An "Off-Topic" Professional Tutoring Session Inspires Young Cadets to Press Forward on the Road to Strengthening the Military
Not long ago, a professional tutoring session on the theme of "Communications Equipment Hands-On Operation and Fault Diagnosis" was successfully held in the study room of a certain battalion at the People's Armed Police Coast Guard Academy. The two veteran squad leaders invited to instruct, Zhang Jianzhou and Yu Xingwang, are regarded by officers and soldiers as living encyclopedias of communications.
In the classroom, the two squad leaders followed the established plan and imparted to the cadets the valuable experience accumulated over years of practical operations, covering topics such as hands-on techniques for communications equipment, handling of common faults, and professional skills development. But as the instruction progressed, the topics shared gradually drifted off the preset "track."
"Everyone, look—this is my 'old comrade-in-arms' from when I first enlisted." Squad Leader Zhang Jianzhou held up an equipment model bearing the marks of years of use, his fingertips gently tracing the worn casing, his words full of warmth. In the past, communications equipment was heavy and cumbersome; a minor circuit contact failure could cause an information blackout. But he and his comrades overcame every difficulty, devoted themselves to studying the equipment, and successfully completed every support mission. Squad Leader Zhang, while marveling at the pace of equipment development, carefully introduced to the cadets the circuit principles, parameter calibration, and operating techniques of new-type equipment.
Professional knowledge woven into real stories brought dry principles to life. As the discussion deepened, Zhang Jianzhou spoke about his feelings after more than 30 years of military service. "When I first enlisted, I also had thoughts of 'switching positions,'" Zhang Jianzhou admitted frankly. At first, he felt that the communications post meant spending every day with circuits, keys, and code—no surging blood of charging into battle, no heart-pounding real combat confrontations—and over time, he lacked inner motivation.
It was not until an emergency support mission that Zhang Jianzhou, drawing on his proficient professional skills, cleared a communications fault at a critical moment and won precious time for the mission's successful completion. In that instant, he suddenly understood the mission of the communications soldier as the "eyes that see a thousand li, ears that hear with the wind" (千里眼、顺风耳)—on a battlefield without gunsmoke, communications is the lifeline. "Doing one's job, loving one's job, mastering one's job—this is not a slogan but a day-after-day perseverance, a pursuit of continuous improvement." The veteran squad leader's words were plain and unadorned, yet thought-provoking.
"In communications work, a hair's breadth of error leads to a thousand li of divergence." The other veteran squad leader, Yu Xingwang, picked up the thread, pointing to the communications circuit diagram on the screen and speaking in a grave tone: "A single keystroke misoperation, a deviation in one set of data, damage to one circuit line—any of these could affect the entire mission, and may even bear on the safety of comrades."
Yu Xingwang recalled that one year, while executing a far-sea support mission, the communications equipment suffered a sudden fault and the signal was cut off. He and his comrades, braving howling winds and enormous waves, traced the fault in a pitching ship's cabin—fingers cut by circuits, foreheads bruised by equipment—and never gave up, ultimately restoring communications within the allotted time. "At that moment I understood that love for one's post and loyalty to one's mission can sustain us through adversity and enable us to break through in the face of challenges."
The atmosphere in the classroom quietly shifted. The cadets put down their pens and looked up to listen intently. Their eyes moved from initial traces of puzzlement, slowly to focused attention and being moved, and then to resolve. There was no hollow preaching, no forced indoctrination. The veteran squad leaders used their own personal experiences of growing from ordinary soldiers into professional backbone personnel to guide the young cadets toward a correct understanding of their specialty, their posts, and their own growth.
Time passed without anyone noticing. This "off-track" professional session not only never fell flat but left the cadets wanting more. After the bell rang to end class, everyone continued to crowd around the two veteran squad leaders with unending questions.
"The veteran squad leaders' instruction goes deeper into the heart and is more satisfying than pure technical explanation—it grasps the very essence of educating people," the battalion leadership stated frankly. Professional instruction must not only impart solid skills but must also cultivate firm conviction. Without firm conviction and love for one's post, even the most refined technique is difficult to bring into full effect.
As the sun set in the west, its afterglow spread across the garrison. The cadets walked out of the study room and strode with firm steps toward the training ground. The veteran squad leaders' words had planted in the young cadets' hearts the seeds of steadfast commitment and a sense of responsibility, inspiring them to press forward with courage on the road to strengthening the military.