Photo: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

2022 marks the 10th year of aircraft carrier the Liaoning's service with the People's Liberation Army Navy, and many excellent warship crews have been trained on the Liaoning. Among them, Remila Dabul, a 27-year-old woman of Kazak ethnicity, has attracted much public attention after the stories of her and other crew members on the Liaoning were reported by the media.

During an interview with the Global Times, Remila said her life on the Liaoning is very happy and she loves her career and is willing to shoulder the responsibility to safeguard the happiness and peaceful life of millions of families in the motherland. 

Photo: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

A sense of pride 

Remila is the only female deck operation officer on the Liaoning. 

During her work, she wears a blue helmet, goggles, and blue suits. After a J-15 fighter lands on the carrier, Remila needs to carry the wire after getting signals and run to the fighter to take a series of actions for a quick installation of the fighter. 

Photo: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

Before working on the deck, Remila was a radar operator and telephone operator. But when she first saw a J-15 taking off, the idea of working as a deck operation officer popped up in her head.

"The first time I saw J-15 fighter taking off, I was shocked and proud, and longed for working alongside it," Remila said. 

Her dream came true when the crew members on Liaoning were trained for more specialties. "I was so eager to stand alongside the J-15 fighters and to guarantee its successful take-off - this gives me a stronger feeling of being a true crew member of the Liaoning," said Remila. 

The deck on aircraft carrier has been seen as the most dangerous working venue in the world given the continuous roaring and huge impact when fighters take off and land. The operation of the arresting gear is also a great challenge. 

"When the wire rope arrests the J-15 fighter, it tightens if the fighter moves. Once it breaks, what will happen to me? I have thought about the consequences but I'm not afraid. There is a slogan in my squadron which says, 'The higher risk our work is, the firmer belief we should have; the heavier burden on our shoulders, the harder we should work,'" said Remila. 

Remila has put the slogan into practice in her daily work. "Because we are in the crucial climbing period of building up combat capability of the aircraft carrier, the security and guarantee work on the deck is crucial and needs us to keep the passion and momentum. In facing the fast pace of work and possible emergencies, we need to keep high vigilance to fulfill our responsibility," said Remila. 

Photos: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

Military dream 

Remila came from the Ili Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the ancestors of the family were herdsmen. Her father is a doctor, and when she was born, the economic condition of the family had been greatly improved. 

"My father told me that they used to ride a horse to go to school and it was also difficult to get a job at that time. But Xinjiang has experienced great changes - bicycles have been replaced by vehicles. My father saw the developments. I am also a witness to the good policies implemented in the region by the Communist Party of China. In 2017, I became a proud Party member," said Remila.  

To join the army is also a dream for Remila. "I grew up in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps hearing many stories of the PLA, and I had been longing for joining it. After graduating from high school in September 2014, I chose to join the army." 

Photos: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

However, it is never easy to realize a dream. Remila encountered many difficulties after joining the army. "It was not easy to adapt in the beginning. Our training was conducted in Guangdong Province where I needed to adapt to the moist environment, mosquitoes and the tasks," she said. 

Persistence is her knack and by overcoming these difficulties, she became a qualified soldier. In December 2014, she passed the examination and began to serve on the Liaoning. 

"That was my first time to see a warship and to see the Liaoning aircraft carrier. It was so big, making me feeling so small," Remila said. 

Remila became a crew member of the Liaoning with the admiration to the vessel. But she suffered from seasickness and she tried to overcome it with her secret - endurance. 

"I will not take seasickness pills, because it makes me feel sleepy and may affect my work," she said. 

Except for seasickness, Remila described her life on the vessel as happy. She could eat her hometown food on the vessel and she got along well with other crew members. "Thousands of us share a boat, drink from the same tank of water, and we are very united," she said. 

She was energetic at work and always full of passion. 

Photos: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

"I think our family will be happy only when our country is strong and prosperous. There's no such thing as peacefulness. We feel like so because someone has taken on the burden, and now I want to be the one carrying the burden," she said. 

She did so at her work when she, with a bodyweight of 50 kilograms, carries ropes weighing dozens of kilograms. 

"I love being a soldier and am willing to carry the burden and safeguard families, which is the duty of soldiers," she said.

She said she looks forward to pushing for more rapid development of the Liaoning aircraft carrier with her fellow crew members. 

This year, Remila spent her fifth Spring Festival aboard the aircraft carrier. "This year, I will spend the festival with my fellow members. We will make dumplings, watch the Spring Festival Gala and organize cultural and sports activities," she said. 

She misses her parents in Xinjiang, but she said "I think the present they want most is that I'm all right onboard." 

Photos: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang

 

Photos: Courtesy of Feng Liqiang