They could not return to their families, they stayed in Truong Sa.

Remote island

Colonel Pham Cong Phan can never forget the days of planting markers and building Truong Sa from 1978 to 1985.

At that time, he was assigned to command the planting of markers and the construction of a series of islands from Sinh Ton Dong, Truong Sa Dong, An Bang, Phan Vinh... After many harsh days and months, for him, difficulties were inevitable in military life. He always showed an optimistic spirit to encourage soldiers.

Colonel Phan recalled that at that time, there was no tree on the island except the banyan tree, and people craved green vegetables like fish need water. There was plenty of seafood under the sea but it was inedible because of the lack of fiber, so even if the body took in more protein, it would be difficult to digest.

Many islands are remote, economically difficult, and have limited resources. Ships can only supply them once a year and cannot get close to the islands, sometimes anchoring 2-3km away. Food, provisions, and fresh water are transported from shore but can only be used the following year because priority must be given to using up old supplies first.

Fresh water is as precious as gold, and each time a ship arrives at its destination, it is usually mixed with 1/4 seawater. Because the ship is anchored far away, it must be transported by aluminum boat, and the waves mix the salt water with the fresh water. However, for the island soldiers, having clear and less salty water is already a blessing. Saving fresh water is always a constant task. Every day, the company commander opens the 'warehouse' to give each soldier a bucket of water, most of which is used for drinking.

New recruits who are assigned to work on the island, in the first year easily gain weight because they sleep a lot when they are not on guard duty. But in the second year, the weight stops and by the third year, they are emaciated because they mostly eat canned food, lacking fresh food and green vegetables.

The story of island soldiers, struggling with difficulties to protect Truong Sa cannot be told in a few days. But those hardships do not easily defeat the soldiers. Many previous generations have completed the marking of dozens of new islands, laying the foundation and building solid island points in the middle of the ocean.

The age of twenty forever lies in Truong Sa

In the battle on March 14, 1988 at Gac Ma, 64 officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives while participating in the placement of sovereignty markers at Sinh Ton island cluster. Most of them were young men in their 20s - the age when they were cherishing many plans and projects for the future, but all of them were left with them under the sea.

That year, Da Nang had 8 soldiers who heard the echo from Truong Sa and backpacked to the island, 7 of them heroically sacrificed.

Mrs. Ho Thi Lai - mother of martyr Truong Quoc Hung tearfully recounted. Hung joined the army when he was just 20 years old. The family was very poor at that time, Mrs. Lai worked hard by cycling to work day and night, just enough to buy a little rice, the whole family shared a bowl of porridge. Now life is more prosperous, but her son remains forever on the island.

Talking about his son - martyr Le Van Xanh, Mr. Xuan choked up: "At that time, he was very young, just over 20 years old."

Before leaving for the island to carry out his mission, Mr. Xanh wrote a letter to "show off" to his family and to his lover back home. No one expected that it was a farewell. Because of his great grief, his lover asked to set up an altar for him in their home.

Martyr Cao Xuan Minh's father (Thanh Hoa), who joined the army in 1986, said that his wife had a mental illness. She had previously been treated and it improved, but after hearing the news of her son's sacrifice, her illness relapsed and could no longer be treated.

In her remaining memories, Minh was the most handsome man in the family, only in his twenties when he joined the army, always optimistic and filial to his parents. Whenever he was off training, he would write letters home. Now, all that remains are the letters, yellowed by time.

Mr. Dien trembled as he turned the worn pages for us to see. The soldier was in his twenties, not yet having time to make an appointment with anyone. He put on his backpack and left for his mission and never returned. Now only his parents remained with their fragmented memories, sometimes remembering, sometimes forgetting, and their eyes looking at their son's portrait with an unceasing torment.

Among those who fell to protect the homeland's sea and islands, there were many young soldiers. They could not return, could not keep their oaths, could not fulfill many unfinished plans, they lay down in Truong Sa, lay down in the sacred land of the fatherland.