Heroic memories of the wartime

Commander in the "land of fire"

Whenever mentioning Major General Cao Xuan Khuong - former Deputy Commander of Military Region 4, many soldiers who fought in Quang Tri always express their admiration. Because he went through the "fiery summer" of 1972 and 10 years of fighting in this fierce battlefield. This year he turns 80, his health has declined a lot but he has never forgotten the years inbattlefieldsmoke and fire

“It was truly a difficult and dangerous period of life, facing bombs and bullets every day, listening to the roar of planes. But these were also the years of pride for the soldiers, who did not hesitate to sacrifice to write the song of victory.”

Major General Cao Xuan Khuong

Born and raised in Linh Son commune (Anh Son), in 1960, at the age of 18, Cao Xuan Khuong left school and joined the army. His military career left its mark on all battlefields, the area where he operated for the longest time was Quang Tri and this place has left many happy and sad memories. The most memorable are the nerve-wracking battles on Route 9 - Khe Sanh, with a small number of troops so they were surrounded by the enemy for a whole month.

Major General Cao Xuan Khuong next to a bookcase of documents about the war against the US to save the country. Photo: Cong Kien

At that time, Mr. Khuong was the Company Commander. He was wounded in the arm and had to walk through the forest with his arm hanging to avoid being hunted by the enemy. “The unit was deep in the forest, running out of food and medicine, and had to dig up roots and wild vegetables to cope with hunger and disease. Some people had to stay behind. After more than a month, the superiors directed us to open a path to retreat, and our unit was able to return to base,” Mr. Khuong said.

Then the days of fighting to protectQuang Tri Citadel(1972), Battalion 8 (Quang Tri Provincial Military Command) commanded by Cao Xuan Khuong was the first unit to enter combat position and also the last unit to retreat. The battle was fierce and unequal, the enemy concentrated firepower causing us many casualties.

The photo of Major General Cao Xuan Khuong and his wife when they were young is still preserved. Photo: NVCC

Mr. Khuong recalled: “We lived in muddy, cold tunnels, often suffering from hunger and cold, with bombs and artillery shells exploding above. The soldiers still boiled water in canteens and kettles to make porridge and shared it spoon by spoon. When the order was given to charge forward, everyone considered death as light as nothing. At the end of the campaign, the battalion was awarded the title of Hero.”

Until now, he still remembers the fighting spirit and sacrifice of many people.teammate, like comrade Nguyen Duy Binh (from Hoai Duc - Hanoi) was hit by a mortar shell in the eye, he pulled out the shrapnel himself, bandaged the wound and asked his superiors to let him continue to stay and fight.

In the story, Major General Cao Xuan Khuong always mentioned his wife, Mrs. Hoang Thi Dam. The two were the same age, studied in the same class, and had loved each other since they were in school. The country was in danger, the son went to war, the girl stayed home to work and then went to the front line. One time Mr. Khuong came home on leave, the two got married. As the war became more and more fierce, the soldier still took the time to send letters home to visit his wife and children, with a strong belief in the day of victory.

"Even during the days in Quang Tri Citadel, between the two battles, I took the time to sit down and write letters to send home. In the most arduous and fierce place, I still nurtured hope and found life more meaningful" - General Khuong confided.

Photo of Major General Cao Xuan Khuong getting his hair cut by soldiers at Quang Tri Citadel in 1972. Photo: NVCC

Mrs. Hoang Thi Dam shared: "At that time, I was at home, both producing and on duty, and taking care of four young children, so it was quite difficult. But every night, when the work was done and the children were asleep, I would take out my husband's letters to read and sit down to write a reply. Writing and waiting for letters helped me forget the hardships and difficulties and maintain my faith in the day of total victory and family reunion. Then, joy burst out that day.great victory, I hugged my children and shouted: "I won, Dad is coming home soon". All that day, and the next day, I lived in a state of elation and joy."

More than half a century has passed, General Khuong still keeps precious photos such as the photo of the newlywed couple; the photo of a leisurely moment between two battles at Quang Tri Citadel, Battalion Commander Cao Xuan Khuong getting his hair cut by a soldier; or the photo of a house destroyed by enemy bombs... When alone, he looks back at old photos to find a time of war.

Bravefightship

On an early summer afternoon, Lan Thinh block, Nghi Hai ward (Cua Lo town) welcomes cool sea breezes. Under the shade of an ancient banyan tree in front of Hieu village communal house yard, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh (born in 1949) sits and tells the children stories of his youth, the time when he held guns and fought the enemy. In 1967, at the age of 18, the young man from the fishing village said goodbye to his fishing boat and joined the army.

Born in the countryside of Cua Hoi, where theLam RiverAfter going out to sea and growing up to be a fisherman who had experienced the sea winds and waves, the new recruit was selected to join the water special forces (Navy special forces). After two years of training, Nguyen Ngoc Trinh was ordered with his unit (Team 1, Group 126) to cross the 17th parallel to fight in Quang Tri. The main area of ​​operation was in the Cua Tung and Cua Viet areas, which were the places where enemy ships often anchored to supply food and weapons.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh reviews the unit's history. Photo: Cong Kien

For nearly 4 years of fighting in Quang Tri, Mr. Trinh could not remember how many battles he had participated in. Not only fighting ships, he and his teammates also attacked enemy tanks, causing the enemy to panic and fear many times. He was recognized as a Brave Ship Fighter twice, a Brave Tank Destroyer once, and many other times.medalsHowever, the former special forces soldier could not forget the battle at Gia Dang temporary port in Trieu Phong district (Quang Tri).

Mr. Trinh recalled: “At the end of 1972, the superiors announced that the enemy was increasing the supply of weapons to Quang Tri by sea, and the special forces were preparing for battle. After that, I and two of my teammates were assigned to attack Gia Dang temporary port. Although the port was temporary, the enemy had carefully guarded it, and it took three nights of reconnaissance to attack this position.”

