Grains of love from veterans

(Baonghean) - For the past two years, every Tet holiday, veteran Nguyen Van Than in Binh Ngo hamlet, Thanh Giang commune, Thanh Chuong district, takes out his monthly savings to buy rice as gifts to send to poor families in the hamlet, with the hope of sharing some of their hardships.

I went to Binh Ngo hamlet, Thanh Giang commune (Thanh Chuong) to meet Mr. Nguyen Van Than (73 years old), a typical veteran of the district. The hamlet is small but has three people with the same name Than. When mentioning Mr. Than's charity work, people showed me the house with a long row of shady spider plants in front.

The captain of the past, now at the age of “thất thập cổ lai hy” has a gentle yet strong appearance. His house bears the mark of a soldier who has been in the Party for nearly 50 years. The red flag with yellow star, the sickle flag, and pictures of President Ho Chi Minh, Karl Marx, and Lenin are hung in a prominent position in the living room. Mr. Than recalls his youth.

After finishing secondary school, young man Nguyen Van Than enthusiastically volunteered to join the army, although he was not required to perform military service because he was the only son in his family. He joined the 325th Division (Military Region IV), Regiment 101. In February 1960, he was sent by the military region to fight in Laos, as part of the first class of Nghe An conscripts to fight on Route 9 in Southern Laos, opening the Ho Chi Minh trail.

In April 1961, during the battle at Tha Khong Fort, under the pressure of bombs, Mr. Than was seriously injured, and to this day a piece of shrapnel is still lodged in his elbow, because surgery is very dangerous. Because of his injuries, in June 1961, he was discharged from the army, returned home and studied at the Maritime College in Hai Phong. Thanks to his hard work and training, Mr. Nguyen Van Than was admitted to the Party in 1965. After graduating, he was assigned to the Nghe An Traffic Department.

1965-1967 was a time of fierce American bombing. Enemy torpedoes were scattered all over the sea, and also on the river, especially on the bridges; American ships and planes closely monitored the sea area. Before returning home to carry out his mission, Mr. Than was given a memorial service in Do Son (Hai Phong). Returning to Nghe An, he worked as a captain transporting aid from the sea to the mainland, from Nghe An to Quang Binh, connecting pontoon bridges to open the road. The dangerous work was carried out secretly at night. During peacetime, he continued to do well as a captain in many different agencies in the Nghe An Traffic Department, and retired in 1985.

Mr. Nguyen Van Than.

In the locality, Mr. Nguyen Van Than actively participates in union activities. Through the campaign "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh", he feels more responsible for the community. He said: "Uncle Ho has many virtues worth learning, but I see the core of his morality is his love for people, love others as you love yourself, the whole leaf covers the torn leaf, the less torn leaf covers the more torn leaf.

Besides that, there are the values ​​of diligence, thrift, integrity and honesty. I am a practical person, so every month I save a little money, at the end of the year I buy rice, through the Hamlet Front, and have gifts to send to families in need to warm their hearts during Tet. My hamlet currently has 19 poor households, more than 20 near-poor households, the most difficult cases are the elderly living alone." His intention to do charity is encouraged by his family, his children also think that "the more charity you do, the better". At the end of 2011, he donated 200 kg of rice to families, and by 2012 it was 400 kg of rice. He said: "I feel excited because I have done useful work for society, in difficult times helping each other will see the value of life".

In addition, Mr. Than also mobilized his family and neighbors, especially the Veterans Association, to help families in difficulty, families who suffered material and spiritual losses during the war, and to help them with house building. Previously, he was the president of the Retirement Association, the Elderly Association, and the Veterans Association, but in the past 10 years, due to his advanced age, he has asked to retire. As a member, he has always been active in social movements and activities.

In the family, he educated his children and grandchildren to be harmonious, loving, honest, and self-respecting. His family is a model family, implementing well the policies of the commune and the Party cell in the village. His four children are now all grown up, married, and have stable jobs. In 2011, his granddaughter, Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang (now in grade 4, Thanh Giang Primary School), when picking up a bag of money containing 20 million VND, brought it to the People's Committee of the commune to return it to the owner. Mr. Nguyen Van Than confided: "Life is now multifaceted, I myself must always maintain the moral qualities of a Party member, a soldier of Uncle Ho until the last moment".

Nguyen Trang