Snow Mountain Daban, the last patrol of a veteran

■ Photographic report by Yan Bingjie and Ji Wenzhi

At the duty station, the five-star red flag fluttered in the wind, witnessing the solemn moment when the veterans handed guns to the recruits.

The patrol unit made a hard way to the duty point.

After finishing his last border patrol, Dai Jianglin was excited and filled with tears.

Three veterans who are about to retire salute the towering snow mountain.

Dai Jianglin (first from the right) sent his own painting of pomegranate, a "border stone" symbolizing national unity, to the herdsman Mula Aili as a souvenir.

In the early morning of March 8, the cold wind blew briskly on the Pamirs. The officers and soldiers of Tahman Border Guard Company of Xinjiang Military Region stationed here are scheduled to patrol a duty point at an altitude of more than 5000 meters.

Among the patrols, Liu Hao, Dai Jianglin and Huang Bin are about to retire. They applied to the company to participate in this patrol mission by accident, and bid farewell to the border guards who were close to each other day and night in this way.

After departure, the patrol car has been driving on the snow covered mountain road. This is the farthest and most difficult patrol line from the company. Three veterans have traveled many times, leaving deep memories.

Dai Jianglin's new recruits have been staying in the Tahman Border Guard Company since they left the company. This is the 32nd time he has stepped on the patrol road. When patrolling, the company officers and soldiers will pass the home of the herdsman Mula Aili and form a deep friendship with their family. As he is about to retire, Dai Jianglin, who is good at painting, specially painted two "Border Guarding Stones" for his old friends as a souvenir.

Farewell to Mula and Eli's family, and the patrol team continues on its way. As we walked, ice and snow blocked the way, and the patrol car stopped. The officers and soldiers had to walk on foot in the final journey.

"It seems a short way to travel in high altitude areas, but it is not easy to walk..." As he steps on the snow, Huang Bin explores the way and teaches the recruits around him how to deal with dangerous situations. After more than three hours of arduous trek, the patrol team finally arrived at the duty point.

The snowy mountain reaches Daban, and the five-star red flag flutters in the wind. At the moment, three veterans could not help shedding tears. After completing the last patrol of their military career, they saluted the towering snow mountains and expressed their love for their mother.

Page editor of PLA Daily: Peng Cheng and Zhang Lei