Over the past few days, I have been seeing a number of articles in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) paying respect to the life of Amis volunteer combatant Tseng Sheng-kuang (曾聖光), who died in battle in Ukraine. As a veteran, I would like to offer my opinion on the matter.
War is cruel. As firearm technology has evolved, soldiers are now more easily killed or wounded than ever. For Taiwanese, Ukraine is a land far away. If Tseng — who once served in Taiwan as a foot soldier — had adopted the strategy of “cross and cover” in an open field while working with tanks, he would have gained a survival advantage and reserved combat power.
However, few Taiwanese citizens would have known how to protect themselves this way.
It was reported that Tseng had volunteered in Taiwan’s army for five years after high school graduation. Soon after being discharged, he went into real battle in Ukraine.
As a veteran, I must say that Tseng’s actions were far too risky, because he would not have received anything close to comprehensive battle simulation training, and therefore ran the high risk of being killed on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Ukrainians must brace for a tough winter, as most of the country’s heating facilities and infrastructure have been destroyed in the war. Any Taiwanese would have a difficult time getting accustomed to Ukraine’s lower temperatures.
For hot-blooded young people itching for battle, they would do best to stay in Taiwan, fulfill their military service when conscription calls, and receive proper training and skills in the process. Taiwan should always come first when it comes to defending democracy and justice.
Fang Ping-sheng is a former major in the Republic of China Marine Corps.
Translated by Rita Wang
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