Story about the 'bomb memorial' village in Dien Xuan

(Baonghean.vn) - 50 years ago, on August 8, 1966 (June 22 of the lunar calendar), the village of Thua Sung, Dien Xuan commune, Dien Chau district was leveled by American bombs in an instant. Instead of the peaceful countryside scene of the past, there was a pile of rubble, desolation, and death and grief. Since then, the whole village has organized a "bomb death anniversary", a joint death anniversary for relatives in the village on the same day.

From a village destroyed by bombs, it has now become a prosperous and beautiful countryside.

At 4am on August 8, 1966, while the villagers were still asleep, the American invaders dropped more than a dozen deadly bombs on the village. In just a split second, the peaceful village was flattened by American bombs, the pain and loss was heartbreaking. The village had 49 dead and hundreds of others injured, including 4 families that were wiped out because no one survived.

At that time, Dien Xuan was a fiercely bombarded area by the American invaders, because the commune was located on the vital route 205 connecting with national and provincial highways, near the train station. At that time, in Dien Xuan, there were up to 4 army units, liaison units, 2 food warehouses, weapons and fuel warehouses, schools and hospitals were also evacuated here. Hundreds of Dien Xuan families had to dismantle their houses to use planks to build roads, leaving their houses for the soldiers to live in...

Le Van Dieu's family gathered on his father's death anniversary.

In the bombing that day, Mr. Le Van Dieu lost his father forever... Even though it has been 50 years, the pain of losing his father has not yet subsided. Mr. Dieu shared: My father was the deputy head of the production team at that time, on the way to beat the gong to mobilize people to go to work, the bomb fell. My father sacrificed at that time at the age of 29, my mother was only 25, single-handedly raising 4 of us brothers with great difficulty...

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhu's family lost 7 people including her parents and siblings. That day, because she was studying in Yen Thanh, Mrs. Nhu survived. Then the story of Mr. Truong Duc Nhuan's family is also very sad. While he was fighting in Laos, his wife and children were hit by a bomb and no one survived...

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhu could not help but feel pain when recalling the story of her family being bombed 50 years ago.

Coming to Thua Sung village (now hamlet 3) Dien Xuan today, out of the village of more than 100 households, more than 30 have death anniversaries. Even though their children work far away, they still return to their families to burn incense in memory of the deceased. When peace was restored, Dien Xuan erected a memorial stele in memory of those who died in the bombing on August 8, 1966 right in the center of the village to mark the day of extreme sorrow that the people here had to endure.

People of Thua Sung village burn incense to the souls of those who fell in the bombing on August 8, 1966.

The story of the "bomb memorial" village in Dien Xuan will be remembered forever, as a painful testament to the crimes of war. Overcoming the pain, each villager of Thua Sung promoted their heroic and indomitable spirit, maintaining their iron will to rebuild their houses and villages, protect revolutionary bases, and fight back against the US air force. Through the war, Dien Xuan was honored to be awarded the Heroic Title twice by the Party and State./.

Mai Giang