By Lisa Yang & Snow Zhao
May 21, 2019
Yu Zhang has always loved investigation. It’s what drew him to SDJU to study software engineering. It’s also what led to his two-year-long military career as a PLA conscript.
‘I never regretted for enlisting in the Armed Police Force,’ he says. ‘I would again choose to join up if I went back in time, because I always have this ancillary interest in investigations as they relate to the army.’
Once at SDJU, Zhang was magnificently excited when he learned that university students could also join the armed forces. He submitted his application in his second year at SDJU, passed a series of rigorous reviews, and strode up to Guangzhou to serve in the Troop 8733 of the Armed Police Force. It was a longing and a sense of responsibility for Zhang as a young man to wear military uniforms and serve the country he loved.
As an enlisted soldier, Zhang was deployed in 2016 to Yueyang, Hunan where he and his team fought against the flood relentlessly for three days and two nights. Because of his excellent performances, Zhang was honoured with a warrior manhood by the municipal government of Huarong, Yueyang. On those teams, Zhang gained infantry tactics training, which resulted in the title of ‘Excellent Conscript’, again because of his outstanding performances.
After working as a PLA conscript for full two years, Zhang says his career with the military group has fulfilled his innate sense of curiosity. He’s been a part of teams focused on mental discipline and physical suffering against the extreme environments caused by howling gales or the burning sun. He has never felt replete with comfort; instead, he has achieved exquisite happiness through dedication of his most glorious youth.
Having been demobilized and moved back to SDJU on study and research conducting investigations of software development, Zhang continues unabatedly to reinforce his beliefs and wills in practice by serving the society. He explains the motto of ‘Veterans do not fade’ by his brilliant career.
