驻港部队在香港校园升国旗，一个小女孩的举动感动众人……

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Commitment key to HK garrison's success

艰苦付出铸就香江卫士

"Standing here in Hong Kong, we are representing the People's Liberation Army," said Wang Jinyu, a female soldier from an armored infantry company at the PLA's Hong Kong Garrison.

“站在香港，我们就代表中国人民解放军”，解放军驻港部队某旅装步一连女子仪仗排分队长王金玉说。

armored: adj. 装甲的

infantry: n. 步兵

▲ Soldiers from the People's Liberation Army Garrison in Hong Kong parade the national flag during an open day at their barracks. [YI DING/FOR CHINA DAILY]

In the decades since the city returned to Chinese rule, the strong sense of mission and responsibility of tens of thousands of soldiers like Wang has made the garrison a symbol of a mighty and civilized force in the minds of the people living in the famous international hub.

在香港回归祖国后的二十几年里，像王金玉这样的数万名军人用强烈的使命感和责任感，让驻港部队在香港人民心中，成为威武文明的“代名词”。 

garrison: n. 部队

"The training regime in the honour guard is quite tough, but all of us insisted on doing it," said Wang, a team leader in the company's Women's Honour Guard, which usually stands in the front row during major events such as military parades and flag-raising ceremonies.

“仪仗训练很辛苦，但不管多么苦多么累，大家都选择了坚持”，女子仪仗排分队长王金玉说。

However, one of the most memorable ceremonies the Women's Honour Guard has attended did not take place in military surroundings but at a school, when they raised the national flag at the Heung To Middle School on July 1 last year to mark the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

然而，女子仪仗排参加过的最令人难忘的仪式之一并非在军营中，而是在一所学校中举行的升旗仪式。2021年7月1日，连队派出女仪仗队员组成的国旗组在香港香岛中学升起了国旗，以庆祝香港回归祖国24周年。

▲ The soldiers take part in an exercise to learn how to board a new type of infantry vehicle. CHEN JIE/FOR CHINA DAILY

The day before the ceremony, soldiers from the honour guard visited the school and checked the flagpole, only to find that its height was just half that of the one in their camp.

仪式前一天，仪仗队员赶到学校熟悉场地，却发现学校的旗杆只有平常训练升旗的旗杆一半的高度。

That meant they were highly unlikely to raise the flag to the top in exactly 46 seconds－the duration of the national anthem－which was the time the soldiers always used to practice hoisting the flag.

这意味着，旗手们很难精准地把升旗时间控制在46秒（即国歌的持续时间），也是她们平时练习升旗的时间。

hoist: v. 升高；举起

With less than a day to go, the soldiers rushed back to their camp and immediately started practicing raising the flag to the new required height. Under the dark sky and bright stars, right through until sunrise, they practiced the drills, which greatly boosted their confidence that all would go perfectly.

然而，任务在即，女兵们丝毫没有退缩，也不能退缩。她们赶回连队，紧急调整升旗训练高度，卡着秒表，一遍又一遍地练习国旗升降，直到深夜。第二天晨曦微露，女兵们就赶到学校，提前进行模拟升旗。几遍下来，她们成功地卡着46秒把国旗升上了顶端，顿时信心大增。

drill: n. 演练

As a result, on the 24th birthday of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the team raised the flag, reaching the top of the pole at the precise moment the national anthem ended.

于是，在香港特别行政区24周年华诞之际，全队升起国旗，在国歌结束的那一刻到达了杆顶，任务圆满成功。

▲ A group of soldiers chat during a rest period. YANG SHUAI/FOR CHINA DAILY

After the ceremony, the local people flocked to take photos of themselves with the flag raisers, who stood at attention in the hot sun, their faces covered in sweat.

升旗仪式结束后，旗手们军姿挺拔，与香港市民合影留念。天气逐渐炎热起来，加上女兵们休息不足、体力消耗较大，很快就汗如雨下，但她们始终纹丝不动。

Suddenly, a girl with a tissue in her hand walked out of the crowd and said to one of the soldiers: "You worked hard today, my sister. Let me wipe away the perspiration for you!"

这时，从人群中走出一名小女孩。她拿着纸巾，走到仪仗女兵跟前，仰着头说：“姐姐辛苦了！我给你们擦擦汗。”

perspiration: n. 汗水

Yang Yifan, a platoon leader with the honour guard, said: "At that moment, our whole world lit up. All our efforts had paid off."

仪仗队排长杨一帆说：“那一刻，我们感到整个世界都亮了，觉得所有的付出都值！”

To provide a channel for communication between Hong Kong residents and the military, the garrison's soldiers can not only be seen outside of the camp, but they have also opened their home to teenagers in the city.

为了在香港市民和部队之间架起沟通的桥梁，部队的士兵们不仅走出军营，还向城市里的青少年敞开了自己的家。

Since 1997, the armored infantry company has held dozens of military summer camps for Hong Kong's younger generation, where visitors can sample a range of activities including marching, laser shooting simulations and military-style boxing.

