Military company overcomes challenging regimen

A transportation company of the People's Liberation Army's Joint Logistic Support Force is known for its fearless spirit, having dealt with difficult conditions of the plateau where it is based, challenges in training, strong enemies and sacrificing lives.

It has trained hard on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to hone its combat capabilities, aiming at war readiness and victory.

Being stationed on the plateau means the company has to overcome harsh natural conditions while training. Last winter, the company conducted driving training at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters. On the third day after the training began, the company was hit by heavy wind and snow, but the company commander Meng Fanlong continued the exercise.

"Neither war nor enemies pick good weather. If the enemy attacked today, would we just sit and wait?" he said.

Often tasked with transport missions, the soldiers take advantage of their time on the roads every day to consolidate their lessons learned in the face of different situations. Over the years, they have explored and accumulated abundant practical experience in driving with the lights off, hiding their vehicles and signaling with their headlights.

In November last year, the company conducted a defensive drill on unfamiliar land. The group followed their arranged triangular formation as usual to cover and attack, but the preset formation didn't adapt well to the terrain, slowing their speed of advance.

Ma Teng, a squad leader, immediately pointed out the problem, saying the team must switch to corresponding attack formations, such as trapezoid, wedge and pyramid, according to the terrain. Other soldiers also actively contributed their ideas to improve formations and strategies.

"This is a microcosm of our continuous exploration of training methods," Meng said.

On Feb 11, which was Chinese New Year's Eve this year, while the company was preparing for the festival, they received an order to set out for support early the next morning. The company's Party branch held a meeting to assign tasks and deployed and checked all equipment and supplies overnight to ensure a punctual departure.

"Our goal is to cultivate a backbone team that can answer emergencies in normal times and be ready to win wars at any time," Meng added.

The company's history dates back to 1950, when it was formed to support the front line of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

The company fought for more than three years, with more than 50 soldiers dying and 110 awarded merits.

Also dubbed "the company of the sharp knife" in the Chinese military, it has earned 37 medals, 11 banners, three second-class merits and three third-class merits.

It also received the recognition of "National Advanced Grassroots Party Branch" in July 2016 from the Communist Party of China Central Committee.