The last mission of 4 Nghe An soldiers who died while rescuing at Rao Trang 3

Among the 13 officers and soldiers who died in sub-region 67 of Phong Xuan commune, Phong Dien district (Thua Thien Hue), 4 were children from Nghe An.

1. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Head of Operations Department, General Staff of Military Region 4

2. Lieutenant Colonel Le Tat Thang, Deputy Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff of the 80th Information Brigade, Military Region 4

3. Major Nguyen Canh Cuong, Captain of Company 6, Battalion 2, Information Brigade 80, Military Region 4

4. Captain Dinh Van Trung, Station Chief 15W, Company 6, Battalion 2, Information Brigade 80, Military Region 4.

You are truly the best sons of your homeland. Your sacrifice leaves endless sorrow for your family, friends, comrades and people of your homeland.

Dinner not ready yet

Hearing that Lieutenant Colonel Le Tat Thang was present in the working delegation ofMilitary Region 4 CommandAfter the accident in Rao Trang, leaders, local organizations and people from Lien Mau 3 hamlet, Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan) immediately came to encourage and comfort the family members. Thang's mother, Dau Thi Phuong, has not yet been able to recover from the pain that feels like her heart is being torn apart.

Mr. Le Van Thanh - father of Lieutenant Colonel Le Tat Thang, holds back his grief after his son died. Photo: Cong Kien

The same goes for his wife, Le Ngoc Diep. Losing her life partner was such a huge shock that it left her devastated. The doctors and nurses of Mr. Thang’s unit were always there to take care of his parents, wife and children.

As a soldier who spent 7 years in the Southern battlefield, Mr. Le Van Thanh (68 years old) suppressed his pain and loss to help everyone arrange work and prepare to welcome his son back. But there were times when the father sat there like a stone, when all his thoughts were focused on his eldest son who had just sacrificed himself.

Mr. Thanh told about his son's sudden business trip: "On the weekend, Thang was able to go home and clean up and rearrange the house. On Sunday afternoon (October 11), the whole family was preparing dinner when the unit's driver came to report that there was urgent work.

Relatives, neighbors, comrades, authorities at all levels and organizations visited and encouraged the family of Lieutenant Colonel Le Tat Thang. Photo: Cong Kien

Thang immediately changed into his uniform and hurriedly left without having time to eat lunch. At that time, I was in the backyard and didn't have time to say hello. Le Quyet Tien (grade 10) and Le Minh Hang (grade 2) also didn't have time to say hello to their father.

It was not until 5:00 p.m. when we arrived.Thua Thien Hue, Mr. Thang just called home to inform his father about joining the working group of the Military Region 4 Command. "Thang said we are going to rescue people affected by floods, the family can rest assured, I will return after completing the mission" - Mr. Thanh recalled.

But then, when the news of 13 officers and soldiers having an accident nearbyRao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant,Mr. Le Van Thanh and his family were suddenly shocked. Every hour, every minute, they followed the news, hoping that Mr. Thang and his teammates were just lost somewhere in the forest. Until the evening of October 15, the news that all 13 bodies of the working group had been found, the fragile hope was extinguished, the pain was even more heartbreaking...

Mr. Phan Trong Dung, Mr. Thanh's neighbor, said: "In recent days, agencies, units, relatives, friends and many people in the village and commune have come to share the pain and loss with the family. Because when he was alive, Mr. Thang was a gentle, sociable and enthusiastic person, always respected by everyone."

Born into a family and a countryside rich in tradition, his father and uncles were all soldiers returning from the battlefield, Le Tat Thang had dreamed of becoming a soldier since he was young. And his dream came true, he became a talented, brave and courageous commanding officer. Natural disasters took his life but he will live forever in the hearts of his teammates, comrades and his homeland.

Unfulfilled wish

Sharing the same grief, the people of Hamlet 3, Nghi Thinh Commune (Nghi Loc) and relatives, friends and comrades were constantly present at the home of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung. His wife, Le Thi Bich Hang, and daughter Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong (born 2005) went to Hue to attend the memorial service and bring him back to his hometown.

Mr. Le Van Truong's pain when he heard the news that his son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung, had died. Photo: Cong Kien

His parents are both over 80 years old, old and weak, the pain of parents is indescribable. Mr. Le Van Truong (74 years old), Hang's father, represents the family in taking care of the housework. When sitting alone, Mr. Truong is always absent-minded, his old eyes filled with tears, feeling sorry for his son-in-law, daughter and grandchildren, occasionally he lets out a sigh.

Mr. Truong shared: “Dung is a person who is very devoted to his wife and children, both paternal and maternal sides, and gets along well with the neighbors. He is busy with work, so whenever he has time, he comes home to share the difficulties with his wife, because her health is not good. To his homeland, Dung always shows a sense of responsibility, in difficult times, even when he was studying in Russia, he saved money to send back to support the construction of welfare projects.”

