Never leave your gun to protect the Fatherland
During the resistance war against the US, with the spirit of "cutting Truong Son to save the country", Nghe An had nearly 300,000 cadres, soldiers, and militiamen participating in combat and serving in combat on the battlefields.
Performed by: Thanh Chung - Technical: Diep Thanh
Publication date: April 26, 2025
During the resistance war against the US, with the spirit of "cutting Truong Son to save the country", Nghe An had nearly 300,000 cadres, soldiers, and militiamen participating in combat and serving in combat on the battlefields.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), Nghe An Newspaper reporters had an interview with war invalid Vu Duc Chat (82 years old, in Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town) - a soldier who participated in 4 resistance wars to protect the Fatherland and perform international duty.
PV: Sir! During the resistance war against the US to save the country, generations of Nghe An youth enthusiastically volunteered to go to war. Could you share the patriotic spirit in your hometown Nghe An in general, and Quynh Lap commune in particular, during those years?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:As we know, during the resistance war against the US (1954-1975), Nghe An was a solid base of Military Region 4 - one of the important bases of the whole country. Nghe An was both the border area, a large rear base, providing manpower and resources for the front line with the spirit of "not a pound of rice missing, not a soldier missing"; and was also the indomitable front line of "fire coordinates" fighting against the US imperialists' destruction of the North.
During the years of resistance in my hometown Quynh Lap commune, the spirit of fighting against the US to save the country was surging. When the youth reached the age, they volunteered to join the army. Those who stayed behind fought, served in combat, and produced. All the people in my commune joined the militia, were on air defense duty, dug tunnels to build battlefields, transported ammunition for anti-aircraft artillery batteries to shoot down planes, transported goods to support the battlefields, and ensured smooth traffic.
Patriotic and revolutionary emulation movements such as "Sea Waves", "Great Wind", "Three-First Flag"; "Aim straight at the enemy and shoot", "Hammer in one hand, gun in the other"; "Three ready", "Three brave", "Live clinging to the bridge, clinging to the road, die steadfastly and bravely", "No regrets if the car has not passed the house"... took place very enthusiastically. Everyone was determined with the spirit of "All for the front line! All to liberate the South,unify the country".
Personally, I also actively participated in those movements. My family has 4 brothers and sisters. My eldest brother and father died in the famine of 1945. My mother remarried. When I was 3 years old, I was adopted by my uncle. The Party and the revolutionary government raised my sisters and me and gave us a full education. After finishing secondary school, I continued studying accounting and worked at a local cooperative. From the age of 18 onwards, I wrote many letters volunteering to join the army hoping to repay my country, but the cooperative did not let me go. The reason was because I was short, the only son, and the patriarch of the family...
However, I persisted in writing letters, expressing my wish to join the army. By 1965, at the age of 22, my wish was granted. On August 19, 1965, I enlisted in the 43rd Battalion - Red Nghe An, Military Region 4. For me, it was a great happiness because I was able to directly hold a gun and participate in the fight for national liberation.
PV: It is known that during the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, you were also present in the victorious army marching towards Saigon. Can you share your feelings at that historic moment?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:In 1966, from Battalion 43, I was transferred to Regiment 38, Military Region 3; in 1967, I was transferred to B in the South to fight and destroy the Plei Kan and Pleiku bases, Gia Lai - Kon Tum Front. In 1969, due to injury, I was sent to Military Region 3 to recuperate and receive training at the Military School.
In 1970, I returned to combat as Captain of Company 7, Battalion 38, Division 320, participating in the Route 9 - Southern Laos Campaign. Then, Company 7 was handed over, I became Captain of Company 11, Battalion 9, Regiment 18, Division 325, Corps 2, guarding the southwest of Thach Han River to protect the liberated area of Quang Tri province and supporting the 81-day and night battle to protect Quang Tri Citadel in 1972.
After 3 years of holding the position in Quang Tri, on February 20, 1975, my unit was ordered to hand over the area to the local troops and move to the South. On March 21, 1975, the unit captured the 494 and 560 peaks on the Kim Sac mountain range in Phu Loc district (Hue), preventing the enemy from retreating from Hue to Da Nang. Next, my unit, along with many other units of the 2nd Corps and Military Region 5, entered to liberate Da Nang on March 29, 1975; together with units of the 2nd Corps, liberated the provinces in the Central region, then headed straight to Saigon. On April 27, 1975, our 2nd Corps gathered in the rubber forest north of Long Thanh (Dong Nai) to thoroughly grasp the mission to carry out the Ho Chi Minh Campaign...
