The Road Home to Visit Family: Mountains No Longer High, Waters No Longer Long
The Road Home to Visit Family: Mountains No Longer High, Waters No Longer Long
— A News Investigation into Party Committees and Organs at All Levels Using the Correct Outlook on Political Achievement (正确政绩观) to Help Resolve Difficulties for Grassroots Officers and Soldiers, Part II
■ PLA Daily Reporters Wang Yue, Xie Fei, Jin Meizi
A People's Armed Police officer and family members who came to visit pose for a photo. Photo by Lu Wenkai.
In the early summer on the plateau, a minibus bearing a "Double Support (双拥)" emblem traveled steadily along National Highway 318.
A dedicated vehicle to meet them at the airport, oxygen supply, a military doctor accompanying them along the way… Yang Di, wife of Luo Qizhi, a staff officer with a brigade of the People's Armed Police 2nd Mobile Corps, told reporters that throughout this family visit, she was surrounded by warmth at every moment. Yet recalling her very first visit to the unit, she said: "It was a bit like being stuck in a terrible journey."
"After getting off the plane, I took the airport shuttle to the city, then hailed a ride-hailing car to the long-distance bus station, then took a long-distance coach to the county town, then took a taxi from there to the garrison… I dragged two suitcases through transfer after transfer and didn't reach the unit's gate until late at night," said Yang Di.
"Why didn't you apply in advance to the organ for a vehicle, or request leave to pick up your family member?" Some time ago, when the brigade's leadership learned of Yang Di's experience during a research visit, they asked Luo Qizhi this question. Luo explained: "Long-distance vehicle dispatch requires advance application to the organ, and whether a vehicle can be sent also depends on the weather. Day-to-day missions are heavy, and I felt embarrassed asking for leave—I could only ask my wife to bear with it."
It is understood that this brigade has long been responsible for maintenance and traffic-keeping operations along the Sichuan-Tibet and Xinjiang-Tibet highways. Its positions are dispersed and remote, and conditions at the garrison are harsh. As the research deepened, many officers and soldiers noted that inconvenient transportation is the primary reason family members are reluctant to come for visits.
"Over the years, although we have invested a great deal of funding and effort in housing and living support, the number of family members coming to visit remains low." At a brigade Party committee meeting, this leader spoke based on his research experience: the brigade's garrison is remote with almost no civilian support infrastructure. We must not only work hard on food and accommodation, but also strive to solve the transportation problem—to provide good service and support for military family members coming to visit, and to create convenient conditions for officers, soldiers, and their families to reunite.
Shortly thereafter, the brigade established a special working group to go deep into the grassroots and understand the transportation needs of military family members coming to visit. It drew up a list of difficulties to be resolved targeting frequently raised issues such as "inconvenient pickup and drop-off at stations," and designated specific personnel to follow up on solutions. The working group also made multiple visits to relevant local government departments to coordinate solutions for transportation support during family visits. Ultimately, the military and local authorities jointly formulated a Detailed Plan for Transportation Services and Support for Military Family Members and a Special Preferential Treatment Implementation Plan for "Supporting the Military and Giving Preferential Treatment to Military Families—Warming the Hearts of Servicemembers (拥军优属 情暖军心)," based on the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Status and Rights and Interests Protection of Military Personnel and the Opinions on Strengthening Preferential Treatment Work for Servicemembers and Their Families, Veterans, and Other Entitled Groups jointly issued by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and 19 other departments. This established a three-in-one support system of "expense reimbursement + dedicated vehicle pickup and drop-off + efficient service," effectively enhancing the sense of honor (荣誉感), sense of gain (获得感), and sense of happiness (幸福感) of servicemembers and their families.
From the snow-capped plateau to the desert Gobi to high-mountain islands, reporters visited garrison after garrison over consecutive days and learned that since the launch of study and education on establishing and practicing the correct outlook on political achievement (正确政绩观), Party committees across units have continuously recalibrated the orientation of political achievement, rolling out a series of concrete measures to address real difficulties in areas such as family visits to units and officers' and soldiers' home leave, making the road home so that "mountains are no longer high and waters are no longer long."
Deep in the mountains of southern China, reporters entered a Rocket Force brigade where a brigade leader was leading organ cadres in revising and optimizing the support plan for visiting family members, drawing on the newly revised joint regulations and the Several Provisions on Regulating and Improving Certain Welfare Benefits for Military Personnel. Reporters learned that, in addition to improving transportation services, the brigade—looking ahead to the summer peak period for family visits—had collected and compiled officers' and soldiers' opinions and suggestions in advance. In response to the frequently raised grassroots request to "establish children's recreational areas," the brigade organ flexibly utilized space in the family quarters compound, designating a dedicated children's zone. They assigned specific personnel to procure equipment such as slides and swings, closely monitored the measurement and installation process, and ensured the children's play area would be ready for use by summer.
On the shore of the East China Sea, Navy Petty Officer He Chunlin of a naval observation and communications brigade, having just completed a specialized mission, submitted a leave application to his company. The brigade's leadership introduced that in recent years, the entire brigade has faced overlapping major missions and heavy training demands, but the brigade Party committee has made clear: no matter how saturated the mission load, the leave system must be strictly implemented and officers' and soldiers' home leave time must be fully protected. Building on the implementation of the Interim Regulations on Military Personnel Leave and relevant provisions of the newly revised joint regulations, the brigade scientifically coordinates officers' and soldiers' home leave arrangements according to actual mission conditions, and has explored multiple effective mechanisms to ensure that all personnel who are entitled to leave take their leave (应休尽休).
