Dog Days Sentinel | Above the Clouds: The Parachute Training Director Holds Fast to the "Safety Post"

Reporter Visits an Air Force Brigade's Parachute Training Site —— Above the Clouds: The Parachute Training Director Holds Fast to the "Safety Post"

■ Wang Baoqiang, PLA Daily Reporter Wang Yue | Illustrations: Fang Han

Liu Jie (right) inspects parachute equipment one person at a time. Photo by Long Hao

It is the height of the dog days (三伏), and the heat is at its peak. During a visit to an Air Force brigade, this reporter learned that the brigade has a special "safety post" (安全哨)—a post with no dedicated manning slot, no fixed sentry box, yet one whose "sentinel" appears on time for every parachute training mission. The brigade happened to be organizing a parachute drop exercise, so this reporter decided to go and see for himself.

On the airfield runway, the residual heat of burning aviation kerosene still lingered, washing over one's face on gusts of hot wind. After only a short walk, this reporter was drenched in sweat. The roar of fighter engines grew ever closer, and the officers and soldiers about to execute the parachute jump had already assembled under the blazing sun.

"When you're about to land, adjust your direction in time to prevent landing injuries…" Before this reporter had even reached the formation, a loud, resonant voice carried over.

"The one speaking is Liu Jie, the parachute training director—and the 'sentinel' of the 'safety post.'" A staff officer accompanying this reporter explained that Director Liu often says, "One end of the parachute cord is connected to our comrades' safety; the other end is connected to combat effectiveness." Whether in scorching summer or bitter winter, whenever parachute training is held and he is at the unit, he will without fail appear at the training site on time.

As they spoke, this reporter watched Liu Jie walk up to a soldier whose expression was taut with tension: "Feng Zhuo, how do you adjust for a crosswind landing?" The young soldier was momentarily nervous and stumbled through the key operating points.

"The points are right, but your voice is shaking a little—I'm afraid you'll shake the parachute cords loose. Relax!" Liu Jie's words drew a burst of laughter, and Feng Zhuo's expression eased considerably.

"Strap on parachutes!" After reporting the latest meteorological data, Liu Jie issued the order.

The bulky parachute rigs were shouldered by the officers and soldiers; the click of metal buckles and the tug of tightening harness straps sounded one after another. In the sweltering air, Liu Jie meticulously inspected each soldier's equipment.

"As a veteran paratrooper who has safely jumped hundreds of times, Director Liu's eyes are a measuring instrument. When inspecting equipment, he can frequently spot minute deviations that others overlook." A brigade leader present at the training site told this reporter: one year, a new soldier preparing to jump had fastened one of the buckles on his harness system in reverse. Liu Jie spotted it at a glance, had the new soldier redo his self-check, and averted a dangerous situation.

"Tighten that waist belt a bit more," "Re-secure that weapon"… Liu Jie inspected each person's equipment in turn and raised corrective requirements. Only after checking the last member of the formation did he issue the order: "All up to standard—prepare to board!"

Inside the cabin, the deafening roar and stifling heat intertwined. As the aircraft climbed to an altitude of one thousand meters, this reporter moved to Feng Zhuo's side and asked: "You're about to jump—how do you feel?" "A little nervous, but Director Liu helped me check my parachute rig, so I feel confident. It'll definitely be fine!" Feng Zhuo gripped his harness straps tightly, full of confidence.

The cabin door slowly opened, and a rush of cool wind howled in. "Take those three steps steadily, count the seconds as you step to the door, keep your eyes open, and operate calmly!" The exit signal light suddenly lit up. Liu Jie stood beside the cabin door, repeating the key points aloud again and again.

The jumpers proceeded to the cabin door one by one in accordance with the signal. Liu Jie stood like a vigilant sentinel, holding fast to the "safety post" a thousand meters in the sky, helping each officer and soldier eliminate safety hazards. After checking each one, he gave a light pat on the shoulder as a signal and raised a thumbs-up.

Stepping out of the aircraft, tucking legs and bending at the waist… Parachute canopies bloomed one after another in the air, descending toward the designated landing zone.

After all members had exited the aircraft, the plane returned to base as planned. Liu Jie, having completed his "sentinel" mission, did not end his work there—he stepped off the aircraft and walked briskly toward the command post, waiting for news from the landing zone. "All personnel landed safely!" Hearing the report come over the radio, Liu Jie let out a long breath.

