“I want to take the post,” He said to the company commanders.
Many soldiers were astonished by his determination. The post requires the mastery of advanced mathematics, the ability to read mechanical drawings, and the memorization of rules comprising more than 100,000 words and meters-long circuit diagrams. For the pre-launch phase, “Position One” must master more than 60 commands, 90 actions, and 100 other requirements.
“I will be the first sergeant to get the post,” He told himself.
Realizing that opportunities are for those who are prepared, He Xianda memorized the circuit diagrams and all the rules. Opportunities are for those who are prepared.
In June 2002, the company was scrambled for a firing drill. The officer on Position One suffered severe altitude sickness and had to pull out. He volunteered.
In the training camp in northwest China, the brigade chief engineer, the battalion commander who was in charge of the launch and other instructors gave He an exam. He answered all the questions on theory, operations and troubleshooting, and passed the exam. He was officially assigned to Position One, the first sergeant to in the post in the battalion’s history.
In 2012, he volunteered to be the launch commander and started a new period of hard work. After three months, he passed the exams and was the best of more than 100 competitors in the brigade. So he became the first sergeant launch commander in the Second Artillery Corps.
Responsible Leader
In the eyes of the brigade leaders, He only talks about fighting and training, and he never seeks promotion.
In the second half of 2003, He and the brigade went west to launch missiles. Before leaving, he received the good news that he would be promoted. But when he arrived at the drill field, he learned that he couldn’t be promoted because of problems with his personal file.
That night, He went the battalion commander. The officer was about to console him when He said, “I know what to do as an experienced soldier. I’m here to report a malfunction in the equipment.”
He had discovered an abnormally light indicator. Technicians from the manufacturer thought it was a malfunction, but He disagreed. Later, after tests by technicians from different parties, the brigade changed the power panel to solve the problem. The faulty component was returned to the factory for more tests. The factory later upgraded all the power panels.
He was only a squad leader, but his concerns transcended his position.
Another time, during regular maintenance, he found a chip had a problem reading data. With the permission of the brigade leadership, he did more than 50,000 data-reading tests on all the equipment. He, with only a high school education, handed in a detailed malfunction analysis and recommendations.
The chief engineer and project director later came out with the same troubleshooting plan.
“We technicians with master’s or doctoral degrees are no better than a soldier,” said the chief engineer.
As a new recruit, He was the best in his company. When he became a Private First Class, he was the best in the battalion. As a sergeant, he was the best in his field.
He always tries to realize the potential of soldiers and to assign them to posts that suit them.
Zhou Jinglin was raised in a single-parent family. He was smart, but lazy. The first time He Xianda talked to him, Zhou didn’t want listen. He wrote more than 20 letters to Zhou’s mother over the year and gradually changed Zhou’s attitude.
Zhou became very good at targeting and won many competitions. He also won a third-class merit and was awarded third prize for outstanding sergeant in the army.
Fei Min, born in the 1980s, was a computer geek, but also an internet addict. He Xianda ordered him to learn telecommunications, and monitored his study progress on a daily basis. Fei Min won two third-class merits and is now a political instructor.
He Xianda has been the squad head for 15 years. He led the squad to win 18 military skills competitions. During competitions between launch units, He and his squad came first nine times. The squad earned two third-class merits and was received by the top leadership of China for their outstanding performance. For years, new recruits applied to join his squad and troops didn’t want to leave when they retired.
Recently, He Xianda received a first-class merit. He gave the medal to the squad.
“This honor is for the whole squad,” he said, adding that if the squad worked together, they could achieve even more.