自1997年以来，装步一连已为香港年轻一代举办了一系列军事夏令营，他们可以在这里体验一系列军事训练活动，包括徒步行军、激光射击模拟和军体拳。

The teenagers can even board armored vehicles and warships to experience anti-terrorism drills and other training routines. When the summer camps conclude, the teenagers put away the military uniforms they have worn during the activities and leave plenty of postcards bearing their best wishes.

香港青少年们还可以乘坐装甲车驰骋训练场，登上舰艇出海航行，以及观摩反恐演练及陆海空三军训练。夏令营结束后，香港青少年们将自己的“军装军被”小心翼翼地收进行李箱带走，同时留下众多写满感激和不舍的贺卡。

▲ A girl wipes perspiration from the face of an honour guard soldier during an open day. SHEN GUANG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Nowadays, the summer camps attract thousands of applicants from Hong Kong's teenagers every year, according to the company.

连队称，如今军事夏令营每年都会吸引成千上万的香港青少年申请。

The soldiers have also thrown themselves into promoting communications between the people and the military through voluntary blood donations and tree-planting activities, and by helping respond to emergencies when necessary, Fan Jingsen, the company commander, said.

连长范景森说，连队官兵们还积极参加自愿献血和植树活动，在必要时帮助应对紧急情况，促进军民交流。

In autumn 2018, the company was urgently mobilized to clear mountain roads that were blocked by broken trees and small landslides after Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong heavily.

2018年秋，台风“山竹”过境，造成横贯新界到屯门的山路大量树木倒伏、通行受阻，给市民日常出行带来不便，一连官兵奉命紧急出动，帮助清除路障，疏通道路。

landslide: n. 山崩

Guarding the international hub—one of the garrison's top missions—requires solid combat skills. However, it's hard to imagine how tough the company's training can be, according to the soldiers, who have an average age of 23.

驻军的最高任务之一，守卫香港这座国际都市，需要扎实的战斗技能。然而，根据这些平均年龄才23岁的士兵们的讲述，很难想象连队的训练有多艰苦。

You Qiaoran is just 20 years old, but she has already been acclaimed as the "king of the sniper rifle" in the company after winning the brigade's sniper contest last year.

今年20岁的尤乔冉，在去年赢得“狙击枪王争霸赛”后，被连里誉为“狙击枪王”。

She was an underdog when she offered to take part in the contest because she was the most junior candidate and the only female honour guard.

尤乔冉主动请缨参赛，同台比武的都是经验丰富的狙击能手，她经验最浅，“仪仗女兵”的身份更是让大家对她在赛场上的表现普遍不看好。

She understood that only hard work would make her stronger, so she spared no efforts to boost her upper body strength by working out frequently in the gym. She also improved her concentration by repeatedly practicing her aiming skills, and she extended the length of time she could hold the gun steady, from three minutes to an hour, by training every day for weeks.

尤乔冉深知：只有比别人付出更多，才更有可能成功。上肢力量偏弱，就利用晚上休息时间在健身房加练；为练强狙击专注力，她利用休息时间苦练目标瞄准；通过连续数周每天的训练，她的平稳举枪时长从3分钟延长到1个小时。

▲ The Hong Kong guards march during an exercise. YI DING/FOR CHINA DAILY

Practice made perfect. During the contest, she quickly lay down and noted the wind speed, humidity and temperature. After adjusting the angle of her shot and taking a deep breath, You pulled the trigger and hit all the targets accurately.

熟能生巧的尤乔冉在比赛一开始就迅速卧倒出枪，测量风速、温度、湿度，修正射击诸元，而后屏住呼吸、瞄准目标、预压板机，随着一声清脆的枪响，精准命中目标。

trigger: n. 扳机

Finally, the young soldier finished by shooting over distances of 100 meters, 200 meters and 300 meters with three different types of gun, finishing earlier than the other competitors. Her excellent score saw her crowned "king of the sniper rifle".

在随后的比赛环节中，尤乔冉分别使用3种枪械在100米、200米、300米的距离率先完成射击，最终以优异的成绩摘得“狙击枪王”桂冠。

"Our company already has the spirit and glory of pursuing excellence, daring to fight and definitely winning," You said in a speech to her comrades. She also referred to Li Erxi, a Chinese hero who at just 18 years of age killed a Japanese lieutenant general by firing a fatal mortar round in the 1939 Battle of Huangtuling Mountain during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

“精武强能、敢打必胜的基因，早都融刻进连队的血脉中。”前不久，在一场以“奋斗青春·启航征程”为主题的事迹报告会上，尤乔冉提到在1939年11月的黄土岭战斗中，年仅18岁的李二喜一举击毙日军中将阿部规秀，成为闻名全军的“神炮手”。

comrade: n. 伙伴

In addition to shooting, driving armored cars is one of the most important skills members of the armored infantry have to master.

除了射击之外，驾驶装甲车是装甲步兵必须掌握的最重要的技能之一。

Yu Chenxi, a soldier with the company, and teammates practiced turning the steering wheel on a simulator. Meanwhile, to improve their physical strength, they overturned a 250-kilogram tire no fewer than 20 times a day for weeks.

