abacus beads." Elder Hao recalled that the day before the trial voyage, the political commissar gathered them together to write their last letters.

Hao Jisheng gripped his pen, his hand trembling slightly. A comrade patted him on the shoulder: "What's there to fear? If we really go under, the thirty-six of us will serve as ballast for the submarine." In the end, they successfully navigated that "steel leviathan" out toward the deep blue.

I believe that the willingness to sacrifice for the mission was not the choice of Dong Fusheng alone, nor only the choice of those 36 men. Generation after generation of revolutionary predecessors fused the spirit of loyalty, courage, and fearlessness in the face of sacrifice into the bloodline of the crew detachment through their actions—and that is why those who came after them press forward without hesitation and advance with courage when confronting severe trials.

Answer: Today, equipment is being updated and replaced at an accelerating pace, and the types of missions have also changed greatly—but the weight carried by the five characters "Underwater Vanguard Submarine" has not changed, and the drive of "advancing toward death to find life" (向死而生) must not change.

Before every important mission departure, we walk into the military history museum to draw strength from the spirit of our predecessors. We revisit the predecessors' last letters, reflect on the vow that "if we are to strive and advance, there must be sacrifice," and contemplate the inner journey of men who built achievements starting from nothing. If we were to shrink back when difficulties arise, how could we face these old predecessors?

Not long ago, we completed a long-duration voyage mission and were returning to port when a certain pipeline suddenly leaked, and high-pressure gas mixed with water mist instantly sprayed out. Senior Corporal (Grade 1) Chen Chao reached bare-handed for the valve and pressed down hard to seal the leak, holding it until the emergency was resolved. Afterward he said that at the time his mind held no other thought—he only knew that as long as the man was there, the submarine was there, and the mission was there.

Later, at a story-sharing session, he recounted this experience, and the audience below erupted in applause. I looked out at the young faces in the audience and felt that the course charted by our predecessors through their striving and dedication is being extended by us in relay, reaching ever further.