During interviews at one of the brigade's observation and communications stations, officers and soldiers told reporters that the island they garrison is far from the mainland, has no air service, and transportation is extremely inconvenient. In the past, leave could only be taken by catching a supply ship off the island, and supply ships came only once every many days. Master Sergeant Pan Jixu recalled that one summer he applied for leave, but an approaching typhoon prevented the supply ship from docking for an extended period, his departure from the island was delayed again and again, and in the end he had no choice but to cancel his leave plans.
Today, the situation is very different. The brigade has actively communicated with the local government to coordinate the opening of regular flights, making the transport of supplies and the movement of personnel on and off the island far more convenient than before. Moreover, with strong support from higher authorities, the brigade has also established a cooperation mechanism with local carriers to meet the emergency transportation needs of island-garrison personnel.
"Matters that concern the vital interests of officers and soldiers must absolutely never remain at the level of slogans." With a gentle sea breeze blowing, a brigade leader told reporters: "Serving officers and soldiers is serving combat effectiveness. Only when everyone is free from worries at home can they devote themselves wholeheartedly to training and war preparation."
---
**Feeling the Honor of Being a Military Family Member on the Plateau**
■ Military Spouse Yang Di
This visit to the plateau left me feeling warmly embraced, and I deeply experienced the unit's tender, genuine care for military family members.
The moment I walked out of the terminal, I saw my husband's comrades holding a pickup sign waiting at the exit. When we met, everyone rushed to help carry my luggage and saw me onto a minibus bearing a "Double Support (双拥)" emblem—these warm gestures moved me deeply.
On the road from the airport to the unit's garrison, everyone not only thoughtfully handed me an oxygen bottle, but also carefully shared tips for preventing altitude sickness. The vehicle traveled steadily along National Highway 318. Outside the windows, snow-capped mountains stretched into the distance and white clouds hung low; inside the vehicle, several military spouses traveling together chatted and laughed, filling the long journey with cheerful voices. The "one-stop" service and support gave us the feeling of going home.
Arriving at the garrison and stepping into the apartment, the room was bright and clean, the bedding was neatly folded, and the kitchen was fully stocked with oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, as well as pots, pans, and utensils—truly a move-in-ready stay. Especially when I heard my husband's comrades calling out "sister-in-law" one after another, my heart felt warm, and all the exhaustion of the long journey melted away.
In the past, I always felt that the four words "military family members are honorable (军属光荣)" sounded impressive, but in real life, the identity of "military family member" meant for me more than anything the hardship of "carrying a whole family on one's own." On this visit, from the inland to the plateau, from departure to arrival, there was a "green channel" all the way and thoughtful arrangements throughout. The other military spouses and I truly felt the warmth and deep affection carried by "military family members are honorable."
The thousand-li road home to visit family—at one end is an ordinary household, at the other is the nation's frontier. While feeling the honor of being a military family member on the plateau, I also deeply appreciated the hardships of frontier soldiers. As a military spouse, I will continue as always to keep our home in good order and wholeheartedly support my husband in taking root on the plateau and rendering meritorious service in the military.
(Compiled by PLA Daily reporter Wang Yue)
---
**"Stabilizing the Rear (稳后方)" Is "Consolidating the Front (固前方)"**
■ Ma Liang, Assistant Officer, Quartermaster and Barracks Section, a Brigade of the 76th Group Army
Late at night, when word came that the visiting family members had safely returned home, the weight I had been carrying finally lifted.
Some time ago, I was responsible for support work for family members temporarily visiting the unit. In fact, well before the family members arrived, the brigade Party committee had set the tone: treat "stabilizing the rear" as a major matter of "consolidating the front," with organs proactively moving forward to serve and getting real things done in ways that truly reach the hearts of military family members.
To that end, we conducted a detailed survey across the entire brigade, gathering information on family members' arrival times, accompanying personnel, and actual difficulties, and compiled a service and support checklist for visiting family members. For every item on the checklist, we designated a specific person responsible and set a clear deadline for completion.
In the past, what furniture to put in the apartments and what decorating style to use was typically decided by the organ. This time, the brigade broke with convention and organized a special "Military Camp Furniture Selection Exhibition," working with manufacturers to screen dozens of environmentally friendly household items. To increase the sense of participation among officers, soldiers, and family members, the brigade also adopted both an "in-person experience" and an "online cloud selection" model, allowing officers and soldiers in the garrison as well as family members in different locations to vote for the apartment furnishings of their choice. In addition, the brigade simultaneously advanced renovation of water and electrical pipe networks, installation of gas pipelines, and provision of daily necessities, ensuring that visiting family members could move in without bringing anything extra.
Military spouse Zhao Ruimin came to visit from her hometown more than 2,000 kilometers away. When she pushed open the apartment door, the complete set of daily necessities and the warm living environment moved her deeply: "The unit has thought of everything—this is what home feels like!" The recognition from family members and comrades made me feel that every bit of effort had been worthwhile.
Serving officers and soldiers is serving combat effectiveness development. Not long ago, the brigade organized a live-force confrontation training exercise. The officers and soldiers of a certain battalion tasked with the main assault won engagement after engagement, efficiently completing their assigned tasks and earning unanimous recognition from the exercise control group. After training concluded, one sergeant said candidly: "The unit has been very thoughtful—a series of caring and heartwarming service measures has made everyone's enthusiasm for training and war preparation even higher."
(Compiled by PLA Daily reporter Wang Yue)
Please scan the QR code to browse more content.