You will live on forever.

(Baonghean.vn) - During our trip to Truong Sa, besides witnessing the arduous and deprived living conditions and the determined spirit of the officers and soldiers stationed in this remote location, we also heard many touching stories about camaraderie and the love for their homeland between the mainland and the islands among generations of officers and soldiers in Truong Sa.

In the early days of 2012, the HQ 936 ship of the 162nd Brigade, 4th Naval Region, took us to the Co Lin Island area, Truong Sa district, Khanh Hoa province. The sunrise shone on the submerged Co Lin Island, further highlighting the red flag with a yellow star fluttering in the ocean breeze.

At exactly 8:00 AM, officers and soldiers of the HQ 936 ship and the working group of Brigade 146, in their neat uniforms, gathered on the deck to perform a memorial ceremony for the 64 naval officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty of the Fatherland in March 1988 in this area. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thu, Deputy Political Commissar of the Brigade and Head of the working group in the middle of the Truong Sa archipelago, said: "The officers and soldiers of Brigade 146 will forever remember the courageous example of the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed themselves to protect every inch of sacred land of the Fatherland. These heroic examples are a great source of encouragement and inspiration for all the military and people of Truong Sa today to continue to overcome difficulties and challenges, and excellently fulfill the task of protecting the sacred sovereignty of this storm-ridden archipelago…".

A memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers was held on the deck of ship HQ 936.

Incense sticks were placed on simple wreaths by officers and soldiers of the HQ 936 ship and the Truong Sa Brigade, their smoke lingering on the deck. Grapefruits, apples, and oranges, bringing the flavors of home, were attached to the wreaths before being released into the shimmering blue sea. The command was given: "All hands! One minute of silence in memory of the 64 fallen soldiers, begin!" The sea suddenly became quiet, only the gentle sound of waves lapping against the ship's hull could be heard…

Young female reporter Hong Nhan (Ninh Thuan Newspaper) went to Truong Sa for the first time not only to report on the event but also to fulfill a sacred wish. She carried a package of mementos from Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung in Ninh Hoa town, Khanh Hoa province, for martyr Vo Dinh Tuan, one of the 64 officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Hong Nhan told us: "Ms. Dung was the girlfriend of soldier Vo Dinh Tuan. In 1987, they parted ways in Nha Trang; Mr. Tuan went to Truong Sa to perform his duties while Ms. Dung continued her studies at Nha Trang Teacher Training College. After Mr. Tuan's death, Ms. Dung remarried ten years later. Ms. Dung's wish was to go to Truong Sa once to give Mr. Tuan the mementos of their time together, including letters, diary entries, and a black-and-white photo of the two of them together before they parted ways, which Mr. Tuan never got to see…"

Through Hong Nhan's account, we learned that for the past 23 years, Ms. Dung has regularly written letters and diary entries for the fallen soldier Vo Dinh Tuan, filled with touching words of love. And today, those letters and diary entries will be sown into the sea, sent to a naval soldier who has forever rested in the ocean… We would like to quote a few passages from those letters and diary entries: "…I don't know where Tuan's soul is now with his 63 comrades. Dung wants to personally scoop up a mouthful of salty water where Tuan sacrificed himself, where Tuan has gone forever… What wave carried Tuan away, and took Dung's heart with it… May Tuan and his comrades rest in peace!" "Homeland,… Tuan, if Dung had known that was the last farewell, Dung would have let Tuan hold her hand, Dung would have leaned into Tuan's arms, and perhaps even given Tuan a kiss, a kiss that after a long time of knowing and loving each other, neither of us dared to give…"


Several years ago, after the remains of four fallen soldiers were found in the Gac Ma Island area of ​​the Truong Sa archipelago, the family and relatives of fallen soldier Vo Dinh Tuan had samples taken for DNA testing, but unfortunately, they have not yet been found… According to Nguyen Dinh Quan, a reporter for Tien Phong Newspaper, during the memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers on January 12, 2011, in the area of ​​the submerged islands of Len Dao, Co Lin, and Gac Ma, a letter from Mr. Vo Ta and Mrs. Phan Thi Day, the parents of fallen soldier Tuan, was burned and released into the vast, deep sea…

We stepped onto the submerged island of Len Dao as the tide was high. Captain Ngo Gia The, the island commander, said: "The officers and soldiers on the island regularly train and practice combat plans to become proficient. Despite the difficulties and hardships of being in the middle of the ocean, the officers and soldiers on the island always remain united, shoulder to shoulder, determined to complete their mission, not betraying the trust of the mainland, and worthy of the sacrifices of countless generations of Vietnamese people who have preserved every inch of sacred land of the Fatherland."

In the dazzling afternoon sun, we noticed the white sand strip southwest of Len Dao Island clearly emerging, resembling a miniature map of Vietnam. Lieutenant Nguyen Xuan Trung, on guard duty on the submerged island, told us that every time the sun sets, standing on the rooftop of the floating house fitted with many solar panels, looking at the S-shaped sand strip and the relentless blue waves pushing and pushing up each coral grain, making the sand strip larger and wider, he feels even more deeply the sacred responsibility and duty he has here.

Farewell to the submerged islands of Len Dao and Co Lin. The HQ 936 ship weighed anchor, and we continued our journey towards the submerged island of Da Dong. A tropical depression was sweeping across this stormy archipelago. And it seemed the wreath commemorating the souls of the martyrs was still there, hidden on the horizon. Just like Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung, we send our love a thousand times over into the sea… For us, you will live forever in the hearts of the nation…
TH - email from Truong Sa

Tran Hoai