Salute to our army heroes one and all

For years I have withheld my respect for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. While I admired its predecessors who fought heroically for decades to found the People's Republic of China in 1949, I doubted if the soldiers of today, in peace time, could retain the fine traditions forged by those in the revolutionary years.

Scandals of corruption involving army officers estranged me, making me unsure if it was still "our army".

I did not expect the devastating earthquake on Monday in Sichuan, which shook half of China, taking a heavy toll on lives, would also change my opinion about our army.