Merit Through Hard Work, Advancement Through Real Results! A First-Class Staff Sergeant Earns Individual Second-Class Merit Citations Twice in Three Years

A Rocket Force Brigade Firmly Establishes the Clear Orientation of "Merit Through Hard Work, Advancement Through Real Results"—

First-Class Staff Sergeant Earns Second-Class Merit Citations Twice in Three Years

■ Cao Bicheng, PLA Daily Reporter Chen Dianhong

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1—Ignite!" On the northwestern Gobi Desert, fierce winds swept up sand. As the commanding officer of a Rocket Force brigade issued the order, a missile pierced the sky wreathed in flames and struck a target thousands of kilometers away with precision, setting a new record for precision strikes using a new operational method (新型战法) for that missile type.

"Winning on the battlefield depends on personnel as the core support." The brigade's leadership stated candidly that behind the combat achievement of the missile's launch stands the charging figure of "Iron Steed Driver" First-Class Staff Sergeant Squad Leader Xing. Not long ago, Squad Leader Xing drove his combat vehicle through three formidable challenges—complex road conditions, electromagnetic interference, and sandstorm assault—and, with an outstanding performance of zero errors during a thousand-kilometer maneuver and zero mistakes in coordinated launch, was once again awarded an Individual Second-Class Merit Citation.

This is the second Individual Second-Class Merit Citation Squad Leader Xing has earned in three years. From a professional "outsider" who had just entered the military to today's "Iron Steed Driver," from finishing last in assessments to repeatedly achieving outstanding results, his growth and transformation is a vivid microcosm of the brigade party committee's in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military (习近平强军思想), its adherence to the "Three Look, Three Don't Look" (三看三不看) standard, and its firm establishment of the clear orientation of "merit through hard work, advancement through real results."

"The way to strengthen the military lies in acquiring talent; the way to employ talent lies in impartiality." Since the deepening of political consolidation training (政治整训), the brigade party committee has focused on real problems in talent selection and commendation and awards, and has clearly put forward the hard "Three Look, Three Don't Look" standard: look at combat-position results, not seniority; look at the ability to tackle hard problems, not personal connections; look at the assumption of responsibility and action, not stated positions. Simultaneously, an "Electronic Talent Development Archive" was established to dynamically track officers' and soldiers' training scores, mission performance, and innovation achievements, threading the combat effectiveness standard throughout the entire chain of talent cultivation and commendation and awards, and at the institutional level building a stage for those who work hard and paving the way for those who deliver results.

When Squad Leader Xing first entered the barracks, he was assigned to the equipment support squad. Unfamiliar with the structure of combat vehicles and weak in maintenance skills, he ranked last in professional assessments two consecutive times. Just as he was feeling anxious and lost, the brigade happened to be conducting its "Moving Military Camp Figure" (感动军营人物) selection. The moving story of a veteran technician who had been rooted in the deep mountains for more than 20 years—"driving vehicles and guarding missiles to sharpen the blade, mastering multiple specialties to ensure victory"—ignited his fighting spirit: "Others can operate combat vehicles as if they were extensions of their own arms—so can I!"

"No combat position is too small; hard work demonstrates responsibility." The brigade's clear philosophy of cultivating personnel became the foundation of Squad Leader Xing's drive to catch up. From that point on, he practiced driving with senior squad leaders and familiarized himself with vehicle conditions during the day, and at night he studied textbooks and memorized parameters. Six months later, he won first place in a driving competition organized by the brigade, and under the "Three Look, Three Don't Look" standard was selected outside normal channels as a special-equipment vehicle driver, officially embarking on the path of growth as an "Iron Steed Driver."

"Transformation begins with the mind; tackling hard problems begins with building resolve." Knowing full well that combat vehicle driving is critical to the success or failure of a launch, Squad Leader Xing continuously gave himself "extra training" in complex and harsh battlefield environments: steering precision drilled down to the centimeter level, braking reaction time measured to within seconds, special-situation handling simulated hundreds of times. The thick calluses on his palms became "medals of growth," and his dog-eared special-situation handling manual was filled with annotations. He gradually forged the hard capability to "identify a fault at a glance and articulate the response in one breath."

Opportunity always favors the prepared. In early 2023, during a cross-regional live-fire launch mission, the lead vehicle suffered a sudden fuel-line failure in an uninhabited area, and the follow-on echelon faced the risk of being stranded. "Let me take a look," said Squad Leader Xing, volunteering on the spot. He crawled under the vehicle in bone-chilling wind and, relying solely on touch and experience, located and cleared the fault in 20 minutes. Throughout the mission, he drove his combat vehicle with zero errors from start to finish, helping a certain type of missile achieve a first-round precision hit, and earned an Individual Second-Class Merit Citation through solid, concrete results.

"Commend one person, raise one banner; award one merit, inspire a multitude." The brigade party committee deepened the role of model leadership (典型引领), not only holding a solemn award ceremony for commended officers and soldiers, but also placing the exemplary deeds of Squad Leader Xing and others in the barracks' "Pioneer Display Cases" (先锋橱窗), producing micro-videos for broadcast throughout the barracks; forming an "Advanced Deeds Lecture Team" to go deep into combat positions, turning typical stories of officers and soldiers into "Battlefield Bulletins" (战地快报) and "Strengthening the Military Micro-Lessons" (强军微课), and circulating them on the barracks broadcast system and the Strengthening the Military Network (强军网), allowing the atmosphere of "respect for those who work hard" to flourish.

"Pushing the weapons in your hands to the absolute limit—that is the hard truth of preparing for war." Not long ago, Squad Leader Xing again shouldered a heavy load during a cross-regional live-fire launch mission. Facing the severe test of 72 hours of continuous maneuvering and handling multiple types of special situations, he led his squad to innovate the "Dynamic Grouping Evasion Method" (动态编组规避法), successfully breaking through complex electromagnetic blockades. When submitting his nomination for a Second-Class Merit Citation, the party committee leadership was unequivocal: "Award merit when merit is due; the award must match the achievement—if the results are solid enough, the award should be given."

Models lead the way; hard work generates combat power. With the implementation of the "Three Look, Three Don't Look" standard, the brigade rapidly set off a wave of "comparing skills, drilling hard capabilities, and planning for victory": Private First Class Xiao Wang developed the "Light Prediction Method" (灯光预判法), significantly reducing transit times on complex road conditions at night; Veteran Technician Wang led a team whose three combat vehicle innovation achievements were incorporated into equipment specifications, improving equipment readiness rates; the new soldiers' "Driver Mutual Assistance Group" (驭手互助组) sharpened their capabilities, and the "accelerated growth effect" (拔节效应) of talent development continued to be released, injecting powerful momentum into the improvement of the unit's combat effectiveness.

"Moving the timber to establish trust and temper the original aspiration; hard work is paramount in forging a sharp sword." The brigade's leadership stated that they will continuously improve the mechanisms of "quantifying training, refining standards, and strengthening supervision," pilot the operation of a "Precision Talent Allocation Platform" (人才精准调配平台), match professional backbone personnel to mission requirements in a timely manner, and always firmly establish the clear orientation of "merit through hard work, advancement through real results."