Memories of the Fire and Flower Period

(Baonghean) - Over 40 years of military career, in the memory of Major General Bui Duc Tung, former Commander and Political Commissar of Nghe Tinh Military Command, are the years of fighting across the battlefields of the South and the North with life-and-death battles, alongside brave and resilient comrades and teammates who overcame all difficulties to fight and win...

Although he has turned 87, a rare age, Major General Bui Duc Tung still maintains a resolute demeanor and bright eyes. At the age of 17, he became enlightened about the revolution and joined the Lang Thach Village Self-Defense Team (Thach Son Commune, Anh Son), at the age of 20, Nghe An young man Bui Duc Tung left his hometown to follow the sacred call of the Fatherland. At that time, he was assigned to Platoon 3, Battalion 542, Regiment 165 of the 312th Main Division, directly participating in the anti-French campaigns in the Northwest. After the victory in the major campaigns: Border, Northwest, Ly Thuong Kiet, Upper Laos, Hoa Binh, his unit was mobilized to participate in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

Major General Bui Duc Tung reviews photos from the war. Photo: Dinh Nguyet

60 years have passed, but the memories of the days of “digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, eating rice balls in the pouring rain”… in the Dien Bien soldiers of the past are still intact. That year, he was a 27-year-old boy eagerly present in the first days of the campaign, participating in pulling artillery over hundreds of steep passes to the battlefield. During those 56 days and nights, he and his teammates truly lived days full of hardship and sacrifice. Platoon 3, commanded by Bui Duc Tung, was assigned to take on the main attack from the Southeast to capture Doc Lap Hill. This was one of the two “steel doors” of the northern defense line protecting Muong Thanh Center, strictly guarded by the 5th North African Battalion equipped with many modern weapons and a company of Thai soldiers. The hill was surrounded by dense barbed wire and densely packed with defensive mines. Destroying Doc Lap Hill was a mandatory task given on the night of March 14, 1954.

However, when all attack plans were ready, the supporting mortar unit could not approach because of the pouring rain. Major General Bui Duc Tung recalled: “It was raining heavily, the ground was muddy, the enemy fired continuously, and dropped flares as bright as day, so our troops had to move carefully to avoid being detected. The opening fire time had to be delayed until 3 a.m. After the order to open fire, our spearhead squad charged forward but encountered strong resistance from the enemy. The artillery had to move meter by meter to approach the battlefield, while the main forces fired continuously at the enemy to limit the resistance. After nearly 1 hour of artillery battle, both sides fought for each meter of trench. The front men fell, the back men advanced; the attack was stormy, each main force rushed into the central strongholds. One of our main forces captured prisoners and forced them to lead straight to the mortar position, destroying 4 enemy 120mm guns. Although they lost some important positions and battlefields, the enemy still tried to hold out. At 6:30 a.m. on March 15, the enemy abandoned the battlefield and fled back to the center. Muong Thanh. Our army completely controlled the Doc Lap hill stronghold, destroyed nearly 500 enemies, captured more than 200, wiped out the entire 5th North African Battalion, and confiscated all weapons.

After Doc Lap, Him Lam, and A1 hills were occupied by our army, the enemy gathered in the center of Muong Thanh. The entire main force of our army was mobilized to destroy the Muong Thanh stronghold and liberate Dien Bien. Bui Duc Tung and his unit were ordered to dig trenches and fortifications to advance towards Muong Thanh Airport. Wherever the trenches were dug, mud filled them, making movement extremely difficult. He recalled that during those years, during the day, his comrades had to dig potatoes and cassava to cook porridge. The first bowls of porridge were for sick comrades; then they went to cut banana leaves to feed their comrades with malaria... However, our soldiers were always optimistic. At night, our brothers dug tunnels under the rain of bombs and bullets. Despite being tired and hungry, they still wrote poems... "On May 7, when our flag of determination to fight and win was flying in the sky of Dien Bien Phu, standing on D1 hill looking down, each group of French colonial soldiers raised the white flag and surrendered one by one. All of our soldiers were excited and happy beyond words... We, the Dien Bien soldiers, will never forget that feeling" - Major General Bui Duc Tung confided.

In 1963, his unit was ordered to secretly march into combat and expand the controlled area in the battlefields of Military Region V and the Central Highlands, directly participating in major battles such as Ha Thanh, Hiep Duc, Ba To,... Especially the General Offensive and Uprising in Spring 1968, the Route 9 Campaign in Southern Laos... During this fierce and arduous period of fighting, he could not forget the two battles that contributed to creating a major turning point in terms of tactics in the war with the US imperialists, which were the Ba Gia battle and the Van Tuong battle (Quang Ngai). After the victory of Van Tuong, his 2nd Division, under Military Region V, successfully completed the mission of liberating Tam Ky Town, destroying the enemy and stationing a post in this area. On the momentum of victory, the 2nd Division continued to advance to liberate Da Nang in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. In 1976, he transferred to work at the Military Region IV Command, holding the position of Political Commissar of Division 337; then Political Commissar of Nghe Tinh Military Command; Deputy of the Party Inspection Committee of the Military Region. He was transferred to be Commander of Nghe Tinh Military Command in 1987. In 1995, he retired and was elected Chairman of the Veterans Association of Nghe An province. In 1984, Mr. Bui Duc Tung was promoted to the rank of Major General.

Among the beautiful memories of the war that Major General Bui Duc Tung always mentioned as a source of personal pride, were the times he met the eldest brother of the Vietnam People's Army, General Vo Nguyen Giap. That was in 1976, when Division 2 was visited by General Vo Nguyen Giap. "That was a special day, we stood in two rows, waiting for the General to arrive. As soon as I saw the General enter, I stood up to salute, but suddenly, the General ran over, hugged me and my comrades like brothers who had not seen each other for a long time. Then the General kindly asked the officers and soldiers in the unit."

When taking on the role of Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association, he was always enthusiastic about activities to care for and help veterans improve their material and spiritual lives; develop family economy, eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, promote charitable activities, and support each other in life.

Now at the age of seventy, he is still clear-headed and sharp; every day he enjoys the countryside, enjoying the joys of old age with his wife, children and grandchildren. The Major General's small house is simple and humble in the military area in Hamlet 24, Nghi Phu Commune (Vinh City), a meeting place for his comrades who once fought and died together on the battlefields of the North and the South. He and his comrades also traveled to each address, campaigning to establish the Dien Bien Phu Soldiers' Liaison Committee in Vinh City with more than 70 people and regularly met, talked, and cared about educating the revolutionary tradition to the younger generation through stories about a difficult but proud time. Although time has made their hair grayer, the stories of the soldiers of the past are still warm with comradeship, their lives are as beautiful as a song about love for the country.

Dinh Nguyet