Sending youth to the Truong Son fire line

Having turned 75, having experienced the fierce bombs and bullets of war, through many vicissitudes and ups and downs of life, his health has weakened a lot, his memory has declined, but for former Youth Volunteer Tran Van Than, the memories of the fiery time on the Truong Son route years ago are still intact.

During the days when the whole country was looking forward to the 68th Anniversary of the Youth Volunteer Force (July 15, 1950-2018), his old comrades were present at his small house at the foot of Quyet Mountain, Trung Do Ward, Vinh City to recall the memories of "Forever 20". In the stories of those who were lucky enough to survive, coming out of the war with disabilities in their hearts, there were sorrows and tears for their comrades who had fallen forever on the roads.

Former Youth Volunteers of Company 168 reunited after 10 days. Photo: NVCC

Trying to hold back his emotions, Mr. Than, Deputy Captain of Company 3, the predecessor of the heroic Company 168, still choked up: “On August 8, 1965, in Hung Nhan Commune, Hung Nguyen, the Nghe An Youth Volunteer Team, assigned to the 559 Command, was established to serve battlefields B and C. The team consisted of 601 comrades, organized into 3 Companies C164, C166, C168. The mission at that time was to carry supplies to support the battlefield in the South.

Truong Son forest in rainy season, leeches, slippery slopes, jagged rocks, the company brothers faced many hardships and lurking dangers. By December 1965, Companies 166 and 168 were tasked with ensuring traffic and opening the road from KM52 to Km62, Highway 20 with 2 key points being Ca Roong and Km59, Aky. This road was sprayed with toxic chemicals by the enemy twice. Only at the key point of Ca Roong, on June 23, 1966, the enemy attacked 19 times, causing 3 comrades to die and 8 others to be injured. At the end of the mission, the whole company had 19 people die, 80% of them were injured due to the pressure of bombs and bullets.

Many soldiers became heroic symbols of the Youth Volunteer Force, such as the image of 18-year-old Dinh Bat Tuyen - Squad Leader, driving a bulldozer, who was hit by a bomb and seriously injured but still endured the pain to perform his duty.

Or the story of female Youth Volunteer Le Na, from Kim Lien, Nam Dan. At the age of 18, she volunteered to clear the way on the fierce fire line from Long Dai ferry (Hien Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh) - Truong Son - Laos. The girl was slim, fair-skinned, with long black hair, but did not mind the hardships and sacrifices. She was assigned to use a pickaxe to chisel rocks and carry rocks to block the stream for vehicles to pass. Once, while carrying rocks down to the stream, an airplane dropped rockets and a series of bombs. Bullets were stuck in her stomach and chest, she collapsed, still holding the rock in her hand. Later, the whole unit named the stream after her - Le Na stream.

As for former Youth Volunteer Ho Ba Tham, PhD, former Head of Department - Director of the National Political Publishing House branch in the Mekong Delta region, a son of Quynh Bang, Quynh Luu: “The years on the Truong Son fire line were the most beautiful time of my life. We left our youth on the roads, the coordinates of fierce fire. That legendary road was soaked with sweat, tears and blood of many young men and women in their twenties. During those years, with the spirit of “Living on the road, dying bravely”, “The heart can stop beating but the road cannot be blocked”, the boiling enthusiasm of youth urged us to fight tenaciously”.

From right to left: Former female Youth Volunteer Trinh Thi Hong Phuc, the only female Youth Volunteer Nghe An on Road 20 Quyet Thang, Dr. Ho Ba Tham and former Youth Volunteer Tran Van Than and his wife. Photo: TP

The platoon leader of the rescue platoon in A Ky (Quang Binh) that year recalled: “At that time, most of us were young men and women who had just left school, with lipstick on our heels and pens in our hands, but when faced with hardships and dangers, we never wavered or lost heart. We gradually got used to the steep rocky roads, with blood on our feet, heavy loads on our shoulders and rain of bombs and bullets on our heads. At first, each person could only carry 25-35 kg of rice, but after 1 week, 1 month, that number increased by one and a half, double, even 3-4 times. There were people like Ms. Nguyet, Mr. Khoai, Mr. Khuong who even had the initiative to pour rice into the inside of the statue and wrap it around the waist and neck to increase the weight,” Mr. Tham recalled thoughtfully.

The stages of road opening, rock breaking, and mud prevention were extremely difficult. There were rainstorms, landslides, and while leveling the road, suddenly rolling rocks took the lives of comrades. Or there were bouts of malaria, many people were so sick that they had to stay forever in the "sacred forest and poisonous water".

Former Nghe An Youth Volunteers on the 20th Victory Road. Photo: Archive

The most special thing is that during that period, the 23rd Youth Volunteer Team on Route 20 had only one female comrade. She was Trinh Thi Hong Phuc, from Thanh Luan (now Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong).

Before joining the Youth Volunteer Force, she worked at the Nghe An Traffic Department. After attending a crash course in primary medical education, she was assigned to work on the smoky road 20. “Back then, when I first arrived, everyone was surprised because I was only 36 kg, small, and pale. Many people were worried: “Looking like that, I think just one bout of jungle fever would turn me away.”

Used to desk work, now rushing into the battlefield of bullets and bullets, facing bombs, leeches, harsh weather, hardships and blood, the scene of rotten flesh and broken bones of her comrades, but that little girl was not discouraged. She still stood firm with her comrades, was quick as a squirrel when carrying the wounded and wholeheartedly took care of the wounded, devotedly fed each pill and spoonful of porridge to her comrades struggling with malaria... 6 years of staying in Truong Son had forged the spirit and strong will of the little former Youth Volunteer Soldier, helping her overcome the ups and downs in life.

Ms. Trinh Hong Phuc, the only former female Youth Volunteer Soldier of Nghe An on Route 20 Quyet Thang in the past, recounted the time of war and war. Photo: TP

The war has long since receded, the fiery coordinates of the past are now green with prosperity and peace. Names such as: Deo 1001, A Ky tunnel, Doc Ba Thang, U Bo, Cu Me, Cu Con, Ca Roong, Co Pong La... were the focus of fierce attacks, countless young men and women in their twenties fell, their bodies turned into mountains and rivers, the blood of many comrades soaked into the motherland, now becoming vast asphalt roads or eternal concrete bridges.

Their youth, the Youth Volunteers of the past left behind on fierce roads to ensure the safety of passing vehicles, dedicating themselves to the independence and freedom of the nation: "The name of the road is the name you left behind/Your death leaves a green sky of girls" (Lam Thi My Da).