The Last Letter

(Baonghean) -Martyr Nguyen Xuan Can was born in 1929, in Ngoc Khanh village, Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong (Nghe An). In 1950, Nguyen Xuan Can left his hometown, his family joined the army, joined the army to the South, and traveled all over the roads of Zone 4. For more than 21 years, fighting through bullets and fire, he only managed to visit home once...

During the fierce months in the Quang Tri battlefield, beside the fortifications or in the deep tunnels still filled with gunpowder smoke, soldier Nguyen Xuan Can always took the time to write letters to his relatives, telling stories of the battlefield and dreaming of a day of total victory, of being reunited with his family. However, when the letter reached the recipient, the writer was already on the battlefield forever.

The letter of martyr Nguyen Xuan Can was written on November 21, 1971, sent to his brother about 3 months before his death. The letter was 6 pages long, written on white polystyrene paper, the ink had faded over time, the handwriting was steady, firm but also tiny as if to save every centimeter of paper. Throughout the letter were filled with emotions, fighting spirit and noble ideals of a police officer at the front line of fire in Gio Linh, Quang Tri.

The last words and testament of martyr Nguyen Xuan Can are displayed at the traditional room of Thanh Chuong district.

Nguyen Xuan Can was the second child in a poor farming family with 8 children. Being away on the battlefield while his younger siblings were still young, his parents were old and weak, his young wife was languishing in her hometown… all these feelings were always in the heart of the young soldier.

So the opening of the letter is filled with nostalgia:

"I miss you so much, Brother Luc!
Long time ago, so far away, miss you so much!

My dear brother Luc! It's been a long time, I can count on my fingers for 8,9 years since I last saw you and the kids...".

Gio Linh, Quang Tri during the years of fighting against the US, had Hien Luong bridge across Ben Hai river, the border dividing the North and South, so the enemy concentrated all their forces to attack fiercely. Life was difficult, having to fight cleverly against the enemy lurking day and night, and having to face illness and deprivation, Nguyen Xuan Can still steadfastly overcame, tried to work well and was always worried about his parents in his hometown: "I see that my parents are too old and weak, and they are also sick, there is no food or medicine, and our country has a bad harvest, I am afraid that my younger siblings at home do not care properly, I know that but I have to bear it".

The harsh and fierce life on the battlefield also appeared through hastily written letters: “In 1969, I had a severe malaria and was about to die, and had to stay in the mountains and forests of Thua Thien for more than 6 months. In 1970, I went from the area to a meeting in Quang Tri province. When I left, the enemy swept in and I had to stick with the troops to fight. Afterwards, commandos broke into my accommodation. My food was spoiled and lost, so I had to live on wild vegetables and stream water for more than a month. It was not until April 1971 that I was able to return to my unit. I had a fever but now I have recovered. I only have a nervous breakdown and pterygium in my eyes, but I still try to work because there is a shortage of people, brother. If I go, there will be no one to replace me. In the past few years, I have sacrificed so much that training is not enough to supplement…”. As fierce as it was, all of this did not discourage him because it was the love and great responsibility for the Fatherland that motivated the soldiers to go to battle with extraordinary strength and determination. In hardship, Nguyen Xuan Can still achieved very proud achievements.

Passionate about his work, Nguyen Xuan Can optimistically believed that the day of total victory was not far away. He wrote: "Of course, the day of total victory is not far away. We have firmly grasped the American enemy, but it is still extremely fierce, brother." And firmly promised: "I will complete my mission to please my parents and siblings, to be worthy of being your younger brother and to repay the revolutionary favor...". When talking about war, it is impossible not to mention sacrifice and loss. But Nguyen Xuan Can's mindset was extremely calm: "I am not afraid to sacrifice because I see so many families who have devoted their entire lives to the cause of fighting the Americans to save the country. In our family alone, no one has been harmed in the two wars. Now, suppose I sacrifice myself...". In his last will (currently kept and displayed at the Thanh Chuong District Traditional Room), Nguyen Xuan Can still thought: "If the Fatherland is still there, I am no longer there / If the Fatherland is not there, I am also nothing."

Returning to Ngoc Khanh village, Thanh Ngoc commune, Thanh Chuong on a July afternoon, with the hot Lao wind, I met Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tam, the daughter-in-law of a martyr, and she showed me the relics of People's Armed Forces Hero Nguyen Xuan Can. There were many noble medals of various types such as: First Class Liberation Soldier Medal, First Class Anti-American Resistance Medal, First Class Victory Soldier Medal, etc.

Mrs. Tam was moved to tears as she held the small, red plastic comb. She said it was a souvenir that a martyr had given to her mother-in-law when she traveled a long distance, despite the danger, to visit her husband in Quang Tri just once. That was also the last time her mother saw her husband until he died. The only memories of their marriage, besides their only son, two meetings (once he returned, once she visited), a small comb and... endless longing. Mother waited for father for 21 years and 8 months, only to have him never return.

In 1972, as a member of the District Party Committee and Head of the Gio Linh District Security Committee, Nguyen Xuan Can commanded the campaign to liberate Gio Linh District, but in that fierce and fierce battle, Nguyen Xuan Can was seriously injured and heroically sacrificed his life on April 1, 1972 in Quan Ngang, Quang Tri. On June 6, 1976, Nguyen Xuan Can was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State.

After Nguyen Xuan Can died, she stayed single to worship her husband, raise her children, and cherish the comb he gave her like a treasure, and continued to wait for him to return...

Mrs. Tam said that in 1980, 8 years after his death, the family traveled to Quang Tri to bring the martyr's remains back to Thanh Chuong District Cemetery for burial. People in Gio Linh, Quang Tri, were reluctant to part with the brave soldier whom they loved and cared for so much, so when the family brought Nguyen Xuan Can's remains back, they buried a comb in the same place and rebuilt a spacious tombstone to worship him. Currently, at Gio Linh District Cemetery, people still regularly burn incense at his grave.

In 2006, both Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhan and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quyen (wife and son of martyr Nguyen Xuan Can) passed away, Mrs. Tam replaced her mother-in-law to preserve the martyr's relics for her children and grandchildren...

On September 27, 2010, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Giat, the martyr's younger brother, donated the original letter to Nghe An Museum for display and to educate future generations about tradition!

Phan Thi Ha Long