Going to Chile to participate in mountain combat training, the kind of "hunters" who are standing by the flag, are my unforgettable memory——

　　Let the five-star red flag fly on the top of the Andes

From February 2016 to December 2017, I spent nearly two years flying the five-star red flag on the top of the Andes.

　　At the foot of the Andes on the east coast of the South Pacific, 324 "hunters" who participated in the mountain warfare course at the Chilean Army Mountain Warfare School competed and only 51 graduated. The Devil’s "Hell Week", "Hunter" training camp... the difficult journey to the top of the mountain step by step is still unforgettable.

　　"Campus trainees from non-Spanish-speaking countries must reach the B1 (intermediate) level of Spanish International Standards in order to qualify for the selection of members of the Mountain Combat Course'Hell Week'." This requirement is for me who only have 3 months of Spanish domestic training. , Is undoubtedly huge pressure. In order to overcome the language barrier as quickly as possible, I study in a language school during the day, take online courses at night, and go to town to chat with local residents during a break. After 6 months of hard work, I passed the test ahead of time and successfully passed the language barrier.

　　In December 2016, the Chilean Army Mountain Combat School raised the flags of Chile, China, the United States, and Argentina. Special forces from various countries gathered together and the training of the Devil’s "Hell Week" began.

　　"Hell Week" is named for its cruel training and high elimination rate. It implements a full elimination system. Participants can only become official campers of the "Hunter" training camp if they pass the assessment.

　　During the "Hell Week" training period, we only had a small amount of salty soup and bread every day to satisfy our hunger, and we were extremely weak to accept the test of survival and combat ability in the wild. Climbing, skiing, crossing cliffs, long-distance marching on the snow with a 30 kg load, being locked in a confined space with tear gas to "suffocate", tied to a tree and "smoked" with smoke... In addition to various overloaded physical skills training and swimming There are high-risk subjects training on the death line, as well as various "prisoner abuse" subjects that disrupt the will and torture the mentality. Under both physical and psychological torture, many foreign military personnel chose to withdraw.

　　On April 1, 2017, the "Hell Week" centralized selection ended, and the participating players were eliminated from 324 three months ago to 77. I finally got the "entry ticket" for the mountain combat course training. Looking at the five-star red flag waving in the wind, my mood was as clear as the weather that day.

　　However, more brutal challenges are yet to come.

　　Different from "Hell Week", the tasks of professional courses are heavier, the time is tighter, and the "destruction" is even worse. In addition to training, I had to complete various theoretical courses. I trained 17 hours a day with less than 4 hours of sleep, and my weight dropped sharply from 70 kg to 62 kg.

　　One night in June 2017, we were taking a professional course at the winter combat campus at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters. A student fell asleep in class. So the instructor ordered us to take off our clothes, and he used a high-pressure water gun to drive everyone into the ice river as a punishment. At this time, at the foot of the Andes, the temperature was very low, and it was below 0℃ at night. We soaked in ice water for half an hour. Our body went from "trembling" to "unconscious", and speaking from "irregular" to "squeaking". No sound", consciousness gradually blurred.

　　Since then, as the difficulty of training continues to increase, the number of trainees continues to decrease...

　　In August, the final assessment came as scheduled. As the only remaining international student, I successfully passed the continuous assessment of more than 40 professional courses such as rock climbing, alpine skiing, ice climbing, and avalanche rescue. Won the first place in the 3 subject competitions, and only 51 players remained.

　　On the top of the Andes, Julio, the principal of the Chilean Army Mountain Warfare School, awarded me a professional certificate of "Mountain Training Senior Military Instructor", and put on me a green beret symbolizing the highest honor of special forces and the "Andean Eagle" Medal of Honor And the honorable badge of the mountain combat team.

　　Julio said: "Lieutenant Li, you are an outstanding Chinese soldier. You have done everything you can for your country!" Touching the five-star red flag, tears filled my eyes at that moment!

　　Above: Li Shuo took a photo with the five-star red flag after receiving the award at the top of the Andes. Author's photo