THE DOUBLE TENTH

[Music] 67 years ago in the central Chinese city of Wolfe Chang a shot was fired by revolutionary soldiers in an uprising that led scarcely three months later to the toppling of the Manchu dynasty and the establishment of the first republic in Asia that day has been commemorated by three Chinese the world over as the National Day of the Republic of China because it falls from the tenth day of the tenth month it is affectionately known as the double tenth this year 1978 it rained in Taipei capital of the island Bastion there was however excitement in the air there had not been a military parade on that day for the last several years there is going to be one now [Music] in honor of the new president chiang chingkuo who was sworn into office less than five months ago on May 20th [Music] and also to demonstrate to the world that free China means business when she vows to maintain his prosperous and democratic way of life 20,000 overseas Chinese come from all over the world to help celebrate the day foreign guests come from many countries we're there without formal relations with the Republic [Music] because of inclement weather the flight lasted plane has to be canceled the parade commander reports to the commander in chief that there will be 12 thousand and 37 men and women passing through the stands in formation the Republic of China with 17 million people maintain sending army of half a million almost three percent of the total population there is universal military service every able-bodied male reaching the age of 18 serves two years college students get deferment until they graduate there are over two million in the immediate reserve [Music] the parade begins first come the bans of the armed forces led by the national flag and the standards of the army the Navy the Air Force and the fourth branch the combined service forces [Music] cadets of the chun qiang military preparatory academy enroll when they are 15 or 16 studied for three years and go on to one of the service academies just like a western prep school the Military Academy founded by the late President Chiang kai-shek who was its first commandant in 1924 offers academic training in addition to military courses after four years a cadet graduates with a science or engineering degree and receives a lieutenants Commission it is an honor to become an officer in the Regular Army for specialization there our infantry school artillery school signal engineering and others then there is the command and General Staff College for field officers and Armed Forces University for general officers [Applause] [Music] the Naval Academy said it's midshipman to the parade as an island dependent upon trade to survive the country maintains a small but tough naval force with a full marine component anti-submarine warfare is stretched in its training program [Music] the Chinese Air Force has an enviable tradition it's scored a kill ratio of 31 to 1 against MiG's in the last Taiwan's straight air battle of 1958 [Music] the prey service academies are geographically close to each other all in the vicinity of the southern port city of Kaohsiung yet another school unique in its curriculum is the political warfare academy the training center for officers in psychological warfare public information USO and other activities that a modern army engages in graduates of this Academy can be found at the most remote outposts they run post newspapers movie projectors px and clubs their job is to keep morale high at all time [Music] besides sending of Italian of male cadets the political warfare Academy also fielded the company of its women cadets the Chinese service academies have not yet begun to accept female students besides nursing students at the National Defence Medical College this is the only place for women to train for a Regular Army Commission all must be high school graduates between the ages of 18 and 22 [Music] if you think the girls March at a faster pace you are not mistaken the girls are quick stepping it and the pace of 136 steps per minute just try to count it more women in uniform this time militia women from the offshore islands of flame oi and Matsu at their closest point both island groups are only a mile or so from the Communist mainland all able-bodied men and women have been organized into militia units although they can shoot as well as men these women's jobs are to provide rear area support and care for the wounded in time of war they trained for a few hours each month and there is no pain similarly the militiamen from the offshore islands are local farmers and fishermen want to help defend their homes now they reserved unit from the 64 islets called the pescadores they are the only reservists to march on foot in the parade finally the regular army an infantry brigade with two foot battalions and one airborne battalion the average age of enlisted men is in the early 20s all our conscripts a small percentage reenlists they are tough well trained educated intelligent and highly motivated [Music] all the infantry weapons carried by these troops from the m16 rifle two automatic weapons mortars and recoilless rifles are made in Taiwan even artillery pieces and military vehicles [Music] airborne troops are so essential to modern warfare that they no longer form separate units in the parade ten years ago they wrote in trucks that's the reviewing stand now they march like everybody else [Music] a compliment from the Chinese Navy some of these normally ship horn sailors have been stationed as far away as the carousel island because it is harder to train a sailor than a soldier those who enlist in the Navy must serve three years instead of two in any country the Marines are usually tougher because more is expected of them the boot camp tradition is alive in Sao yang as it is in Camp Pendleton in 1958 when Chinese Communist artillery completely choked off Playboy it was the Marines who kept the supplies coming in in spite of 24-hour interdiction fire [Applause] [Music] [Applause] for a brief pause the drum and bugle corps of the three service branches now marking past the reviewing stand first come the Army's contingent 108 students from the Army's first noncommissioned officer school [Music] [Applause] of course the Navy can't be too far behind this group has played before