Still alive - still looking for teammates

Youth is associated with military career

In 1972, 17-year-old student Thai Gia Tien volunteered to enlist in the army to fight against the Americans to save the country. At that time, he was in the 10th grade of Anh Son high school. When he learned that his fifth son had enlisted, his mother was quite sad because only a week before, she had received the death notice of her third son (who died on the Quang Tri battlefield in 1968). His father and sister had to encourage Thai Gia Tien's mother a lot, "the country needs it, everyone must try their best... I have to let him go."

Joining Battalion 43B, Nghe An Provincial Military Command, soldier Thai Gia Tien underwent many training sessions and in early 1974 joined Group 2069 B, entering the Southwest battlefield.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien said: “We started marching from Nghi Loc to Quang Binh by car, then followed Highway 20 to Laos, then continued marching on foot along the Western Truong Son Road... It took more than 6 months to reach Lo Cai San (Kien Giang). Here, Group 2069 was assigned to different units. I and 6 others were assigned to the 6th Reconnaissance Company, Battalion 303, Regiment 1 U Minh, Military Region 9. As soon as we arrived at the unit, we almost immediately entered the battle.”

The first battle of Thai Gia Tien's soldiers took place at Vam Cai Cao, An Lac Thon town, Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province now. The company was assigned to capture the outpost located right at the Hau River junction. Thai Gia Tien's secondary attack force had 3 people led by party member Nguyen Dinh Hong (from Xuan Son commune, Do Luong district). The enemy's firepower was strong, so Thai Gia Tien's attack force could not advance. In this battle, Thai Gia Tien and another comrade were injured, while Nguyen Dinh Hong died. Thai Gia Tien was supported by his comrades and the guerrillas, so he was able to withdraw and was taken to the rear for treatment.

War is truly cruel. But that cruelty cannot extinguish the patriotic fire boiling in the soldier's heart. After 1 week of treatment, Thai Gia Tien continued to return to his combat unit. Following the footsteps of the attack, scout Thai Gia Tien and his unit participated in 7 more large and small battles in Tra Vinh, Vinh Long... until the victory on April 30, 1975, completely liberating the South. One month later, Thai Gia Tien and his comrades continued to participate in liberating the islands south of Phu Quoc.

In 1977, from the base in Can Tho city, Thai Gia Tien was transferred to recuperate at Group 200, Military Region 4, stationed in Quy Hop. In 1978, he was sent to study at the Military Region's Political School, and then retained as an assistant. This was the time when Lieutenant Thai Gia Tien was able to return to school to complete his cultural, political and military studies.

From 1981 to 1987, Mr. Thai Gia Tien was assigned to work at Company 3, Battalion 2, Division 441 as a corporal training and propaganda assistant. In 1987, he was transferred to work at the Anh Son District Military Command, Provincial Military Command. In 1999, he retired at the age of 45 with the rank of major.

Looking back on his youth associated with his military career, Mr. Thai Gia Tien said: “I entered the battlefield when I was still young and full of aspirations. When I left the army, I was already a disabled veteran. However, that period of time, for me, was the most beautiful period of my life because I lived and dedicated myself to the country, worthy of my civic responsibility. My youth was not wasted, without regrets. Another happiness is that I am still alive, loved by the people, and respected by my comrades. I am luckier than many comrades who have never returned...”.

Bringing comrades back to their homeland

Returning to normal life, Mr. Thai Gia Tien and his wife raised livestock, traded, and built the family economy. Along with that, he also actively built local movements when he participated as the Standing Member of the Veterans Association of Tuong Son commune (2000-2011); Secretary of the Party Cell, Head of the Front Work Committee of Hamlet 12, Tuong Son commune (2012-2022); Deputy Secretary of the Party Cell, Head of the Front Work Committee of Hamlet 12 (2022 - present); Chairman of the Coconut Poetry Club of Tuong Son commune, Vice Chairman of the Commune Folk Song Club, Head of the Education Promotion Committee and Chairman of the Commune Red Cross Association...

During this time, Mr. Thai Gia Tien actively carried out the work of searching for teammates and bringing them to work.martyrsback to family, hometown. Mr. Thai Gia Tien said: I started thinking about having to look for my lost comrades and in 1991, when I went to the family's house to commemorate martyr Nguyen Dinh Hong (in Xuan Son commune, Do Luong district). Hoang (the martyr's son) shared with me: "The family currently does not have a single photo of my father to worship." Seeing that he looked exactly like his father, I took the camera I brought with me to take a photo of him, intending to bring it home to ask someone to draw a portrait, sketch it, and edit it to make a memorial photo of Hong. That night, I dreamed that Hong came back and blamed me "why did you put Hoang's photo on the altar?"... That dream haunted me, making me constantly worried about the promises and loyalty to my comrades. This was the initial motivation for me to start my journey to find my comrades.

The first comrade that Mr. Thai Gia Tien went to find was martyr Dinh Viet Thoa (Hoa Son commune, Anh Son district). Martyr Thoa sacrificed his life in the battle at the Luu Nghiep Anh commune council, Tra Cu district, Tra Vinh province. Mr. Tien said that after martyr Thoa sacrificed his life, he clearly recorded the full name and hometown that the martyr gave him and asked Mr. Tu Ket - the guerrilla platoon leader to bring martyr Thoa back for burial.

Recalling the promise of the past, Mr. Tien once promised martyr Thoa "If I am still alive, I will come back to find him"... In 1991, he used many channels to find Mr. Tu Ket (at that time, the Party Secretary of Luu Nghiep Anh commune). Then, he and martyr Thoa's younger brother went to the South to exhume the grave of martyr Thoa.

After this trip, Mr. Thai Gia Tien himself met and connected with many former comrades, comrades in arms, and many commanding officers from the South. This was a favorable condition for Mr. Tien to later find more comrades who had sacrificed. Thanks to that, from 1991 to now, Mr. Thai Gia Tien and the families of martyrs have found 14 more martyrs who had sacrificed on the battlefields. Most recently, in 2023, Mr. Tien and his family brought martyr Le Van Khang (Thai Son commune, Do Luong district) back from the Martyrs' Cemetery of Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province...

It is known that to facilitate the search and collection workmartyrsMr. Tien himself and the veterans have established a subcommittee of Nghe An veterans to jointly take care of this comradely work; actively propagandizing and connecting with the martyrs' families with the State's program of genetic testing for martyrs.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien shared: Currently, martyr Nguyen Dinh Hong cannot be brought back because the Martyrs Cemetery of Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province currently has 2 martyrs' graves with the name Hong (no surname, date of birth, hometown). The family is still waiting for the results of the examination to reunite.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien expressed his concern: Currently, there are still many martyrs who have not been found and whose names have not been returned. This is a great sadness. As long as I am alive, I will continue to search for my comrades!...

“

Mr. Thai Gia Tien is a 46-year Party member; a very dedicated and responsible hamlet cadre for hamlet work and movements, has been repeatedly commended by all levels and is loved and respected by the people. As a veteran, Mr. Thai Gia Tien actively participates in the work of comradeship and searching for martyrs' remains. Every month and every year, Mr. Tien still spends his own money to make such search trips. The people of the commune are very impressed by his work.

Mr. Nguyen Tai Quy - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Son Commune