为练就娴熟自如的驾驶技能，连队士兵余晨曦和队友们铆在模拟驾驶器上练习打方向，每天练上千次。为了增加力量，他们每天来回翻滚500斤重的轮胎不少于20次。

In the tests that followed, armored fighting vehicles driven by the company's soldiers easily passed through various obstacles.

最终，在旅队组织的装甲车驾驶考核中，面对复杂的道路环境，一连车组驾驶战车连续通过各种障碍物。

As military technology has developed rapidly over the years, the company's equipment has been upgraded. However, the problem the soldiers face is how to familiarize themselves with the advanced equipment as quickly as possible.

随着军事技术的飞速发展，连队的装备不断升级换代。然而，士兵们面临的问题是如何尽快熟悉先进的装备。

In December, the company was equipped with a new type of infantry combat vehicle. Sitting inside the vehicles and touching the brand-new dashboards, the soldiers said they were overwhelmed with joy and excitement.

2021年12月，某新型步战车配发连队，官兵们坐在战车里，抚摸着崭新的仪表盘，体验着高度集成的信息化装备，兴奋之情溢于言表。

dashboard: n. 仪表盘

However, they discovered that the new vehicles were half a meter longer than their previous armored cars and only a meter narrower than some of Hong Kong's roads, which meant the soldiers' previous driving experience was not applicable to the new batch of modern conveyances.

但他们发现，新战车通信设备、武器平台更加集成先进，车长比原装备长了近半米，车宽仅比香港路宽窄半米。这意味着士兵以前的驾驶经验不适用于新战车，一切都需要从头再来。

"We must gain the skills to master this equipment as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we'll be left behind," Fan, the company commander, ‍said.

“新装备在我们手上等不起、慢不得，等就意味着不作为，慢就意味着要落后”，连长范景森的话一针见血。

The whole company quickly began practicing driving the new vehicles on sections of the city's roads that have large roundabouts, sharp bends and ramps.

整个连队很快就开始卡着香港道路练，设置有大回旋路、坡道、急弯。

▲ Members of the garrison undertake a training exercise. CHEN JIE/FOR CHINA DAILY

Liu Jun, a soldier in the company, said, "It's quite nerve-racking to drive through the constricted parts, especially when the narrowest road is only 6 centimeters wider than the vehicle."

士兵刘军说：“最窄的路段甚至只比车宽了6厘米，训练通过狭长路段，紧张得心都能提到嗓子眼里。”

constricted: adj. 狭窄的

In addition, to gain the requisite operating skills, the soldiers spared no efforts to consult the manufacturers and other companies in the garrison for advice and guidance.

此外，为了获得必要的操作技能，官兵们不遗余力地找厂家问、向友邻单位寻求建议和指导。

Within two months, they had not only compiled more than 100 tips and produced three procedural guidebooks, but also devised some extra equipment designed to improve stability while the guns are in operation.

短短2个月内，官兵们总结训练经验上百条，梳理汇编操作手册3套，研究出若干辅助射击器材，有效提高机枪射击稳定性。

In a test of the garrison's skills in April, the company produced an excellent performance in a range of subjects, including network communications, collection of intelligence and emergency response.

2022年4月初，驻军组织作战分队应急出动能力考核，该连队在组网通联、情报侦察、情况处置等课目演练干净利落、分毫不差，综合成绩总评全优。

▲ The troops practice advancing during a training drill. CHEN JIE/FOR CHINA DAILY

For regular training, the company's soldiers perform a series of drills every week, including the motorization march, command and communication drills, and emergency response, which ensures that they remain highly alert constantly. What's more, the company sets mock fields for the drills in accordance with the likely battleground to strengthen the soldiers' combat abilities.

连队官兵们常态化开展每周一次的实战化对抗训练，包括组织1次全员全装紧急集合、1次指挥通信演练、1次突发情况处置演练等，始终保持拉得出、顶得上的高度戒备状态。他们时刻保持高度警觉。更重要的是，为提高训练实战化水平，连队按照1:100比例模拟构设逼真战场环境。

In the past nearly five years, 38 soldiers have been awarded the title of "Outstanding Warrior" of the company or the garrison. Meanwhile, since the garrison arrived in Hong Kong in 1997, the company has been recognized as an advanced grouping 18 times and as a first-class unit for military exercises 11 times.

近五年来，连队有38人被评为驻军和旅队军事训练尖子。同时，自1997年驻港部队抵港以来，连队先后18次被表彰为“基层建设标兵单位”“全面建设先进单位”“‘四铁’先进单位”，11次被评为“军事训练一级单位”。

"We have earned the trust of Hong Kong residents with our strong, civilized image, good faith and sincere efforts," Fan, the company commander, said.

连长范景森说：“我们靠威武形象震撼人心、文明形象感召人心、真情付出打动人心。”

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编辑：朱迪齐

记者：蒋成龙

录音：Stephanie Stone

实习生：孟礼 林子微