The military refers to Penghu County as “offshore” and Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties as “outlying islands.” In the past, young men across Taiwan drew lots to determine where they would be stationed, with Kinmen and the Matsu archipelago considered undesirable assignments.
For Matsu, Jyuguang Township (莒光) includes two major islands, Dongjyu (東莒) and Sijyu (西莒), as well as smaller islets.
When I was doing education and promotional work across Taiwan in the Young Women’s Working Brigade, I visited Matsu four times, visiting Beigan (北竿), Nangan (南竿) and Dongyin (東引) townships, as well Dongjyu and Sijyu, along with other islands such as Liang (亮島) and Gaodeng (高登), with each tour lasting three months.
Due to the geography and environment, living conditions in Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu have long been inferior to those in Taiwan proper. Two decades ago, when I arrived in Matsu on a landing platform, I was appalled by the living conditions.
Not only was there limited water supply, the water was of poor quality. The entire women’s brigade showered together without hot water, while dead bugs were occasionally found in the water. At the time, I considered it a luxury to have water to shower at all.
As food sources were limited, we ate whatever the brigade ate, but as there were often military officers heading up education and promotional work there, the army would usually offer an extra dish, which would be something that is common in Taiwan proper, but difficult to come by on an outlying island lacking variety.
About six years ago, when I was assigned to the Army Command Headquarters, I again visited Matsu. This time, I found that the facilities and food had greatly improved due to advancements in technology, transportation and the efforts of top officials.
Minister of Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) was then head of the Army Command Headquarters. He has always regarded outlying islands as a top priority for provision and supply, which should be the same with all the former ministers, even though resources are still not up to par with those on Taiwan proper.
On Sunday a photograph posted on social media showed a message written on a beach, purportedly on Sijyu, saying that the soldiers there had to eat canned food and instant noodles because they had no fresh meat.
I asked a friend fulfilling his military service in Matsu about the incident. He said it was due to the breakdown of a commercial boat that usually delivers meat to the islet, and deliveries had also been affected by weather. Without other food sources, the army used canned pork as a substitute.
From the incident, we can see the efforts and hardship that soldiers stationed on outlying islands must deal with. It is also understandable how top officials might have created a misunderstanding among the public, and that the pressure that public censure has inflicted on the national army.
The soldiers with a complaint about the food situation should have taken it up with their superiors first.
I believe top officials and commanders in the army would address the problem upon receiving the complaint. In this way, we would have avoided a public misunderstanding, while maintaining troop morale, especially by preventing people from spreading articles with scandalous titles like “combat power down for national army.”
Chang Ling-ling is a retired colonel in the armed forces reserves. She is a resident of New Taipei City.
Translated by Rita Wang
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