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Military parade support crew: Hard work behind scenes

2009-09-26 09:17 BJT

Special Report: National Day Parade |

Special Report: 60th Anniversary of PRC |

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All the troops and equipment for the massive National Day celebration on October 1st are ready for the big day. And 90 percent of the equipment is making its debut appearance in the parade. To ensure the equipment stays in top condition, a maintenance team is hard at work behind the scenes.

The maintenance workshop in the parade training camp is carrying out an overall inspection on all equipment to be displayed in the National Day Parade.

The technicians were chosen from the best the armed services have to offer they come from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Second Artillery, and Armed Police. And, most of them have conducted important military missions. Some even participated in the National Day Parade in 1999.

Yuan Baoquan from Equipment Maintenance team said, "There were four maintenance workshops then. Each force has their own."

For this year's parade, the headquarters has put together all sources from every branch of the military, and set up a unified maintenance team.

By setting up the team this way, personnel and tools are used at maximum efficiency.

Zhou Jun and his colleague are in charge of the tool station of the maintenance workshop. In the past, the job required at least six servicemen.

Liu Xiufeng, captain of Equipment Maintenance team, said,"We consolidated the support teams of the various forces, and trained personnel to be capable of conducting multiple tasks. This has greatly enhanced our ability for coordinated support."

To ensure a flawless performance, advanced technologies were also adopted for the unified management and storage of the equipment.

The high-profile military parade will involve about 5,000 military personnel, tanks, missile-carrying vehicles, and over 150 aircraft.