At 22:00 hours in the late evening of Feb. 1, the 142 officers and men of
the 2nd echelon of the 2nd batch of the engineer battalion of the Chinese
peacekeeping troops to Lebanon took off from Kunming China for the
gun-smoke-shrouded Middle East, embarking on the journey which will take them to
their mission of peacekeeping.
"I owe my immediate participation in the 2nd batch of peacekeeping
operation shortly after my first trip to the support of my family in addition to
the duties and responsibilities of a soldier," said excitedly Battalion
Commander Luo Fuqiang who returned to China only one week ago and who hardly had
time to take a descent rest. He would remain to be the battalion commander this
time for the 2nd batch of the engineer battalion of the Chinese peacekeeping
troops to Lebanon. "Don't worry about a thing. I will take good care of the
whole family," said Zhang Rong, Luo's wife, time and time again with tears in
her eyes before Luo boarded the plane.
Zhang Jie, the wife of Li Changzheng, chief of staff of the engineer
battalion of the Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon, was most conspicuous as
she was pregnant. Although being reluctant to part with her husband who was
leaving for the Middle East, she said with an upbeat mood: "Our child and I will
greet you at the airport when you return back triumphantly!"
"We will get married when you get back," Li Xiaohua, fiancee of Wang Yao,
head of the political work group of the engineer battalion of the Chinese
peacekeeping troops to Lebanon, called from her hometown in Henan to wish him
bon voyage. Wang Yao and Li Xiaohua planned to get married at the National Day
of 2006, but that was put off because Wang Yao had been picked to participate in
the UN peacekeeping operation and he had to devote himself to intensive training
to get himself prepared. Li Xiaohua told him: "It's a great honor to take part
in peacekeeping operation on behalf of China and the Chinese armed forces, and
our wedding can wait for that sake!"
By Jiang Xinghua and Deng Zhongkai
(Feb 2, PLA Daily)
