PLA soldiers honored on ‘ special’ Army Day

▶ ‘ Ready to fight, bury every intruder: we swear to defend motherland to death’

At a time when tension is rising in the Taiwan Straits amid US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island of Taiwan, Chinese soldiers and people celebrated the special anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army ( PLA) on Monday, the Army Day, with a strong passion to demonstrate that whether they are soldiers or not, Chinese people always have the faith and spirit of the PLA in their hearts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Starting on Monday morning, China’s national flags were raised in multiple military camps and cities from the northernmost city Mohe to the southern Yongshu Reef to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA.

The video of guards raising the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing went viral on China’s Twitter- like Sina Weibo, with netizens saying they were impressed and touched by the strong sound of the footsteps of the flag guards, which reminded them of the firm steps of the PLA, from where China was faced with enduring impoverishment and long- standing debility to where it is now.

“We guard the flight of ‘ Flying Sharks’ in the Bohai Bay. Please rest assured, the Party and the people!” Standing next to the “Flying Sharks” ( China’s J- 15 fighter jets), several PLA Navy soldiers vowed to protect the country and the people in a video released by military. cnr. cn on Monday.

The Eastern Theater Command also released a video on Monday showing advanced weapons and hot- blooded scenes of its training.

“We are fully prepared for any eventuality. Fight upon order, bury every intruder, and move toward joint and successful operations! We are PLA soldiers, we swear to defend the motherland to the death,” soldiers from the command said in the video.

Some veterans also sent their greetings on the social media platform and vowed that they would return to the army without hesitation whenever duty calls.

An exhibition of over 100 photo portraits of PLA veterans was unveiled in Beijing on Monday. They were taken by Guo Haipeng, who spent 20 years taking photos of PLA veterans aged from 88 to 107 as a way to uphold their spirit of patriotism and resisting aggression.

In Zhangzhou, East China’s Fujian Province, 600 drones formed the characters of “95,” “support the army, support the government and love the people,” as well as images of the aircraft carrier Fujian and J- 20 fighter jets on Sunday night to celebrate the anniversary.

The Chinese people’s great passion manifested in the anniversary shows that the country has a solid basis for the education of national security and patriotism. If every citizen in a country has a strong patriotic feeling, the country would be invincible, said Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and retired military instructor.