Recently, more than 70 young people from Taicang bid farewell to their hometown and embarked on a new journey to defend the nation. Among these new recruits, some are currently attending university, while others have just graduated from campus. In the prime of their youth, they resolutely chose to put down their pens and take up arms, interpreting the responsibility and commitment of a new generation of youth with their passion, which is truly heartwarming and admirable.

The patriotic aspiration of young people is never an accidental spark, but the result of long-term nurturing and accumulated dedication. Taicang has always maintained a fine tradition of supporting the military and caring for military families, as well as supporting the government and cherishing the people. With solid dual-support work and a strong national defense atmosphere, Taicang has been awarded the title of "National Model City for Dual Support" three consecutive times. In today's Taicang, national defense education has long been integrated into the daily life of the city and its residents. Dual-support exhibition halls, dual-support themed parks, and national defense education demonstration schools spread across urban and rural areas allow national defense knowledge to step out of textbooks and into the public eye. The retired fighter jets and other equipment displayed in the Dual-Support and National Defense Theme Park in Dianzhan Village have become a real-life classroom for young people to experience national defense up close and pay tribute to service members. Children stop to observe and check in to learn, subtly receiving national defense edification. When national defense education is visible, touchable, and tangible, loving the country and supporting the military, and enlisting to serve the nation, are no longer empty slogans but deeply rooted value pursuits.

Revering service members and treating military families well is Taicang's unwavering commitment and also the confidence that attracts young people to enthusiastically enlist. Over the years, Taicang has continued to deepen its dual-support work, serving service members and their families with dedication and care. Relevant departments regularly carry out special condolence activities under the theme of "New Recruits Guard the Nation, Veterans Guard the Home," traveling to military camps in various places to visit Taicang-born new recruits. Through heart-to-heart conversations and delivering family letters, they send the warmth and concern of their hometown across mountains and seas, allowing the recruits to serve with peace of mind and achieve merit in the barracks. At this year's send-off ceremony, a parent said: "My eldest son has already been promoted to a first-class sergeant in the military, and today I am here to send my younger son off to the barracks." This is not only the patriotic sentiment of an ordinary family but also demonstrates the public's support for national defense, serving as a vivid epitome of Taicang's military-civilian unity and reverence for the military and martial spirit.

National defense construction in the new era cannot be separated from the continuous dedication of youthful strength. Inspired by the strong dual-support atmosphere, more and more Taicang youth are stepping out of their comfort zones and integrating their personal ideals into the broader cause of strengthening the military and rejuvenating the nation. On campus, "Veteran Lecture Halls" are packed with attentive young students listening to military stories; at recruitment promotion sites, university students eagerly inquire and actively sign up; on National Security Education Day, young people study national defense knowledge and strengthen their resolve to serve the country. The departure of these Taicang youth is a choice without regret for their personal youth and a vivid portrayal of the new generation dedicating themselves to national defense construction. May they train hard in the barracks and temper themselves into talent, transforming the warm concern of their hometown into the driving force for guarding the borders and serving the nation, letting their youth shine with the most brilliant light on the journey of building national defense.