Mom, now I also want to shield you from the wind and rain...

Time flows gently, and a mother's love lasts year after year.

It's another Mother's Day.

The officers and soldiers of the Central Theater Command

are conveying their thoughts and blessings to their mothers far away

in their own unique ways.

A piece of letter paper carries the tenderness of a soldier.

A greeting crosses thousands of mountains and rivers.

Today, please follow the Central Horn to understand

their short letters filled with deep emotions.

Far away from home, we

put on this military uniform

and become our mothers' concern from afar.

You always remind me on the other end of the phone,

“Work hard, don’t think of home.”

Your tone is light yet firm,

as if I am just heading off for a brief separation.

But every time I hang up the phone,

I can't help but open the chat box

to look at the photo you sent me.

In the photo,

I am still a youthful boy,

and you have gentle eyes,

full of expectations for the future.

In that moment, I finally understood

the deepest concern hidden in your words “don’t think of home.”

Having been away from home for a long time,

the barracks have long become my second home.

Mom, do you know?

Here, the food in the cafeteria is always steaming hot,

there's warm soup in the cold winter,

and delicious meals after training,

just like when I was at home,

no matter how late I came back,

there was always a light left on and a bowl of hot food waiting for me.

Mom, here

I have met a group of comrades

with whom I can completely entrust my back.

We crawl and roll together,

face the wind and rain together,

grit our teeth and persevere on the training ground,

and talk about our dreams late at night.

Without blood ties, we are closer than family.

In the face of difficulties, we support each other.

In the face of honor, we share it together.

This bond of brotherhood

makes me no longer fear the storms of the distance.

Here, I have learned the tenacity to persevere.

Drill training has smoothed my restlessness.

Tactical training has honed my will.

Day after day of standing guard and duty

has made me shed my childishness and take on responsibility.

I used to think your reminders were too trivial:

wear more clothes when it's cold, eat on time, pay attention to safety.

Those repeated “nagging”

always felt like a bother and unnecessary.

Now, being in the barracks,

having experienced sweat and tempering,

having experienced perseverance and responsibility,

I finally understand

that those simple reminders

contain the deepest love.

They have long become my warmest support

year after year.

In the barracks,

there are many young soldiers like me.

They come from all corners of the country,

with different hometowns,

but they all carry the same concerns.

In our spare time, we often talk about our mothers far away.

Some say

their mothers always worry about them getting injured during training.

Some say

their mothers repeatedly look at the photos they sent back.

Some say

that every time they call, their mothers never mention the hardships of life,

only wishing for our safety, smoothness, and growth.

We are all slowly growing up in the barracks,

from being protected children by our mothers

to becoming soldiers who can protect our country.

We also long to be our mothers' strongest support.

In the past, it was you who sheltered me from the wind and rain

with your tenderness and resilience, ensuring my safety year after year.

Now, I wear the military uniform,

guarding the lights of thousands of homes and protecting the rivers and mountains.

I also want to be your armor,

to shield you from the storms of the world.

Perhaps I cannot always be by your side,

nor can I bring joy to your knees in time,

but every time I train hard,

every time I stand my post,

every time I complete a mission,

it is my answer to you.

Short letters cannot express the deep longing in my heart.

On this warm Mother's Day,

I want to send a blessing home on behalf of the children of the barracks:

May all mothers be safe and healthy through the years.

May all concerns have a response.

May all efforts bear sweet fruit.

Authors: Xiang Tao, Xu Ziqiang, Li Fuyuan, Song Xuechun, Li Guofeng, Zheng Wentai; Images: Li Tianwen, Xu Chao, Dong Yihang, Wang Liang, Zhou Tuchu, Zhou Kaiwei, Pang Xin, Zhang Kang, Yu Wengong, Xu Jun, Dong Shicheng, Song Fengze, Gu Fengfeng.