After the parachute training concluded, this reporter followed Liu Jie into the brigade's "Model Airborne Company" (模范空降兵连)—the company in which special-class hero Huang Jiguang served before his death.

Inside the company's honor room, a black-and-white group photograph caught this reporter's attention. Liu Jie explained: in September 1958, the former General Political Department issued the "Regulations on Cadres at All Levels of the Military Serving as Soldiers in Companies for One Month Each Year," setting off an army-wide wave of cadres going down to serve in companies. Chen Zaidao, then commander of the former Wuhan Military Region, changed into an ordinary soldier's uniform and came to this company; the photograph records that very scene.

According to the company history, during that month of serving as a soldier in the company, Chen Zaidao worried that the soldiers would not let him stand night sentry duty, so he pretended to be asleep at night and immediately got up to join the soldiers when they changed shifts. Because of his age, Chen Zaidao encountered difficulties when practicing marksmanship. He proactively asked soldiers to teach him techniques and did not rest even on Sundays. In the end, Chen Zaidao mastered the shooting techniques for four types of infantry weapons and achieved an excellent score in the live-fire assessment.

"The fine traditions of a heroic unit have never been slogans hung on the lips—they are demonstrated through every word and deed." Liu Jie told this reporter that over more than sixty years, leading cadres and Party member backbone personnel at all levels of the brigade have woven the fine work style (作风) of personally working at the front line into their very blood, forming the value pursuit of "wherever the combat post is, that is where the cadres' presence will be found" (战位在哪里，干部的身影就出现在哪里).

Not long ago, the brigade organized a high-intensity live parachute jump training exercise. Because of turbulent airflow in an unfamiliar airspace and rapidly changing wind speeds, a number of officers and soldiers participating for the first time developed a sense of apprehension and reluctance. To help the officers and soldiers firm up their confidence, the brigade Party committee standing committee members made a commitment: we will take the lead and jump first!

On the day of the live jump, the Party committee standing committee members were the first to board the aircraft. When the aircraft reached the designated airspace and the cabin door slowly opened, the standing committee members, composed and precise in their movements, resolutely leapt from the cabin. Action is the best demonstration: the brigade leaders' lead jump greatly boosted the morale of the officers and soldiers. Everyone shed their mental burdens, adjusted their state in time, and calmly jumped from the cabin; all personnel landed safely. Reflecting on this jump experience, one soldier remarked with feeling: "With the leading cadres charging out front, we had both the confidence and the drive."

Night had fallen, but the garrison area remained unbearably hot. This reporter strolled through it and was soon drenched in sweat.

Walking to a certain sentry post, this reporter saw a senior colonel (大校) officer conducting a sentry inspection. Drawing closer, this reporter discovered that the senior colonel was none other than the brigade commander himself. "Summer heat is intense, unexpected situations are frequent, and brigade leaders conducting nighttime bunk and sentry checks (查铺查哨) is a tradition we have upheld for decades," he said, signing his name in the "Senior Officers and Staff Duty Roster for Bunk and Sentry Checks" (首长机关查铺查哨值班表) as he spoke. The brigade commander told this reporter that after finishing this post, he still had to proceed to other points within the garrison area to continue his rounds.

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Set a Good Example and Take the Lead

■ Wang Yue

Deep in the night, the heat in the heart of the Central Plains remained intense. Having visited this Air Force brigade's "safety post"—a post with no fixed sentry box and no specific markings—this reporter was filled with deep feeling.

Work style (作风) is both image and combat effectiveness. Chairman Xi has pointed out that an excellent work style is a distinctive hallmark and political advantage of our military; work style building must be grasped firmly and implemented solidly as a foundational, long-term task for the military, so as to forever preserve the political character of the people's army, carry good traditions into the new journey, and carry forward good work styles in the new era.

Throughout this reporting visit, whether it was the parachute training director holding fast to the "safety post" or leading cadres persisting in nighttime bunk and sentry checks, this reporter could always see the brigade's leading cadres setting an example and going first.

Set a good example and take the lead. When cadres step forward, the formation has a backbone; when cadres work with their hands, the officers and soldiers have confidence in their hearts. From General Chen Zaidao going down to serve in a company in 1958 and personally rolling up his sleeves at every turn, to today's leading cadres at all levels stepping forward in everything, over more than sixty years the fine tradition of "wherever the combat post is, that is where the cadres' presence will be found" has been passed down like a torch in this brigade. The tradition of leading cadres and grassroots officers and soldiers sharing hardship and joy, and standing together through life and death, has not been lost, and the true character has not changed.