On November 19, Ji Yuewu, a soldier of the 9th company of the 3rd battalion of a armored regiment of the Beijing Military Area Command, was demobilized from active service with a medal of outstanding soldier. He would soon return to the computer department of his Alma Mater--Xi'an Electronic science and Technology University to continue his study.

　　The reporter learned from the recruiting office of the Ministry of National Defense that the first crop of soldiers recruited from undergraduates had completed their service and most of them would be demobilized from active service and return to the universities to continue their study.

　　To recruit soldiers from the higher learning institutes is an important measure for the military forces to improve the cultural level of the servicemen and optimize the structure of the corps. Since the winter of 2001, China has started to enroll undergraduates to the army. At present, there are about 1,000 students serving in the army. According to the leaders of the related department, most of the soldiers recruited from the higher learning institutes have been serving in mechanized forces and other units with high technical features. These soldiers enjoy higher cultural level and better comprehension. After being trained and polished in the active service, most of them have became technological backbones and commissioned as squad leaders, vehicle commanders or crew chiefs. Among the 13 demobilized soldiers of a division growing out of the Red Army, 8 have been awarded Outstanding Soliders.

　　By Wu Chao and Wu Tianmin

　　(November 20，PLA Daily)