Thai guy quits job, writes application for military service

Dam Van Nam and his family before the military draft day. Photo: Dinh Tuan

These days, people inside and outside the village as well as local government leaders often visit, encourage and give gifts to Dam Van Nam's family, making the small house in Mon village more crowded than usual.

The Thai ethnic man took the opportunity to repair and reinforce his mother's house before leaving. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Dam Van Nam is one of the outstanding young men of Tuong Duong district who are preparing to join the army this time. Nam's family is poor, his father passed away when Nam was in 2nd grade. Since then, Nam's mother has been single, working hard to raise Nam and his sister until they finished 12th grade.

Dam Van Nam shared: “After graduating from high school, I also wanted to go to a vocational school or take the entrance exam to a college or university like my friends. But because my mother was old and had a heart disease, she was no longer strong enough to work every day to earn money to support me and my studies, so I went to the North to work for a company. The job was stable, with a monthly salary of nearly 10 million, not including overtime. After deducting expenses, I had about 5 million left, which was okay for me. However, since I was little, I liked joining the army, so when I heard about the military service examination, I asked my mother and wrote a volunteer application. After going through many strict examination steps, I was accepted. I promise to be determined to train well to be worthy of being Uncle Ho's soldier.”

Ms. Lo Thi Chai, Nam's mother, said: "Nam is gentle, obedient, diligent and hard-working in all his work. Every year in high school, Nam has been an excellent student. Realizing his family's situation, after school, Nam always helps his mother with housework. This time, in the village, there were nearly 10 children who went to the military medical examination, but only Nam was selected, so my family is very happy and proud of him."

During this time, Nam is taking advantage of the time to help his mother build fences, go to the forest to collect firewood, and reinforce the kitchen roof... to feel secure when he joins the army. Ms. Lo Thi Chai said: "If he is drafted into the army this time, I will have a harder time. However, I always encourage him to try to train in the military environment."

The youth of Thach Giam town organized a car wash to raise funds to support Nam's family. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Realizing that Dam Van Nam's family was in a difficult situation, in order to promptly encourage Nam to feel secure to join the army, the youth of Thach Giam town, Tuong Duong district organized a car wash program to raise funds to support Nam's family. Hopefully, with the will to practice and the patriotism of a Thai ethnic child, Nam will bring glory to his Thai people.