Journey to demand justice for Agent Orange victims

It is hard to believe that at the age of over 50, a war veteran who had been through life and death on the fierce front line of Quang Tri, losing 61% of his health, could walk nearly 2,000 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 to visit the old battlefield. Two years later, on an old bicycle, the veteran's footprints spread across 63 provinces/cities across the country, traveling more than 7,000 km to demand justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. That person is Mr. Tran Ngoc Son (village 4, Vu Quy commune, Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh province).

Mr. Tran Ngoc Son and the book with nearly 21 million signatures voicing support
Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/dioxin. Photo: qdnd.vn

71-day walk to visit the old battlefield

Although he is in his sixties, Mr. Tran Ngoc Son still maintains his unusual agility and vivacity. He said: “In 1972, I was 16 years old, 1m58 tall, weighing 43kg, a policy-reducing family with only one child, and not required to go to the front. Seeing the village being bombed so fiercely, young Tran Ngoc Son "lied" that he was 3 years old to be selected to join the army. The commune gave him 2kg of pork, which he brought home and "continued to lie" that he was given it, not daring to say that it was a military quota.

In the midst of the fierce bombing of the North in 1972, following the call of the Fatherland, the young man from Vu Quy commune went to war, surprising his family and neighbors. In 1973-1974, Mr. Son joined the reinforcement force of the 67th Battalion of the General Department of Logistics stationed at the Quang Tri fire line, specializing in delivering vehicles and ammunition for combat.

In 1979, he was assigned to work in the Quang Ninh special zone. In 1984, Uncle Son was discharged from the army. Due to his declining health, he had to take care of four small children with his wife, especially when the third son was born with a deformity and no anus. The housework piled up even more...

The couple raised four children of school age, relying only on a few acres of contracted rice fields, making the family's finances difficult. He confided: "Every day, like the marching habit when I was a soldier, from 4am to 8am I walked 30km. Gradually it became a habit, sometimes the highest speed was 9km/h". The intention to walk to visit the old battlefield also originated from that.

Recalling the early days of the journey, he shared, “At first, everyone in the family objected because I was old and sick and didn’t know who to turn to for help.” Neighbors also discouraged him, some even called him “crazy.”

But to fulfill his wish, to put aside the obstacles and criticism, for the second time in his life, he had to lie to his family about his “unique” journey from North to South. He brought all his belongings for the journey, including clothes, medicine, and hammocks, to send to friends’ houses - places that his family could not know about, waiting for the day of departure. On February 18, 2008, the journey to visit the old battlefield, a time of “tasting honey and lying on thorns”, officially began from Hanoi.

Along the way, he stopped at the commune people's committee, sometimes at the veterans association, and when it was late and he couldn't find a place to stay, he rented a motel. There were times when veteran Tran Ngoc Son seemed unable to continue walking. He confided, "When I arrived in Nghe An, my feet were blistered, and I had to take off my sandals and replace them with shoes. When I arrived in Quang Binh, my feet were cracked, and I had to prick my heels before I could continue walking. Throughout the journey, I had only one wish: to try to reach the Independence Palace in time for the country's reunification day, April 30."

After nearly 30 years of returning to the Quang Tri battlefield, he could not help but be moved by the country's dramatic transformation. The place where the war had devastated so fiercely in the past was now reawakened and full of life. After 71 days of arduous travel, on April 29, he arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, as he had originally wished.

7,000 km cycling journey for justice

After the 2,000 km trip home, he continued to practice and still nurtured the intention for a longer journey. He shared: "Seeing my comrades and their children carry the pain of Agent Orange from generation to generation, I thought I needed to do something for them." From there, the fire of enthusiasm gradually ignited, and he presented his thoughts to the Thai Binh Province Association of Agent Orange Victims. The support of the Association was the motivation for him to continue on the "Agent Orange path" to demand justice for the victims affected by this disaster. In January 2010, the journey began on a bicycle from Thai Binh, going up to the northern provinces, returning to his hometown and then continuing "southward".

The luggage that Uncle Ho brought with him was an army backpack, three inner tubes, tires, and a few patches. Just like the previous trip, he was dressed simply in a green military uniform. Through the localities, he went to agencies such as the provincial Agent Orange victims association, the provincial military command, the district military command, the Fatherland Front, the women's association, the veterans association, etc. to get the signatures and seals of that unit as a "letter from the heart" of the Vietnamese people demanding justice for their compatriots affected by Agent Orange/dioxin.

Sharing about this journey, he said: “Going like that has many joys and sorrows, sometimes it is very difficult. Not serving a hundred families but a thousand families. In many localities and establishments, they did not receive me. In some places, before I could introduce myself, they thought I was going to... sell books for the Association, so they refused. But after I introduced myself and talked about my wishes, only wanting to ask for the voice of the unit and organization, people understood and enthusiastically helped me”. Regardless of rain or shine, the figure of veteran Tran Ngoc Son stretched across the provinces/cities. On average, he traveled 90-100 km every day without stopping because if he stopped for a day, the kilometers would pile up, and he would not be able to reach the finish line as planned. He pedaled so much that his legs and arms peeled off - Mr. Son confided.

All the places he went through had the confirmation stamp of the local authorities and the confidences of the people he met. He kept careful notebooks for both trips. The bicycle journey alone had the stamp and signature of nearly 400 agencies and units, recording the support of nearly 21 million cadres and civil servants for the struggle for justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange/dioxin victims and was handed over to the Central Association of Victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam. The bicycle that accompanied him on the journey of more than 7,000 km for 6 months was given to the Thai Binh Association of Victims of Agent Orange as a souvenir.

Flipping through a worn notebook recording the memories of the two journeys, he said, “There are many memories, but the most memorable is the chance meeting with the International Agent Orange delegation on April 14, 2008 in Vinh Hao, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province.” Mr. Bernie Duff, a member of that delegation, wrote the following lines of admiration: “... Today on the roads we meet again in peace. The two old warriors participated in the war as companions and at the same time friends of the children affected by Agent Orange. Hello, my friend. I wish you a safe journey and a bright mind!”

The war has ended nearly 40 years ago, but the aftermath of that fierce war still leaves serious consequences to this day. On the journey to seek justice for the victims of the Agent Orange disaster, veteran Tran Ngoc Son always leaves his mark. Hopefully, the marches for justice of that soldier in peacetime will contribute to the voice for the rights of the Agent Orange victims, making up for the pain and loss that they have endured and are enduring every day.

According to (baotintuc)-TN