In early spring, the lecture hall of No. 8 Middle School in Hengyang City, Hunan Province was filled with warmth and applause. On the podium, several military academy students dressed in military uniforms took turns telling stories about the military camp, while hundreds of high school students listened attentively. This is the scene of the recent national defense education and propaganda activity "Strengthening the Military and Serving the Country, Youthful Promise" held at the school. Taking advantage of the opportunity to return home during winter vacation, this group of military academy students who graduated from Hengyang No.8 Middle School returned to their alma mater and told their younger students the stories of their growth from local youth to military academy students. They ignited a cluster of sparks of longing for the military and love for national defense on the elite campus. As a national demonstration school for national defense education, Hengyang No.8 Middle School has been deeply cultivating the red soil and always integrating national defense education into the entire process of educating students. To further promote the deepening and implementation of national defense education, Hengyang Garrison District actively collaborates with schools to build a comprehensive education system that combines classroom teaching with practical experience. Organizing military academy students to return to campus for lectures is an innovative attempt by the military and civilian forces to jointly carry out national defense education. The real experiences of peers are more convincing compared to this propaganda, "the leaders of Hengyang Garrison District told reporters, hoping to truly bring national defense education into the hearts of young people through this" talking about things around people "approach. I ran five kilometers in the morning, but at first I couldn't run down either. Blood blisters rubbed on my feet and my knees hurt so much that I couldn't sleep. ”Liu Chenxu, a student at the Army Engineering University, vividly recounted the process of breaking through oneself. "But when you grit your teeth and hold on, you will find that your limits are far beyond that," said Chen Yongting, a student at the National University of Defense Technology. "When I was studying at my alma mater, I thought 'serving the country' was a big word; when I walked into the military academy, I realized it was reflected in every training, every class, and every perseverance." In the interactive segment, senior high school student Pang Huan raised her hand first: "Senior, is the military academy application process complicated? Can you go home normally?" One question after another, the military academy students patiently answered one by one, and the once unattainable military life became clear and vivid in the Q&A room. After listening to my senior's sharing, I became even more determined to apply for military academy. ”Pang Huan told reporters, "I also want to wear that military uniform and have the same camouflage youth as them." The principal of Hengyang No. 8 Middle School introduced that there are many students like Pang Huan who have been ignited with dreams. In recent years, Hengyang No.8 Middle School has been continuously exploring the "immersive, interactive, and experiential" national defense education model, offering the "Flying Eagle" national defense characteristic class, and regularly conducting national defense knowledge competitions, military summer camps, and red research activities. In 2025, Hengyang Garrison District and the school jointly held the first centralized farewell ceremony for new military academy students, allowing them to depart with honor under the witness of military and civilian forces. Next, Hengyang Garrison District will deepen cooperation with local schools, promote the experience of military academy students returning to their alma mater to give lectures, attract more military academy students and retired college soldiers to join the national defense education lecturer group, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of propaganda activities. At the same time, they also organized active duty soldiers and specialized military cadres to enter the campus, carry out various forms of national defense education activities, continuously enrich the path of military civilian cooperation in education, and reserve more high-quality young talents for the strengthening and development of the military. (New Society)