A resident of Juguang Township (莒光) in Lienchiang County (Matsu) recently took some photos of messages written in the sand on a beach.
The two sentences read: “The Matsu Defense Command kitchen has no meat, so hungry soldiers can only eat instant noodles and canned food,” and “The Matsu Defense Command kitchen’s main course is plain rice.”
This information inspired some media to launch a tirade without looking into the matter. With calm consideration, this SOS message can lead to two conclusions.
MILITARY AT FAULT?
The first is that the army is to blame. A broken link in the supply chain to Kinmen and Matsu disrupted the supply of meat to those islands, which are close to China’s coast, and this has affected morale.
Although Kinmen and Matsu’s strategic location is no longer so important to deter China from attacking Taiwan, the needs of soldiers serving there should not be neglected.
Second, although the morale of an army unit would be affected if it only has access to canned food, it should not weaken the troops.
Even if they have to eat bark and roots, it should not affect their will to fight. Sending out an SOS exposes the military’s weaknesses to the enemy, so why is the military so feeble in this respect?
It would be wrong to blame only the Ministry of National Defense, without considering the social environment.
RESILIENCE IS POWER
My service as a psychological warfare officer with the Matsu Defense Command 40 years ago has made me well aware of the harsh frontline conditions.
The winters were so cold that we often woke up shivering in the middle of the night, but the summers were so humid that if we went on a two-day mission, by the time we came back, our quilts would be growing tendrils.
Water was scarce, so we could only take one shower per week. Since there were no fruit trees, all fruit had to be transported from Taiwan proper. The troops did not get enough vitamin C and other nutrients, which caused health problems such as night blindness.
Things are better now than 40 years ago, but back then, soldiers never complained about hardship or let it affect their will.
Consequently, the communists did not dare to move forward, and Taiwan was well protected.
CODDLED YOUNGSTERS
Why does the morale of today’s soldiers start failing after only 20 days with canned food and no meat?
The main reason is that young people in today’s society are over-protected, which makes them lazy and unable to endure tough conditions.
Blaming the defense ministry for the shortage of meat would make it hesitant to test its soldiers.
In wartime, soldiers sometimes have nothing to eat, so how can today’s troops be expected to fight to the last person? If things go on like this, how can Taiwan be a “porcupine”?
History shows that an army marches on its stomach. Of course, the Matsu meat shortage should not continue.
However, soldiers used to know how to sleep rough and endure hardship. Things are much better now.
How to train a strong and resilient army is surely a more urgent question than whether troops always have meat to go with their bowl of rice.
Chao Hsin-peng formerly served as a Republic of China armed forces psychological warfare adviser in South Korea.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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