'Brothers come home happy'

From early morning, on the golden terraced fields of Mr. Va Chu Rua's family in Nam Can village, Nam Can commune, Ky Son district, there were bustling voices and laughter from the green-uniformed soldiers stationed in the area helping the family harvest the season. The soldiers' hands, accustomed to holding guns, now nimbly harvested rice like real farmers. Va Chu Rua's family, formerly a poor household in Nam Can commune, was selected by the Party Committee of Nam Can Border Guard Station in coordination with the locality to build the "Skilled Civil Affairs" model. "This is the first crop season that the Border Guard Station has guided the family to produce new rice varieties, brought by the soldiers themselves from the lowlands to plant in the mountainous areas, so all activities of soaking, incubating seeds, preparing the soil, and sowing rice seedlings are guided by Border Guard officers. When it's time to harvest, the soldiers' working group has supported me, my family is truly grateful..." - Mr. Va Chu Rua shared.

Talking to us, professional military Lieutenant Colonel Ngu Quang Hung, an employee of the mass mobilization team, Nam Can Border Guard Station - the person assigned by the Station Command to directly support Mr. Va Chu Rua's family in building a model for economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, said that previously, about 1 hectare of terraced rice fields of his family mainly used seeds from the Mong people, so the productivity was not high; on the other hand, due to the small area, it was not possible to use buffaloes and cows to plow, the soldiers had to use human power with the people to dig the land and prepare the planting ground.

Therefore, Nam Can Station supported the force and new rice varieties to help his family reclaim land to grow rice on schedule and harvest on time to increase productivity. Looking at the baskets of golden rice with plump, healthy grains, Mr. Va Chu Rua was so happy he couldn't speak.

Officers and soldiers of the Nam Can Border Guard help Mr. Va Chu Rua harvest rice; Border Guard Stations of Hanh Dich (Que Phong), Tam Hop (Tuong Duong) help people harvest summer-autumn rice. Photo: Anh Bach

In Vinh Tien village, Hanh Dich commune, Que Phong district, there is Mr. Le Van Huy - a single-parent household, living alone. When the rainy season comes, nearly 1,200 m²The rice was ripe, but Mr. Huy was seriously ill and could not harvest it in time. Faced with his difficult situation, Hanh Dich Border Guard Station mobilized officers and soldiers to help him harvest the rice. "Without the Border Guard, I really wouldn't know how to manage. Now I feel at ease. Thank you very much, Border Guard," said Mr. Huy.

Ms. Vi Thi Viet (born in 1999) in Phong village, Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district has a rather difficult situation. She unfortunately suffered a stroke, then her husband abandoned her, so she had to take her young daughter back to live with her parents who are now old and weak. Life is hard, and during the rice harvest season, her family lacks laborers to harvest. Therefore, when the soldiers in green uniforms helped her harvest the rice, Ms. Viet was moved to say that the care and sharing of the Border Guard is the motivation to help disadvantaged people like her rise up in life.

Photo: Anh Bach

Tam Hop is a border commune bordering Laos, with Mong, Thai, Tay Poong and Kinh ethnic groups living together. People's lives are still difficult. The whole commune has 530 households, of which 315 are poor and 87 are near-poor. According to Major Ha Huy Thien - Deputy Political Commissar of Tam Hop Border Guard Station: Helping people harvest crops is a regular activity of officers and soldiers at the station. The cases receiving support are mainly policy families, single-parent households, poor households, and households supported by border guard party members. In October, the station mobilized officers and soldiers to help 4 households in Phong village harvest rice and will soon continue to help the people of Mong Pha Lom village - a village striving to reach the new rural finish line in 2022.

Not only that, to facilitate people's travel and production, Tam Hop Border Guard Station also helps people build roads and dredge irrigation canals. Recently, the green-uniformed soldiers coordinated with the Tam Hop Commune Youth Union to concrete a road for the family of Ms. Vi Thi Nhung in Vang Mon village. Ms. Nhung lost her husband early, leaving behind 2 children, currently the second child is performing his duty in Division 324, Military Region 4.

Nghe An Border Guard supported traffic repair in Nam Can commune (Ky Son); Tam Hop Border Guard Station coordinated with Tam Hop Commune Youth Union to help Vi Thi Nhung's family in Vang Mon village, Tam Hop commune (Tuong Duong) pour concrete from the main road to the house; Muong Ai Border Guard Station supported teachers and people to carry their vehicles through dangerous landslides after rain and floods; Tri Le Border Guard Station coordinated with local departments, branches and people to launch irrigation and rural traffic projects in 2022 in the commune. Photo: Anh Bach - Gia Huy

In many areas in the border area, border guards have also sent working groups to the area to help policy households, families in difficult circumstances, families affected by floods, single-parent households... harvest the crop. Many rice fields were flooded, muddy, difficult to harvest, but officers and soldiers of the units have made efforts to support households to urgently harvest ripe rice, thresh rice, transport it to their homes, ensuring productivity and output.

"You guys come back to your warm and happy home" (poem by Hoang Trung Thong)...; the image of soldiers in green uniforms with bundles of rice on their shoulders has left a deep impression in the hearts of the ethnic people in the border provinces of our country.