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh was recognized as a Brave Ship Attacker, a Brave Tank Destroyer and received many medals. Photo: Cong Kien

To reach the target, Mr. Trinh and his teammates had to swim out to sea, then circle into the port, continue to cross the barbed wire fence and guard posts to find the target. The first two nights of searching for the weapons depot, they could not find it, so they had to hide it until the third night, when Mr. Trinh discovered the crates in a row of houses. Carefully prying open the crates, inside were large bullets.

Surely this was a weapons depot that the enemy had just moved up, Mr. Trinh went back to report to the commander. Although he knew it would be very dangerous, all three of them decided to attack that night. Each person brought a timed mine into the depot, placed it in different positions, then withdrew.

“When we reached a safe position, my two teammates and I suddenly heard a series of loud explosions, flames covered the beach, and smoke billowed. Seeing the enemy soldiers panicking and frantic, we hugged each other, overjoyed that our mission had been completed.”

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh

After that battle, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh was sent to the North to study, and two years later returned to the battlefield in the South. During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign (1975), his unit was ordered to board a ship to liberateSpratly Islands, was one of the soldiers who advanced to capture Nam Yet island.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh and his wife. Photo: Cong Kien

After the war, Mr. Trinh returned to his hometown and married Ms. Dao Thi Ha (born in 1957), a girl from the same village. 8 years younger than him, Ms. Ha initially only knew Mr. Trinh through the stories of her parents and neighbors. During the war years, the Cua Hoi area was one of the key areas that was heavily bombarded by American planes and gunboats. Although still young, little Ha went everywhere selling fish and helping her parents take care of her younger siblings.

“At that time, bombs and bullets were constantly falling, everyone was hoping for the country to be liberated soon. People said that in the village there were a few people on the battlefield, fighting very bravely, including Trinh. Like many people, I hoped the war would end so I could see the soldiers returning. On April 30, 1975, the whole village was filled with the joy of victory, I joined the crowd going along the streets shouting: “Long live President Ho Chi Minh… And then, not long after Trinh returned, we got married…” – Mrs. Ha shared.

Now that the children have grown up and have their own families, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh and his wife are still attached to the Cua Hoi countryside. In their spare time, they flip through the books.celebrateyears ago, when the country was still in the flames of war.

Send one foot to the Southern land

Also a life-and-death experience on the Southern battlefield, Mr. Ho Huu Nghi (born in 1951) always remembers the fiery times. In 1970, the war entered an extremely fierce phase, just 19 years old, the young man from Quynh Ngoc (Quynh Luu) registered to join the army and joined the Navy special forces.

After training, Mr. Nghi and his teammates marched along the road.Truong Sonentered the Southeast battlefield and was assigned to the Ba Ria - Long Khanh Provincial Military Command. Here, his unit coordinated with the militia to attack many enemy posts and destroy many bridges and culverts, causing many losses to the enemy.

Mr. Ho Huu Nghi reviews relics from the war period. Photo: Cong Kien

Each battle was a time to face sacrifice, and also a time for soldier Ho Huu Nghi to sharpen his will and determination to fight, contributing to defeating the enemy. To this day, Mr. Nghi still remembers clearly his last battle in early 1973, in which he left one leg in the middle of a fierce battlefield.

“That night, we attacked the enemy post at Con Ran Hill. The enemy resisted fiercely, the resistance posts fired continuously, I used B41 to destroy several enemy machine gun nests. At that time, I did not think about death, I only thought about how to destroy as many enemy troops as possible. Near dawn, on the way out of the battlefield, I was unfortunately caught in a mine, lost a leg and was taken to a field hospital by my teammates, and was awarded the Third Class Military Exploit Medal.”

Mr. Ho Huu Nghi

The situation on the battlefield became increasingly fierce, and with serious injuries, Mr. Nghi was stuck in the middle of the battlefield, waiting until after the liberation day to be able to go to the North (nearly 2 years). In conditions lacking medical treatment, the wounded soldier was constantly tormented by pain and malignant malaria, at times almost losing his memory.

The photo was kept by Mr. Ho Huu Nghi when he first joined the army. Photo: NVCC

Even when he was recuperating in Nghia Dan, just over 20 km from home, Mr. Nghi still did not remember that he had parents, siblings and a lover. When his brother came to visit, it took him an hour to remember, and they hugged each other and cried. Then when he returned home, his youngest sister came to greet him, he asked: "Mom and Dad, whose daughter is this girl?"

On that occasion,war invalidsHo Huu Nghi reunited with his lover after nearly 7 years apart. The girl still waited with all her heart, even though there was no news for many years. Mrs. Truong Thi Ly (Mr. Nghi's wife) said: "I am two years younger than him, we live near each other, we played together since childhood, and then we fell in love. Shortly after Mr. Nghi went to the battlefield, I also joined the army, mainly serving in combat in the North. From then until after the liberation of the South, I did not receive any news, and the family even thought he had sacrificed his life."

Mr. Ho Huu Nghi and his wife. Photo: Cong Kien

There were times when Mrs. Ly was really worried but still believed that Mr. Nghi was still alive and waited for the day to return. “On the day the South was liberated, everyone was happy, I was also extremely happy and waited for him to return. I did not expect that my belief would come true, we held a wedding when he returned from the nursing home for a few days…”- Mrs. Ly confided.

Partly due to guaranteed medical and treatment conditions, the other part was able to return home.hometownLiving in a warm family atmosphere, filled with love, Mr. Nghi's health gradually recovered, and his memory was also gradually restored. The couple gave birth to three children, gradually overcoming difficulties, and now the children are all grown up.