"When the Fatherland needs them, they know how to live apart..."

(Baonghean) -In late March, we visited the home of veteran Nguyen Duc Loc and his wife, a couple who were once steadfast soldiers of the Dien Bien Phu campaign. For them, during those years, love for the Fatherland was above all else, they put aside personal feelings, put aside the beautiful, dreamy years of youth to fulfill their responsibilities as soldiers.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Loc and his wife.

Living in a two-story house in a small alley in Dong Lam block, Hung Dung, Vinh city, the couple of veteran Nguyen Duc Loc is one of the typical couples who fought together in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Despite the passage of several decades, having gone through two fierce wars of the country, their love for each other is still as warm and deep as ever. Uncle Loc shared: “Both of us were originally from the same commune, and our two families had an engagement. However, at that time we were very young so we did not dare to express our feelings to each other. In 1952, I joined the army in Company 124 (D555, Regiment 151, Division 315) to fight to protect our homeland. Around mid-1952, my wife also joined the Cu Chinh Lan Youth Volunteer Group”.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Anh, Mr. Loc's wife, happily continued her husband's words: "During my time participating in the Youth Volunteer Force, I only had one hope: to meet Loc once. And God did not disappoint us. Loc's unit marched to Upper Laos and stopped to rest near our unit. During the war, our personal stories were also the stories of our comrades. Knowing our feelings, the comrades in the unit created conditions for us to meet each other. However, when we met, we did not know what to say. We were so shy that we could only say a few words before we continued marching."

Unlike love in peacetime, love in wartime is not romantic under candlelight, or romantic hand in hand, but love in wartime must go through hardships, difficulties, and sacrifices to be together. Uncle Loc sincerely said: “Our love at that time was the moments of confronting falling bombs and stray bullets, love had to be placed after the duty of the Fatherland. Fighting on the battlefield, we could only think of each other, or send greetings when stopping on the march. The words of encouragement from our lovers were the strength that helped us complete our mission.”

In fierce battles, under enemy fire, the first thing they always think of is not self-love, but how to fight, devote themselves to fulfilling their duty to the country. The wife is the Platoon Leader of the Cu Chinh Lan Youth Volunteer Group, the husband is the Deputy Squad Leader of Company 124, the responsibility on their shoulders is extremely heavy, the path they take is full of dangers and storms. For them, the love of the Fatherland is above all, they have put aside personal feelings, put aside the years of beautiful, dreamy youth to fulfill their responsibility as soldiers.

After the Dien Bien Phu campaign was completely victorious, Uncle Anh returned to participate in local work, while Uncle Loc was sent by his superiors to study in China, then to Cao Bang to continue studying engineering techniques. To make Uncle Loc feel secure on the battlefield, Uncle Anh replaced Uncle Loc in taking on the duty of a son to take care of his parents in the rear.

In 1955, with permission from his superiors, Uncle Loc returned to his hometown to hold a wedding. But his time with his wife was short-lived, 12 days later he went back to work, and Uncle Anh had to shoulder the family responsibilities of both paternal and maternal sides. In 1965, Uncle Loc was transferred back to his hometown. Complete joy came to Uncle Loc's family, the capable wife now had a husband to share the family responsibilities, the house was always filled with the laughter of their children and grandchildren. Uncle Loc and his wife smiled and told us: "With a life like this, what more could you wish for?"

Thanh Thuy