Whenever there is a natural disaster or enemy attack, the Border Guard is always one of the first forces to arrive and also the last to stay. For example, right after the flash flood occurred in Ta Ca commune and Muong Xen town, Ky Son district, the soldiers in green uniforms were present in time to rescue and support the people, and nearly three weeks after the flood passed, they were still there, helping people build temporary houses, clean up roads, and rebuild their lives.

Many people have put aside personal matters to take care of public affairs, such as Private Cu Ba Lau (My Ly Border Guard Station) whose 2-year-old child had a high fever and had to be hospitalized for treatment. The unit commander created conditions for him to return home, but given the huge damage to the people, he only took the opportunity to visit his child for a while and then returned with his teammates to help people overcome the consequences.

Border Guard officers and soldiers distributed free medicine, disinfected classrooms, and helped clean up mud for people in Binh Son village, Ta Ca commune (Ky Son) after the flood. Photo: Anh Bach

Or Captain Phan Dinh Tam - Deputy Political Commissar of My Ly Border Guard Station - one of the commanders of the forest cutting force, approached Binh Son 1 village, Ta Ca commune to help people move houses at risk of collapsing and open a road connecting to the outside, sent forces to repair water pipes to bring clean water, fix electricity and connect with volunteer houses to provide timely food and provisions to the people. After nearly 3 weeks, through a change of troops, Captain Tam still stayed with his teammates to support the local government and the people.

Senior Lieutenant Oc Van Vinh, an employee of the Drug and Crime Prevention Team of Na Loi Border Guard Station, has also been staying and working side by side with the people to overcome the consequences of the flash flood since it first occurred with a tireless spirit. For them, staying to continue helping people overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives is not only an order from the commander but also an order from the heart, from the sense of responsibility of a soldier. "Everyone chooses the easy work, who will do the hard work?". As long as the people still need it and their lives are not stable, they cannot return...

It is known that to support the government and people, Nghe An Border Guard force has set up a command post in Ky Son, personally commanded by Colonel Ho Quyet Thang - Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of the Provincial Border Guard. At the same time, 150 officers and soldiers from the Ky Son Border Guard Stations and reinforcements from the Command Headquarters were mobilized to help people in affected areas overcome the consequences of floods.

The terrible flash flood that occurred in Ky Son district caused 64 houses to be submerged under over 1 meter of water, and 265 houses had to be urgently evacuated. Therefore, along with supporting food, cleaning, and sanitation after the flood, and evacuating houses at risk of collapse due to landslides, Border Guard officers and soldiers also helped people whose houses collapsed or were swept away to build temporary houses to live in while waiting for resettlement in a new place.

Nghe An Border Guard helps dismantle and relocate emergency houses to safe places, and build temporary houses for people in Binh Son 1 village, Ta Ca commune (Ky Son). Photo: Anh Bach

Lieutenant Colonel Ho Minh Hoan - Deputy Chief of Staff of Nghe An Border Guard, who is also the direct commander of the force helping the people of Ky Son, said: From the time the flash flood occurred until the end of the mission, the unit mobilized 2,028 working days, helping people dismantle and relocate 26 houses; repaired 97 houses; built 32 temporary houses; cleaned up 38 households; repaired 3km of inter-village roads... In addition, the Border Guard Command and units provided material support to the people worth 115 million VND; mobilized and coordinated with organizations and individuals inside and outside the province to support people with cash and material damage worth nearly 4.6 billion VND.

For people in the flash flood area, although the most difficult thing is to find a new resettlement site to stabilize their lives in the long term in difficult conditions due to the terrain. However, the companionship and sharing of officers, soldiers in green uniforms and other forces in the past time has been a "support" for them to overcome difficulties and move forward.

Mr. Lo Van Bien in Hoa Son village, Ta Ca commune expressed: “The old house was buried by rocks and soil. If we had let our family build the house ourselves, it would have taken many days to finish and we wouldn’t have known where to get the materials. However, thanks to the help of the Border Guard, our whole family soon had a temporary house. Almost every step from collecting mud and soil to transporting materials had to be done manually, which was hard work, but the soldiers were still very happy and enthusiastic. We, the people, thank the soldiers very much...”.

According to the leaders of Ky Son district, the district has urgently sought the most favorable location to plan resettlement for the people and has now identified the land area with the most favorable conditions for transportation, electricity, water... to arrange resettlement for over 200 households located in the low hills in Cau 8 village, Ta Ca commune, near Son Thanh village primary school and kindergarten.

On the afternoon of October 20, Ky Son district held a conference to commend the forces participating in helping local people overcome the consequences of natural disasters, including the Border Guard force. At the conference, the People's Committee of Ky Son district awarded certificates of merit to 5 groups and 15 individuals of the Nghe An Border Guard force. After the conference, in agreement with the local authorities, the standing force performing the task of overcoming the consequences of natural disasters of the provincial Border Guard successfully completed the task and returned to their units to continue working.

Difficulties will eventually recede, new life will revive on this land, but the practical "people-oriented" deeds of the border guards and the warm military-civilian relationship will certainly remain in the memories of many people...