many foreign audiences is a part of the fleets visit new friendly port [Music] the airport's drum and bugle corps is made up of Cadets from the air academy original planning called for the appearance in this time of the Army's aviation group flying uh-1h helicopters co-produced in Taiwan under license from Bell it was canceled due to the weather [Applause] [Music] the military police is a select group they must study many subjects from traffic control to civil and criminal law in military training they must meet rigid standards those give an honor guard duty at the martyrs shrine for example must learn to stand for hours without moving a muscle [Music] the signal core is the nerve system of any army here a mobile signal company that provides communication support between the land and the sea a contingent from the amphibious reconnaissance battalion better known as the frogman each must be a champion swimmer and diver a karate and Kung Fu expert a demolition man and an all-around athlete stationed on the offshore islands the frogman's daring peeps have become legend in the battle for Playboy [Music] the Communists held island of Amoy and come back with movie ticket stubs to prove they've been there [Music] [Applause] Here Come reserve units from the cities and counties of Taiwan they were called back into uniform just a week ago and were returned to civilian life tomorrow the reserve forces are so well organized that no individual call was necessary the government just issued an order it was repeated by TV radio and newspapers by the appointed time more than ninety nine and nine percent had reported to duty there are always a few had to postpone their wedding or forego other personal commitments but this is the army and their Brides do understand [Music] a field artillery battalion first come the 8-inch howitzers the throw a powerful punch [Music] in 1958 when flameboy received more pounding per square foot than either Guadalcanal or he will team up it was these giants that persuaded Mao to change his mind [Music] 155 millimeter cannons have been on parade before the difference this year is that these are made in Taiwan air defense missile units of the Republic of China are equipped with both nike hercules and hawk ground-to-air missiles first the smaller fog computer operated able to track down enemy jets with incredible accuracy [Music] the nike hercules radar directed killer at high altitudes [Music] [Music] and for the first time a guided missile designed and manufactured by the free Chinese it is christened Zhang Feng meaning the with an inertial guidance system that leads it to the target without fail a ground the ground missile it has been deployed in both Army and Navy units [Music] the construction workers of the army the engineering for this is just one company with its heavy construction and pontoon bridge equipment [Music] now the armored Corps first an infantry battalion these are m113 amphibious personnel carriers each of these Ducks carries 13 fully equipped men with their automatic weapons and mortars that's a rocket company these multiple rocket launchers are also making their debut does a worker be for each can hurl 40 rockets at a concentrated target within 16 seconds [Music] [Music] an artillery battalion of the armored Corps [Music] the M 108 self-propelled 105 millimeter gun able to fight over any terrain [Music] the m42 equipped with two anti-aircraft guns stands guard against an a low-flying aircraft rumbling tanks that literally shake the ground over which they pass in review a total of 170 tanks mostly m48 the workhorse of a modern tank battalion [Music] [Applause] planning a parade is an intricate operation those who march on foot and those who ride fast move with varying speeds all routes have to be kept free of traffic by now the honor guards reappear so that the last of the foot soldiers may have time to return to the presidential Plaza in three designated areas the whole operation must move swiftly like a jeweled watch movement not a second can be wasted the parade commander gives the order and the assembled troops all 12,000 of them doubled steps to the huge Plaza immediately in front of the reviewing stand a tidal wave of colors men and women in all kinds of unit they may be soaking wet but their spirits cannot be hired a moving sight and unforgettable scenes now they are going to hear their commander-in-chief president chiang chingkuo the phrase that he is pleased to see the officers at hand from all branches of the armed forces those from the front line and those in the reserve units he praised me for their performance in the parade their high spirits and their magnificent posture he said this is conclusively shown that the Armed Forces are superbly trained that their morale is extraordinarily high the various weapons paraded past the reviewing stand he said although representing only a very small fraction of the total equipment attested of the country's potential and weapons production and to its ability to use in particular he said the parade testified to the combat spirit of the armed forces on both the battlefront production front and concentrate expressed his gratification and extended his best wishes to all of them from the parade he said all Chinese at Wollman abroad can see that the country is moving ahead that there has been tremendous progress in social development and everything else and that a promising future lies ahead [Applause] although we are now faced with a difficult situation we can unite totally insincerely exert ourselves and carry out the teachings of the late president forward step by step we can overcome any difficulty and open up a new Vista for the country that we all [Applause] [Applause] the slogans mean long live the three principles of the people which of the teachings of the late dr. Sun yat-sen the father of the Republic and long lived the Republic of China [Music] [Applause] the anniversary of any nation is a day for reflecting on its past and considering its future on this 67th birthday of their Republic the people of free China have reflected among hard work that brought them unprecedented prosperity and a free way of life they are convinced to the path they have chosen and looked confidently down the road to the full realization of their national goals [Music]