Historical imprints through wartime letters

(Baonghean.vn) - If we understand our nation's history, we will appreciate the sacrifices of our youth of previous generations even more, and be even more moved every time we turn back the pages of wartime letters that have faded over time!

Martyr Nguyen Van Thac and his girlfriend Nhu Anh. Photo: Internet

Every time the country was invaded by foreign invaders, Vietnamese families sent their loved ones off to the front lines. In such circumstances, those who left were reluctant, while those who stayed behind anxiously waited. Although they knew that the war had no end date, everyone still hoped to be reunited when the country was free of enemies.

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, many young men in their 20s like Dang Thuy Tram, Nguyen Van Thac, Do Luong Bang... joined the army at the sacred call of the Fatherland and then left forever. But the courage to live, the sacrifice, the desire, the dream, the burning love, the will to fight with the belief in victory of the soldiers of the past are still sent to the next generation through hastily written letters on each march.

That is part of the vivid reality of the fierce war, of the love for the Fatherland to the point of self-forgetfulness, of the beautiful love of a couple like a fairy tale but difficult to fulfill; helping us to rekindle many profound feelings about a time of bombs and bullets that has receded into the past for more than 40 years.

The context, time, mindset, and state of wartime letters may not be the same, but they all seem to be thoughts, feelings, expressing views, perceptions, and wills about the war, filled with the spirit of overcoming difficulties, determination and determination to win with the desire for peace, looking forward to the day of reunification when the country is independent, unified, and the country is united.

There are many letters that were written but before they could be delivered to the recipient, the author died; there are also letters that were lost for decades before reaching the recipient, and there are letters that become the only treasure of the deceased left to the living...

Many readers were deeply moved by the letters filled with deep longing and longing for the day when the country would be completely victorious so that they could reunite, sent by martyr Nguyen Van Thac to his lover Pham Thi Nhu Anh, clearly expressing his desire and courage to stay forever twenty.

More specifically, there is a detail in the letter written on April 30, 1971, showing us the strange coincidence of historical reality. The letter reads: Four years from now, Nhu Anh will have become a complete human being, able to answer the question: What is happiness?... Four years from now, so many events will happen... On April 30, 1975, what state will Thac and Nhu Anh be in? Nhu Anh, promise Thac, on April 30, 1975, no matter how angry or hateful we may be to each other, no matter what, we will write to each other the words "What is happiness"!

Martyr, doctor Dang Thuy Tram. Photo: Internet

As for Martyr Dang Thuy Tram, besides her diary entries about the wartime, she left a love letter to Colonel Khuong The Hung and Hung also wrote a lot about Tram.

In the letter dated March 17, 1969, Dang Thuy Tram wrote: The sound of victory is exploding across the battlefields, that victory is due to your efforts, the Liberation soldiers and a little bit of me, the person in the rear - I have heard it but there are still times when between the two bursts of explosions I hear the whisper of my heart... I hope you are safe and healthy, forever a Liberation soldier holding a gun whose soul is not only filled with fire and bullets...?

That was the tactful reproach of a girl who understood and sympathized with the soldier during wartime who considered serving the Fatherland above all else, but did not forget love and family happiness - a simple eternal truth.

In a letter written by martyr Nguyen Thai Hoa on February 19, 1979 to his girlfriend named Thuy, there was a strong will to win the battle to protect the northern border in 1979.

The letter was not received until 34 years later, and it included a passage: Tomorrow I will go to the North to enter a new war. There, a fierce war has been and is taking place, where the enemy is trampling the borders of the Fatherland. There, my comrades are waiting for me... My dear, tomorrow I will go to the North, I will not be able to see you to say a few words of farewell!... Perhaps the victory of our army and people tomorrow may have my merit. Remember to follow the news of the victory and celebrate for my brothers... Tomorrow I will march, I will not sleep to miss you, not sleep to destroy the enemy, not sleep to look at you all night long, not sleep to be near you and always see you. When you receive this letter, do not worry too much or be sad, my dear - when the war is over, I will return, wait for you, wait for me.

Letter from martyr Nguyen Thai Hoa to his girlfriend. Photo: Internet

That is the historical reality of the border war that severed the love of a couple, which few people expected to happen after the resistance war against the US to save the country had just ended, when the fight to protect the southwestern border of the Fatherland and the international mission to help the Cambodian revolutionary government escape genocide had not yet ended.

The case of the letter of martyr Nguyen Thi Quang Thai has a different color. Within 3 years (1933-1936), she wrote more than 100 letters to her lover, her husband, General Vo Nguyen Giap. Each letter expressed the longing and concern of her lover, then a young wife, for her husband far away, always affirming the spirit and lasting revolutionary ideals.

As for General Vo Nguyen Giap, because of the conditions of his revolutionary activities, he had to keep them secret while in the country and when he was working in China, so he only sent home a letter written on a piece of cigarette paper every now and then. It was even more painful when the revolutionary mission was heavy and communication conditions were difficult. Because he did not know that Quang Thai had died in prison, her husband continued to send letters to the deceased's address.

In the letter written by soldier Hoang An on March 26, 1969 to Kim Dung, his "good wife-to-be", we were provided with vivid documents about the crimes of the French and American invaders, showing that the determination to fight against foreign invaders was not only due to the sacred duty of the Fatherland but also stemmed from "revenge for family and country". There was a passage: It is not until now that we understand, but from the very beginning when the new moon just appeared, we also understood, understood very consciously the eternal truth that never changes: love cannot be complete, happiness cannot be full when the enemy is still trampling on our country. And in that situation, for us, happiness can only be manifested from sacrifice and hardship. Our love can only be complete, happiness can only be full when around us there are the sounds of drums and gongs - not the sounds of drums and gongs signaling the arrival of pirates, robbers of the sky and land, but the sounds of drums and gongs signaling a peaceful festival, a spring of true independence and freedom.

Each wartime letter is very private, but all of them give readers a sense of the spiritual life of the youth of wartime society; contributing to illuminating the beauty of the soldier's soul, despite hardships but always loving life, longing for peace, looking forward to the day of reunion, believing in victory tomorrow.

Not only that, it contains a lot of authentic information about the war such as: location, time, fierce nature of the battle, results of destroying enemy aircraft, enemy sweeps, the process of moving the battlefield, the soldiers' mentality before entering the war...

This is a source of historical documents that vividly reflects the reality of love, fighting life, training, sacrifice and aspiration of soldiers on the battlefield sent back to their hometown and also the expectations, encouragement, sharing and prayers of relatives in the rear sent to the front line.

Therefore, wartime letters are valuable as a link connecting the past to the present, helping us to feel more deeply and understand more fully about a time of bombs and bullets, about the people in the war, and even have many details that contribute to decoding some historical mysteries./.

Dr. Le Duc Hoang

(Central Propaganda Department)