Carrying out the order of the Campaign Command, on the night of April 29 and the early morning of April 30, 1975, the main troops in each direction simultaneously attacked the inner city, capturing the key targets of the campaign. My unit was assigned to cross the Cat Lai ferry to attack and capture Nha Rong Port. At 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, the Liberation flag flew on the roof of the Independence Palace. From this moment on, the enemy basically laid down their arms and surrendered. By 4:00 p.m. on April 30, 1975, my unit had captured Nha Rong Port...
After finishing the guarding and protecting the port, on the morning of May 1, 1975, I and a deputy political commissar of the company decided to visit the Independence Palace. At that moment, I shed tears of joy. From then on, the country was unified. Peace had come, no more war, no more painful losses. We would soon return to our families and loved ones. At this moment, I remembered my comrades who had sacrificed... However, not long after, my unit continued to take on a new mission, which was to wipe out the remnants of the old regime and protect the revolutionary government. Only then did I realize that danger always lurks, and in the joy of victory, we must not leave our guns to protect the Fatherland.
From June 1976 to July 1978, the unit continued to be assigned the task of suppressing bandits in Laos. At this time, I was the Deputy Battalion Commander of Battalion 9, Regiment 18, Division 325.
From August 1978 to March 1979, my unit was mobilized to Tay Ninh, fighting the invading Pol Pot army, helping the Cambodian people escape genocide. From April 1979 to June 1979, my battalion went to the North to fight the Chinese expansionist army in Lang Son province...
I was allowed by the State and the Army to retire in 1987 with the rank of Captain. Looking back on my military career, I feel very proud to have contributed my blood and bones to the struggle for national unification and to protect the integrity and peace of the Fatherland. I myself am also very honored to have been awarded 12 medals of various types by the Party, the State and the Army.
During his military career, Mr. Vu Duc Chat was awarded 12 Medals by the Party and State, including 4 Military Exploit Medals (1 Second Class Medal, 3 Third Class Medals), 1 Second Class Anti-American National Salvation Medal, 2 Liberation Medals, and 3 Longevity Medals.
PV: It is known that recently, in the program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, you were one of the members of the delegation of Nghe An province to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the program. How did you feel when returning to the old "battlefield"?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:I am very honored and proud to be one of 26 veterans who directly participated in the Great Victory of Spring 1975 and was selected by Nghe An province, creating conditions for me to visit the old battlefield. During the trip, the province made very thoughtful arrangements from travel, accommodation, health care to arranging sightseeing spots. The leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and People's Committee welcomed me very respectfully.
Returning to the old battlefield after 50 years, I am very happy to witness Ho Chi Minh City's remarkable and brilliant development; becoming the most modern and dynamic city in the country and the region. I am even more proud because I once had the opportunity to fight and be attached to the city named after Uncle Ho.
I am truly grateful that Nghe An province organized this meaningful trip for us. I am even more grateful that the province has implemented the military rear policy well, regularly paying attention to and taking care of policy beneficiaries and people with meritorious services to the revolution. Every year, Party committees at all levels, authorities and all departments and branches in the province have implemented policies for war invalids, martyrs and people with meritorious services well; implemented gratitude activities such as caring for and supporting Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, building gratitude houses, visiting and giving gifts to policy beneficiaries on holidays and Tet; synchronously implementing solutions, improving the effectiveness of searching for and collecting martyrs' remains...
Returning to the “old battlefield”, in our minds we hear the melody of the old song “Marching to Saigon” by musician Luu Huu Phuoc –“Oh Saigon! I'm back, I'm back!”; echoes the poem "Star of Victory" by poet Che Lan Vien“Oh my Fatherland, I love you like my flesh and blood/Like my mother and father, like my wife and husband/Oh my Fatherland, if necessary, I would die/For every house, mountain, river...”.
In the echoes of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, as someone who has gone through the fire and smoke of war, I would like to share and send a few words to today's young generation: Thousands of years ago, our ancestors built and protected the border and territory with courage, without sparing blood, and steadfastly fought against foreign invaders to establish the country. Achieving independence and peace, unifying the country, protecting the integrity of the territory was difficult; preserving and promoting these achievements, bringing the country to develop and become rich and beautiful is even more difficult. Hopefully, today's and tomorrow's young generations will continue to nurture and promotepatriotism, use all our strength to build our homeland to become richer and stronger.
PV: Thank you!
