Warmth on the first day of spring
(Baonghean)After nearly two hours battling the waves, we finally caught sight of the green color of the Heroic Eye Island amidst the vast ocean. The ship docked, and the soldiers, lined up neatly, greeted us with bright eyes.
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Every ship that arrives is greeted in the same way by the soldiers on the island, with warm handshakes and embraces.
With an altitude of 218 meters above sea level and an area of nearly 3 square kilometers, Mat Island stands resilient in the open sea, like the strength of the island soldiers guarding the sea and sky of their homeland.
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On Mat Island, on August 17, 1965, soldier Ho Sy Chau, despite being wounded, used his body as a gun mount to shoot down an enemy AD6 aircraft with his crew; on March 31, 1965, comrade Ho Kim Giao sacrificed his life still in a ready-to-fight position after he and his comrades destroyed an F.105 aircraft...
During the brutal years of the war against the Americans, facing a shortage of fresh water, the soldiers on Mat Island shaved their heads to conserve water.
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Today, sturdy and majestic houses have been built on the island, and the steep, multi-tiered road leading to the summit and encircling the island has been paved with concrete. Soldiers from the Island Mat Combined Battalion (Nghe An Provincial Military Command) are steadfastly guarding the sea and sky day and night.
Nam Xuan
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