The story of the soldier protecting General Chu Huy Man

(Baonghean.vn) - Nearly 20 years in the army is the same amount of time participating in combat, even now looking back, Mr. Chu Van Tam still doesn't know why he is still alive, going through the time of bombs and bullets, countless comrades sacrificed, remaining on the battlefield, but the days protecting General Chu Huy Man (from 1965 to 1971) he always remembers.

General Chu Huy Man and officers and soldiers of Military Region 4 welcomed Uncle Ho to visit the unit. Photo: Archive

We went to Lang Son commune, Anh Son district, to meet veteran Chu Van Tam. Right from the beginning of the village, everyone clearly showed the path leading to his house. Before my eyes was a man who had reached a rare age, but his skin was still rosy and his body was muscular. And especially, he had a sharp memory. To him, the war souvenirs were priceless, and he kept them carefully, especially the photos he took with General Chu Huy Man.

Over a pot of green tea, memories of the time of fire and fire came flooding back: “When I was young, I was very healthy, I ate without feeling full, worked without feeling tired, and was a youth volunteer for nearly 10 years before returning home to get married. In February 1961, I enlisted in Company 3, Battalion 4, Regiment 95, Division 325, stationed in Bo Trach District - Quang Binh. After 3 months of training for new recruits, I was sent by my superiors to study at the Special Forces School in Xuan Mai (present-day Hanoi). After returning to the unit, in August 1963, my unit went to B”, his eyes lit up with pride as he remembered the time of fighting in the battlefield.

As a reconnaissance commando, he was always at the forefront of large and small battles. The most memorable battle for him on battlefield B was the Diem Nhu coup in November 1963, when his unit participated in attacking the enemy's headquarters in the strategic hamlet of Dac Tang. The unit had to march at night. At exactly 1:00 a.m., they started firing. However, because our troops had placed mines to attack the open door, they were not strong enough to destroy it, so his unit could not get inside. The enemy discovered them and fired continuously. At that time, he held the machine gun to provide support for his comrades to continue breaking open the door.

However, due to the difference in combat capabilities, his unit had to retreat to consolidate forces and wait for the opportunity to attack. After three months of lying in the forest, using raincoats and tarpaulins instead of mats, the soldiers were hungry and cold; he and his comrades were covered with lice and fleas all over their bodies, their skin was sore, but their fighting spirit did not decrease.

In 1964, the Ministry of Defense sent main units to relieve the siege of the Military Region 5 Command in Da Nang, which was being held back by the enemy. He was assigned to unit V30, protecting the outer perimeter. One day, the Military Region 5 Command went to inspect the accommodation situation of the new units in the delta region. Upon arriving at V30, after hearing the situation report, Chief Man stood up to praise the fighting spirit and overcoming difficulties of the unit. Before leaving, Chief Man assigned the task to the V30 commander to find a comrade who was healthy, brave, resourceful, good at martial arts, and had combat experience to be the Commander's bodyguard.

The photo of General Chu Huy Man is a priceless war souvenir carefully kept by Mr. Chu Van Tam.

That night, the unit called him to the briefing room. On the way, he thought about it, not knowing whether it was good or bad, but he still went to see the commander late at night. Entering the room, the commander assigned him a task: "Tomorrow morning, you will return to the HQ of Zone 5 to work. Your task is to protect Comrade Chau. This is an honor and pride for yourself and V30; however, the responsibility is also very heavy. The unit commander believes that you will complete the task well."

That night, he lay awake until almost dawn, partly because he was happy, partly because he was worried, wondering who comrade Chau was at the 5th Zone Headquarters and whether he could complete the new mission. Later, during the business trip with Chief Chau, he learned that it was Chu Huy Man. At that time, Chu Huy Man was just holding the rank of Major General.

Talking about the Commander of Zone 5 and a fellow Nghe An native, he said: “Chief Man is a decisive person, however, when deciding on big issues, he calculates, considers carefully, and consults the group before making a decision. Although he is a Commander, he lives simply, is open-minded, easy to approach, and cares a lot about his soldiers. That quality has taught me many lessons about being a good person.”

Veteran Chu Van Tam next to a photo of his former boss - General Chu Huy Man.

Recalling the memories of the time protecting the Commander, he said: Once, when the Commander went to inspect the combat preparations of the units, he was discovered by the enemy, who used heavy firepower. He had just crawled into the bunker to avoid the bullets for a few meters when the artillery hit the bunker's mouth and it was sealed. The group escaped through the back door. If they had been a little slower, the tanks would have rushed up and destroyed them all.

Or once, the Commander was on his way from the Central Highlands to Da Nang when the enemy discovered that they were spraying toxic chemicals. Everyone in the group suffocated due to lack of oxygen. Many people were in poor health and could not hold their guns. He was a special forces soldier and saw a path leading down to a stream, so he led the whole group along the stream to escape.

In 1972, he was sent by his superiors to study at the Army Officer School 1 (now Tran Quoc Tuan University). In 1975, after graduating, he was assigned to work in the Left Bank Military Region. In 1979, due to difficult family circumstances, he was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown. Now he has grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and is in good health. He was awarded 3 Liberation Medals, a 2nd Class Resistance Medal, and many other awards for participating in the war.

He always recalls and imagines the days on the battlefield, especially the war years protecting General Chu Huy Man. The responsibility was very heavy but also very honorable. It has been 45 years.

Tuong Hieu