Sing the Song of Youth on the March Toward a Strong Military
Sing the Song of Youth on the March Toward a Strong Military
■ Zhang Yuqing
"I hope you will cherish lofty ideals, devote yourselves to hard struggle, and inspire the broad youth to integrate personal aspirations into the overall situation of national development, continuously create new achievements at your respective posts, and contribute the strength of youth on the new journey." On the occasion of the May Fourth Youth Day, Chairman Xi replied to representatives of recipients of the China Youth May Fourth Medal and the New Era Youth Vanguard Award, extending festival greetings to young people of all ethnic groups across the country and expressing earnest hopes. This is both an exhortation to youth and a call to struggle.
In the fiery month of May, the season of youth, the broad young officers and soldiers must earnestly study and implement the spirit of Chairman Xi's reply, vigorously carry forward the May Fourth spirit, firm up their ideals, bravely shoulder their mission, not squander their prime years, and strive without cease, singing the song of youth on the march toward a strong military.
"The future of the nation, the destiny of the people, and the happiness of the people are responsibilities that contemporary Chinese youth must and will bear." For young officers and soldiers, the military camp is a stage for pouring out their youth and pursuing their dreams—a place where they are tempered and where they grow their wings; a place where they take root and grow, and where they soar. Building a strong nation depends on the broad youth stepping forward to shoulder the burden; the cause of military strengthening calls on young officers and soldiers to carry the baton and run. But one must also recognize that the road ahead will not always be smooth. Only by maintaining the sharpness of "a newborn calf unafraid of tigers," summoning the drive of "the more dangerous, the more forward," weathering storms, broadening experience, building talent, and strengthening resolve—by setting great ambitions, becoming strivers, seeking genuine knowledge, and honing genuine skills—can young officers and soldiers experience the true meaning of happiness through struggle and realize the value of youth through hard effort.
The security of home and nation is the responsibility on the shoulders of youth. Youth is the era's most sensitive barometer; the responsibilities of the era are entrusted to youth, and the glory of the era belongs to youth. Throughout history, every time the era has moved forward, the figures of youth and the strength of youth have been present. When the Long March set out, the average age of officers and soldiers in Red Army combat units was around 20, and the average age of division- and regiment-level cadres was under 25; during the War of Resistance Against Japan, large numbers of young people rushed from across the country to Yan'an to join the flood tide of resistance… They placed faith in their hearts and responsibility on their shoulders, feared no sacrifice, and gave selflessly, setting an example of youth with lofty ideals and a soaring spirit. Today, our living conditions have improved, but young people must not change their original aspiration or forget their mission. They must courageously take up the burden of building a strong nation and a strong military, and write the era's answer to the call of unwavering commitment to military strengthening.
To sing the song of youth, struggle is the most beautiful melody. Marx once described with deep feeling that the radiance of youth, the key to ideals, the meaning of life, and even the survival and development of humanity are all contained in two words: struggle. Comrade Mao Zedong once said that China's youth movement has a fine revolutionary tradition, and that tradition is "struggle forever." On the journey toward realizing the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military, the broad young officers and soldiers are "born at the right time, yet bear heavy responsibilities." At border outposts where oxygen is thin, on isolated islands far from the mainland, at ordinary and unheralded combat positions, batch after batch of young officers and soldiers have shown no fear of hardship or difficulty, displaying the fearless bearing of youth and demonstrating the commitment of "military strengthening depends on me." Struggle to strengthen the military—the mission calls. Only by setting their sights high while keeping their feet on the ground, daring to innovate and daring to take responsibility, can the broad young officers and soldiers display the achievements of youth, manifest the spirit of youth, contribute the strength of youth, and let their youthful dreams bloom in the cause of military strengthening.
The military exists to fight wars; the highest dedication of a soldier is to win, and the magnificent verse of youth is victory in battle. To struggle for the cause of military strengthening, the emphasis must be on mastering military skills and strengthening capabilities, forging the hard competence to fight and win battles. This demands that the broad young officers and soldiers reinforce their consciousness as a combat force, establish the standard of combat effectiveness, play the role of combatants well, and strive to embody their love of the Party, their patriotism, and their commitment to military strengthening in the concrete actions of training for war and honing military skills—translating these into the hard competence to dare to fight and to defeat the enemy—singing with concrete action the song of youth in military strengthening and victory in battle.