Old battlefields and divisions, comrades

On July 17, 1966, exactly 45 years ago, President Ho Chi Minh issued an appeal expressing the will of our entire army and people: "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", "As long as there is one invader in our country, we will continue to fight to wipe him out". Uncle Ho's appeal was ahead of all plots, strategic intentions, troop increase levels, intensity and duration of war of the US imperialists, and for us, it was a belief in certain victory: "On the day of victory, our people will rebuild our country to be more dignified and more beautiful".

Deputy Battalion Commander Nguyen Phi Hung (Thanh Chung - Thanh Chuong - Nghe An) - Elite American-killing hero,Airplane destroyer, 24-year-old martyr (1946-1970).Photo of Regiment 812-f324

Colonel Tran Nhat Do - former Standing Member of the Party Committee, former Deputy Chief of Politics of the B5 Front - Route 9 said: At the time when we were preparing for a major battle, Uncle Ho asked General Vo Nguyen Giap: "Is there any way to reduce casualties and reduce pressure on the battlefields inside?". The General told Uncle Ho: "One way is to attack the enemy's outposts in the demilitarized zone, forcing them to send out their main forces to deal with it."

The entire front then drew in the US troops. The resounding preemptive attacks on the newly established US bases broke the "search and destroy" sweeps, forcing them to send troops out in an attempt to regain the initiative, but only to fall further into a passive position.

In combat, the soldiers of Division 324 Nguyen Phi Hung, Pham Van Tanh, Luong Van Thao, Trinh Viet Xu, Bui Giap Than, Ha Hoc Huan... were the first elite American-killing heroes, puppet-killing heroes, airplane-killing heroes, and tank-killing heroes of the division and the Route 9 front. Machine gunner Nguyen Phi Hung from Thanh Chuong, only one year old in the army, fought all day using many types of weapons to break up the advances of the US Marines to the 402 high point, killed 42 Americans, and together with the unit protected the safety of the division and regiment headquarters, the most outstanding example in the same battle, achieving both the elite American-killing hero and airplane-killing hero.

Some comrades from the front including Political Commissar Tran Nhat Do, Battalion Commander Nguyen Chi Dieu, brave soldiers Nguyen Phi Hung, Luong Van Thao, Trinh Viet Xu represented Division 324 to meet and report to Uncle Ho and General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Returning to fight in many battles and campaigns, Nguyen Phi Hung, Luong Van Thao, and Bui Giap Than heroically fell at a very young age and were all good battalion commanders.

These days of July, the veterans of the 324th Division of Nghe An were able to meet hundreds of veterans from the frontline from their hometown of Trung Nu Vuong - Me Linh, back to the former fighting area of ​​Quang Tri - the land of fire before, now the land of spirituality. Many comrades have returned to Quang Tri many times to express their gratitude to their comrades and compatriots who heroically sacrificed their lives, and we also know that many delegations from the country and overseas Vietnamese have returned to Quang Tri many times with such sentiments.

Remembering from the first day the Division entered the war against the Americans, defeated the Americans until now, exactly 45 years, through the years of fighting, performing the noble international mission with our Lao friends, nearly 20,000 cadres and soldiers have fallen. The blood and bones of the soldiers and compatriots who heroically sacrificed are still there - deep and thick sediments full of sacredness and legendary spirituality of Quang Tri, of the whole country. All are still there in the hearts of people, in the land, in the riverbeds, in the seas and islands, once and forever, which no one can divide or invade.

...Boat up to Thach Han, oh... row gently / The riverbed is still there, my friend lies / At the age of twenty, he becomes waves / Lapping peacefully on the shore, forever and ever.

(Words from the riverside by Le Ba Duong, a native of Nghe An, former E27 Platoon Leader)

By the Thach Han River, we all offered incense, bowed and stood silently before the souls of martyrs from all over the country, before the sacred spirit of the mountains, rivers, and islands of the Fatherland, and in our hearts echoed Uncle Ho's call during the days of fighting the Americans.

Doan Yen