Journey to the old battlefield of the old generals

Every year on March 8, Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc carefully and meticulously selects a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers to offer to his wife's altar. The longing for his virtuous wife who has been away from her husband for 30 years, struggling to raise their children during the war with so many hardships, is always in his heart...

This year, since the afternoon of March 7, he has been burning incense for her. The old general, a lifetime of battle, whispered before her portrait: This year, I will burn incense for her a little earlier so that tomorrow, Uncle Tieu Van Man, I, and the brothers in the Veterans Liaison Committee of the 3rd Corps, the Central Highlands Front, can meet to discuss and prepare to fly to the Central Highlands to burn incense for the martyrs, and visit our compatriots and comrades on the old battlefield.

This year marks the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Central Highlands Front (May 1, 1964 - May 1, 2022), the 47th anniversary of the founding of the 3rd Army Corps (March 26, 1975 - March 26, 2022), and the 50th anniversary of the victory of Dak To - Tan Canh. This year of the Tiger, Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc is also 97 years old, so the journey to the Central Highlands can be considered a great journey...

Knowing that he always had a heavy heart for his compatriots, comrades and teammates who would forever remain in the Central Highlands, even though the pandemic was raging, his children and grandchildren did not dare to stop him, but quietly prepared medicine and belongings for him to leave. Worried about him, his son-in-law, a doctor, also arranged his work to accompany his father to the Central Highlands.

General Van Tien Dung at the Central Highlands Liberation Front Command in March 1975. Photo: Document

The group was about to leave when the family of Lieutenant General Nguyen Vinh Phu (former Commander of the 3rd Corps) and the family of Lieutenant General Mai Hong Binh (Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee of the Central Highlands Front) called to inform them that both of them had health problems and could not go! Lieutenant General Tieu Van Man immediately said:

- Elderly people over 85, 90 years old, like me, Mr. Thuoc, Mr. Phu, Mr. Binh… are healthy today, sick tomorrow, that's normal! Today, Mr. Phu - Head of the delegation is absent, Mr. Thuoc - Deputy Head of the delegation takes over. We just march like that, working for ourselves and for those who can't go!

At 8:00 a.m. on March 9, the delegation flew from Noi Bai to Buon Ma Thuot. The 3rd Corps Command vehicle picked up the delegation at the airport gate and took them to the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command. During a friendly and cheerful lunch, Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc said:

- After eating, we have 20 minutes to rest and then go straight to Dak Lak Cemetery. The brothers are waiting out there. It's the anniversary of the battle, the brothers are waiting for us!

After 13:00, the delegation arrived at Dak Lak Cemetery. Emotions were evident on the faces of the old soldiers who had fought in the war. Tight hugs, warm hugs... Hundreds of veterans from all over the country gathered here to take care of the anniversary of the war for the martyrs in a thoughtful, solemn, and respectful manner. People of all ethnic groups and students, despite the epidemic, solemnly lined up with the veteran delegations to offer flowers and incense, respectfully. Strangely, when Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc and Lieutenant General Tieu Van Man finished lighting incense, the whole incense altar burst into flames. No one spoke to anyone, the rows of people attending the ceremony simultaneously knelt down, bowing to the souls of the martyrs. Sobs choked from deep within, many veterans had hair as white as cotton!

Generals who spent their lives on the battlefield burn incense to pay their respects to heroes and martyrs. Photo: Hai Le

On the way back to the Dak Lak Provincial Military Command guest house, General Man wiped his sweat and asked General Thuoc:

- Are you tired? Standing for so long, I was worried you would fall!

General Thuoc smiled:

- Strange! For the past few years I haven't been able to stand for 30 minutes, but now I can stand for a whole day without any problem. At home I can't finish half a bowl of porridge, but when I come here to eat soldier's food, I finish a bowl in no time.

Seeing the happy atmosphere of the elders, Doctor Nhien (sent by the Army Corps to take care of the elders' health) said:

- Attending the memorial service, the leaders come into close contact with hundreds of people from all over the country. I am very worried, what can I do with this epidemic?

General Thuoc "fights gently":

- We lived and died together, now we meet again, the youngest is almost 70, who knows this might be the last time we see each other, what should we do?

