Tet celebration memories at Con Dao prison of a teacher from Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Having passed the age of eighty, Mr. Chu Cap is still quite lucid, still remembering clearly the years he was imprisoned by the enemy in the middle of the ocean in Con Dao and the times he celebrated Tet in the imperial prison.
Go towards the "sun"
On the eve of Tet, in a small house located in the middle of Chu Trac hamlet, Hoa Thanh commune (Yen Thanh), Mr. Chu Cap (born in 1940) searched for souvenirs sent by his former prison friends. Statues and books sent from the South were cherished by Mr. Cap and placed in a glass cabinet. In particular, there was an iron shackle he received during his return visit.Con Dao prison, Mr. Cap always kept it carefully.
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| Mr. Chu Cap had 5 Tet holidays in the American Imperial prison, 4 of which were in Con Dao prison. Photo: Cong Kien |
“In 1995, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South, I had the opportunity to revisit Con Dao prison, where I was imprisoned by the US and the puppet regime for several years. Seeing the iron shackles displayed in the traditional room, memories of more than 20 years ago came flooding back, making me unable to contain my emotions,” Mr. Cap recounted.
Born into a poor family in Chu Trac village, life was hard and deprived, but the boy Chu Cap was still sent to school by his parents. He attended the village school for primary and secondary school, then went to Dien Chau to study in high school, and then went to the Pedagogical College. In 1961, after graduating from school, the young teacher from the rice fields was assigned to work in Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province.
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| Mr. Chu Cap recounts being tortured and handcuffed in an American imperial prison. Photo: Cong Kien |
In 1964, he was admitted to the Party, promoted to Vice Principal of Hung Tien Secondary School (Kim Son District), then Principal of Ninh Giang Secondary School (Gia Khanh District). Also in this year, Mr. Cap was selected to study in the Soviet Union to train source cadres. And in the South, at this time, the liberated areas were lacking teachers and were in dire need of support from the North. Teacher Chu Cap decided to volunteer to go to supportsouthern.
After three months of trekking through forests and wading through streams, he and his comrades arrived in the South, taking up a position at the Education Subcommittee of Zone 8, and later became Deputy of the Education Subcommittee of My Tho. The main task was to build an education movement in the liberated areas, training local teachers to help the people eliminate illiteracy.
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| Reenactment of torture of prisoners at Con Dao prison. Photo: Duc Anh |
In 1969, one day, on the way to the base, Mr. Cap and a comrade were ambushed and captured by the enemy. They used all kinds of torture, transferred from one prison to another, but the teacherNghe Anstill maintaining the integrity and bravery of a communist. Finally, he was exiled to Con Dao, a place known as "hell on earth".
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| Delegation of officials and reporters of Nghe An Newspaper listened to an introduction about Con Dao Prison. Photo: Duc Anh |
Here, for a long time, Mr. Chu Cap was locked in solitary confinement and continuously suffered brutal beatings.
“In the harsh prison, there were times when I was exhausted and thought there was no way back. At times like that, I thought about my homeland, the birthplace of patriot Phan Dang Luu, especially my beloved Uncle Ho, to remind myself to maintain my integrity. Thanks to that, I had more motivation to continue living and fighting with my comrades and teammates against the enemy.”
And memories of celebrating Tet in "hell on earth"
During his years in prison, Mr. Chu Cap had 5 children.Lunar New Yearin Con Dao prison, that was in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974, Tet 1969 in Chi Hoa prison. Every time celebrating Tet in prison is an unforgettable memory, in which Mr. Chu Cap remembers most is celebrating Tet 1973 in Con Dao prison.
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| Mr. Chu Cap is keeping many souvenirs given by his fellow prisoners. Photo by Cong Kien |
“That Tet, I was detained in room 11, camp 5 of Con Dao prison, a solitary confinement room with 54 political prisoners. On New Year’s Eve, right after dinner, we organized a cultural and artistic festival to welcome the new year. The brothers in the room came from many different hometowns, taking turns performing hometown songs, full of regional characteristics, making the program more and more exciting,” Mr. Cap recalled.
Hearing the singing coming from the solitary confinement room, the prison guards ordered the soldiers to cut off the electricity, stood outside and cursed and threw dirty substances into the room. Mr. Chu Cap and his fellow prisoners shouted "Down with it!" in unison, then other cells also shouted, and then the whole room.prisonshouted in unison.
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| Certificate of merit from the Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee awarded to Mr. Chu Cap for his outstanding achievements in the work of the Association of Revolutionary Soldiers imprisoned by the enemy. Photo: Cong Kien |
Afterwards, the political prisoners put pressure on the prison management to allow the cells to hold cultural performances to celebrate the traditional New Year. Faced with the fighting strength and solidarity of the communist prisoners, the prison guards had to give in. The fun continued, the Mai Day (Hue), Quan Ho (Bac Ninh), Cai Luong (Southern Vietnam) and Vi Giam (Nghe Tinh)… resounded amidst the stormy sea.
When it was his turn to perform, Mr. Chu Cap recited the poem “Homeland” by Giang Nam and “Twin Mountains” by Vu Cao - two poems that were loved at that time. Encouraged by his fellow prisoners, he recited another poem CNew Year's EveUncle Ho's 1968 made the atmosphere even more exciting.
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| Provincial leaders and the Department of Education and Training visited teacher Chu Cap's family on the occasion of November 20, 2019. Photo: NVCC |
It was almost New Year's Eve, the prisoners in cell 11 stood at attention, put their hands on their chests, faced north and sang the "National Anthem". After that sacred moment, Mr. Chu Cap and his fellow prisoners told each other their memories of celebrating Tet in their hometown and expressed their hope to return home soon to reunite with their families.
That wish came true, more than a year later Mr. Chu Cap was released and returned to work in Saigon, inHo Chi Minh campaignparticipated in leading the troops to liberate the prisons. After liberation, he was appointed as Head of the Education Department of District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, and then continued to support Cambodia. In 1977, he was sent to study at Nguyen Ai Quoc School, but due to family circumstances, Mr. Chu Cap asked to transfer back to his hometown of Yen Thanh to continue his career of educating people until his retirement.
With his enthusiasm and dedication to the country, teacher Chu Cap was honored to receive many noble titles and awards from the State and the Education sector. Typical examples are the First Class Medal of Resistance against America for National Salvation, Second Class Medal of Liberation and Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Education for his excellent performance in supporting the South, and the Medal for the Cause of Education...
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| The joy of reunion of teacher Chu Cap's family. Photo: NVCC |
"Mr. Chu Cap is an active member. Despite his old age, he still enthusiastically participates in social activities and does many meaningful things in educating the younger generation. He is a worthy example for all members."
