To soldiers in China, participating in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a once in a lifetime honor. And to some, that honor may have come very late.

Among the 15,000 soldiers participating in Tuesday's military parade was Song Jie, a 29-year-old soldier of a family steeped in military tradition—15 members of his family had served in the military, ranging from land force, naval force, air force, to rocket force. 

Song's great-grandfather, Dong Chengsen, now in his nineties, fought in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Though initially regarded as a potential candidate to participate in the first military parade after the founding of the PRC, his great-grandfather did not pass the final selection test by a very small margin, thus losing out on one of the greatest opportunities of his lifetime.

Song was brought up listening to the story of his great-grandfather and thus bore the dream of participating in military parade since he was young. He signed up to join the parade shortly after he became a soldier, but was almost eliminated because of his less-than-satisfactory physical stature.

In order to be qualified to participate in the parade, he put in extra hours in the night, tying sand bags to his legs to practice goose-stepping. Through repeated practicing, he was selected to participate in the 2015 military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. 

And this year, Song was again selected to march in the parade. His great-grandfather, who was suffering from the residual effects of pain left in the war, sent him a note before him leaving for practice in Beijing.

"When the PRC was first founded, we were still using horses to pull cannons; now, you get much more advanced weapons," said his great-grandfather. "You are in the right time now and you should fight for the military and for the country."

The formation that Song belonged to this year was composed of Chinese peacekeeping forces—the first time that China's peacekeeping forces participated in a military parade and received inspection from the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Now, a father himself, Song said his participation in the parade was not just to realize the dream of his great-grandfather, but also to pass on the dream of a strong military to his son and the next generation.

Luckily, the story of Song and his great-grandfather was not buried in the long arch of history. During this year's parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, special tribute was paid to veterans who fought in battles defending the PRC against aggression.

Vehicles carrying veterans who participated in the revolution before the founding of the PRC and other national heroes drove past the Tian'anmen Square. A veteran was spotted moving his hands rhythmically to the beat of the music as he heard the song "Ode to the Red Flag."

A welcoming public ceremony was not all that was given. The Chinese government in recent years have striven to improve the welfare of veterans, setting up the Ministry of Veterans Affairs to handle resettlement and help former soldiers find employment, as well as making sure their family members are taken care of.

101-year-old veteran, Hu Zheng Xian, who joined the military at the age of 12, and was on the vehicle marching through the Tian'anmen Square told CCTV after the parade, "I thought about my fellow soldiers as the vehicle passed the Tian'anmen Square; It is because of their sacrifice and contribution that we managed to have peace and prosperity as of today."