Veterans offer incense to commemorate their comrades and heroic martyrs; Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc offers incense to commemorate Hero Nup. Photo: Tran Tuyet

In Dak Lak, guests continuously came to see General Thuoc. They were fellow countrymen from Nghi Loc, comrades from the 3rd Corps in Buon Me Thuot. They shook hands, smiled, and hugged shoulders with the warmth of hometown love and comradeship. Doctor Nhien spoke as if crying to Doctor Binh - son-in-law of Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc:

- Then we give up!

At night, people rarely saw the old general Nguyen Quoc Thuoc sleeping soundly. The old general tossed and turned. Thinking about the day he would visit Mdrak and pay his respects at the Martyrs' Monument of the 10th Division, his heart was even more excited...

That day was exactly 47 years ago. The fierce battle between the 10th Division and the well-trained 3rd Airborne Brigade of the puppet army, supported by aircraft and artillery, in an attempt to retake Buon Me Thuot, took place fiercely for 4 days and nights (from March 29 to April 4). The 3rd Airborne Brigade was defeated at the foot of Phuong Hoang Pass. The eastern gate of the Central Highlands to Nha Trang was wide open for the main army to rush forward.

March 10th this year was another busy yet warm day filled with camaraderie. Although we tried to leave early, when the group arrived, there were already hundreds of veterans from the South, the North, and local people gathered.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc visits the soldiers' kitchen in the middle of the forest. Photo: Hai Le

From the heart of a veteran of Division 10, after more than 1 year of construction, on a high hill, an area of ​​more than 5,000 m²Next to Phuong Hoang Pass, the Memorial House for the Martyrs of Division 10 has been completed, majestic, solemn, and beautiful, meeting the expectations of the martyrs' relatives and local ethnic people.

Day 3 in the Central Highlands. Knowing that the road to the Central Highlands Front Command Relic where General Van Tien Dung, on behalf of the President, announced the Decision to establish the 3rd Army Corps, was less than 50 km, but the road was bumpy and had many A-shaped curves, so the whole group woke up early. On the bumpy bus, the old soldiers pondered and remembered the generals such as Hoang Minh Thao, Vu Lang, Dang Vu Hiep - the elite cadres of the Army and the nation who created the legend of March in the Central Highlands, the first battle of Buon Me Thuot and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

In the middle of the jungle, the tears of the old generals moved everyone present. That afternoon, in the small hut of the 66th Regiment soldiers who were restoring the relic, a small mat was spread out, the old generals lay with their feet on each other, excitedly recalling memories of the old battlefield.

The miracle is that the old generals, despite being far beyond their longevity and being “professional patients of the 108 Military Hospital”, returned to the old battlefield and became stronger and stronger, their voices still resounded far and wide, their intelligence became clearer, and they could not mistake the names of places and people. They came into close contact with hundreds of people every day, but their rapid Covid-19 tests were always “negative”.

Warm moments of comradeship in the temporary shelter of the veterans. Photo: Tran Tuyet

The work schedule in the last days of the trip was very busy, some days the elders had to "stay" for nearly 13 hours. On March 12, in the morning, they visited the Gia Lai Martyrs' Cemetery, burned incense at the Memorial of the Heroes and Martyrs of the 3rd Corps, and interacted with officers and soldiers of the Corps; in the afternoon, they went to Kon Tum to burn incense at the Kon Tum Martyrs' Cemetery, burned incense at the Stele House, and met with officers and soldiers of the 10th Division. On March 13, they crossed the steep, winding road to burn incense at the National Special Historical Sites of the 1015 and 1049 peaks in Sa Thay district, burned incense at the Dak To Martyrs' Cemetery, visited the 320th Division, visited the tomb of Hero Nup, and worked with the Gia Lai and Kon Tum Provincial Party Committees...

It can be said that only with great will, courage and noble love for comrades, teammates, homeland and country can the veteran generals carry out such a great journey. No difficulty can stop the footsteps of those who have been through life and death, attaching their lives to a glorious historical period of the Party, Army and People.

Knowing that the elders had arrived safely in Hanoi, I called to congratulate them, still with a thick accent, Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc humorously said:

- Old like me! Covid hates me! Still 1 bar!