Leaders of the Ministry of National Defense and Military Region 4 sent wreaths to pay tribute to Martyr Nguyen Tien Dung. Photo: Cong Kien

For that reason, when hearing the news of Mr. Dungsacrifice, everyone could not hide their sympathy. The dear, affectionate memories of the past came back, making the living miss and regret even more. As a brother-in-law, also a military officer, Mr. Le Dinh Thich said that on holidays, Tet or when the family had important events, Mr. Dung was always the one to take care of everything.

And always caring and attentive to each member of the extended family. This loss can never be forgotten. Even more heartbreaking, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Dung sacrificed his life while expecting his second child. Nguyen Thi Ha Phuong was 15 years old, and he and his wife were yearning day and night for another source of joy...

The father struggled to be a support

Like the father of Lieutenant Colonel Le Tat Thang, Mr. Nguyen Kim Anh (59 years old), the father of Major Nguyen Canh Cuong, appeared steadfast in the face of pain and loss. He clearly remembered every event from the time his son came home for a weekend visit until the time he lost contact.

“After a week of rehearsals in Nam Dan, Cuong was able to go home on the weekend. On that occasion, he arranged to go to Hanoi to visit his wife, a doctor who was studying there. But he only got to see her for about 10 minutes, because right at the time his sister gave birth, Cuong took a bus back and went straight to the unit,” Mr. Anh said.

Mr. Nguyen Kim Anh - father of Major Nguyen Canh Cuong sadly remembers his son who just sacrificed his life. Photo: Cong Kien

On the afternoon of October 12, as if having a premonition, Mr. Anh suddenly felt restless. He texted his son to ask about him, and a while later, Mr. Cuong texted back that there was heavy flooding in Hue, and that his son and his teammates were on a rescue mission. He called back a few minutes later but there was no longer any contact signal. That night, the father lay awake, tossing and turning, his heart filled with anxiety and worry.

The next morning, when he received information that 13 members of the working group led by Major General Nguyen Van Man had an accident near Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant, once again his father’s intuition told him that his son was there. What followed were tense moments for the family members…

Then, late in the afternoon of October 15, when information about the discovery of buried people was sent in droves, Major Nguyen Canh Cuong’s relatives were all devastated… But he was determined to get up, because more than ever he had to be a spiritual support for his wife and daughter-in-law. “I love her so much, they had just gotten married at the end of last year, when she died she was still not pregnant…” - Mr. Anh choked up.

Relatives and friends near and far share the pain with Mr. Nguyen Kim Anh's family. Photo: Cong Kien

Martyr Nguyen Canh Cuong was born into a family with many generations of revolutionary soldiers. His paternal grandfather was a soldier fighting against the French; his paternal and maternal grandfathers were both soldiers fighting against the Americans (his maternal grandfather was a martyr); his father, mother and brother were all soldiers. Following the family tradition, Cuong soon became a military officer, the road ahead was wide open. Until October 12 this year…

Mr. Dang The Vinh, head of Nam Lien hamlet, Nghi Lien commune (Vinh city), where Cuong's family lives, said: "All the neighbors are very kind.regret, because when he was alive, Cuong was always close and friendly. In recent days, many people from all over have come here to share the loss with the family."

A Stepmother's Love

Since hearing the news of his son’s death, Mr. Dinh Van Dong (over 70 years old) in Block 10, Ben Thuy Ward (Vinh City), father of Captain Dinh Van Trung, has been in extreme pain. The pain of losing his son left the father exhausted and he had to rely on the care of medical staff.

The person who took care of everything in the family at that time was Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nam, Trung's stepmother. She said: "Trung has 4 siblings, his mother passed away when he was only 9 years old. I married Mr. Dong when Trung was 12 years old and the following year gave birth to a son. Trung is a virtuous and gentle person, although I was not the one who gave birth to Trung, I was still extremely sad."

Mrs. Nam also said: On Sunday (October 11), when he was able to go home to visit, Trung took the opportunity to prepare lunch for the whole family. Receiving a phone call from the unit, he hurriedly packed his luggage and left, only having time to tell his father that he was on a sudden business trip. On the way, he took the opportunity to call and chat with his wife (Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh) and his eldest son Dinh Van Anh Tuan (second daughter Dinh Thuy Linh is not yet 1 year old).

Teammates came to encourage and help with work for Captain Dinh Van Trung's family. Photo: Cong Kien

The next afternoon, Tuan said he missed his father and asked his mother to call him to talk. But the phone kept ringing but there was no signal, and it was the same until late at night. At this time, the whole family was worried, no one said anything but they all thought that something bad was happening. Until the morning of October 13, when they heard that the rescue team of Military Region 4 had an accident at Rao Trang, the family became even more worried. Then that bad thing happened...

Relatives, teammates, friends, neighbors, and authorities and organizations came in large numbers to offer their support and condolences. Everyone expressed their deep sorrow, because Trung was the pillar of the family, his father was old and weak, his stepmother and wife had no stable source of income, and his two children were still young...

So, each person has a different situation but they all have one thing in common: spirit.brave, ready to sacrifice for the peaceful life of the people. That spirit is inherited from family tradition and nurtured from the tradition of the homeland. And their sacrifice once again affirms the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers and further lights up the traditional flame of the family and homeland of Nghe An.