Priceless battlefield relics of Nghe An veterans
Time passes quietly, the soldiers of the past have now reached a rare age. The souvenirs of the wartime are always kept respectfully by many people, because they are associated with the soldier's life, with the years of hardship, sacrifice, bravery and indomitability.
"Soul mate" of the soldier
On the occasion of the country's major holidays, veterans who fought on the Quang Tri battlefield, from Chau Nhan commune (Hung Nguyen) gathered together to recall old memories. Each person brought with themwar relics, recalling the glorious life, associated with marches and battles.
Mr. Le Cong Tam (born in 1953) brought along a parachute hammock, a keepsake that has been with him for over 50 years. He said: “This hammock and some of my belongings were given to me in 1971, before I went to the South. Since then, it has been associated with the fierce fighting days on the Quang Tri battlefield, never leaving it, even when I was injured and had to be transferred to the rear.”
The soldier's hammock is used to rest on the march and after battles. For Mr. Tam, the hammock is also like a friend, because when retreating to the bunker to take shelter from enemy bullets and artillery, there is no mat to lie on, the hammock is used instead of a mat.
During the “Red Summer” of 1972 in Quang Tri, Mr. Tam was injured by a collapsed bunker due to artillery fire. His comrades used this hammock to carry him down to a boat on the Thach Han River. Then the frontline laborers used the hammock to transport him back to the field station to treat his wounds. A week later, when he returned to his unit on foot, the hammock was spread out on the side of the road during breaks...
While Mr. Le Cong Tam was talking about his hammock, Mr. Tran Van Duong (born in 1951) fondled it, occasionally lifting it up to look at it. This hammock had been with him for 7 years as a soldier, following him into the trenches, down into deep tunnels and on marches through the mountains and forests.Truong Son.
Normally, when guarding a checkpoint, the ango is used to hold food and rations for each soldier. When marching, it is used to cook rice and food, replacing the pot. Because marching in the vast mountains and forests, when stopping, soldiers find vegetables, tubers, usually wild bamboo shoots, to cook.
On the day of his return, Mr. Duong had an amphibious rifle in his backpack, an item that held many memories of his military life. It continued to be used in everyday life, following its owner to the fields and on long trips, and was later kept as a souvenir.
Mr. Pham Ngoc Ky has 10 years of military service, and was once a reconnaissance company commander. For reconnaissance soldiers, binoculars are an "inseparable" item when on duty. They help them observe from a distance to grasp the terrain, objects, and enemy defenses to draw maps, helping unit commanders develop combat plans.
Mr. Ky still clearly remembers one time when he and 3 teammates went to scout an enemy company, 4 people in 4 corners using binoculars to observe. When coming back, the enemy discovered and fired at him. In the midst of the bullets, Mr. Ky still hugged the binoculars and rushed into the forest. "Every time I remember my years in the army, my comrades and the fierce battles, I take out the binoculars. Now, it is like a close friend," Mr. Ky shared.
The "collections" of memorabilia
The war has long since ended, the soldiers who fought against the invaders, preserving independence and peace, most of their hair has turned gray. Therefore, many people have spent time, effort and money collecting artifacts so that future generations can better understand the war. Some people have "collections" of battlefield memorabilia, kept and displayed in their homes as family "museums".
Veteran Le Manh Hai in Le Loi Ward (Vinh City) was a soldier of Division 320, participating in 3 wars (the war against America, the Southwestern border war and the Northern border war). Returning to normal life, although busy with business, he still spends time collecting battlefield memorabilia.
Mr. Hai's collection currently has hundreds of items.artifact, mostly weapons and belongings of officers and soldiers in the southern battlefield. For Mr. Hai, each souvenir is a treasure associated with each battle he participated in, each battlefield he went to.
These are the military uniforms, military equipment, and personal equipment of the soldiers (including a model gun, backpack, hat, belt, gun, canteen, anteater, etc.). The canteen that was crushed by bombs of a fallen soldier was collected by Mr. Hai at the 1015 peak and the tail of a 120mm mortar shell collected at the 1049 peak in Sa Thay district (Kon Tum)...
Mr. Hai shared: “Whenever I am under pressure at work or miss my comrades, I look at the souvenirs to return to the glorious and heroic years of my youth. There, there were hardships, dangers and the glory of victory, there was deep comradeship…”.
Also in Vinh city, Mr. Dao Tam Tinh in Hung Loc commune is known as the owner of many valuable antiques, his private house has become a “museum”. In it, he dedicates a corner to artifacts related to wars as a slice of history.
The collection features a large canteen for storing coolant for trucks, a bicycle used by a liaison officer on the Truong Son route, and a nylon raincoat used by soldiers. There are also haunting artifacts such as pieces of a downed American plane, cluster bomb shells, and rocket shrapnel.
The whole country is looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). Having the opportunity to see the battlefield relics, the younger generations will understand more about the war against the US to save the country. There, there is the fierceness of bullets and bombs, the brave spirit and the joy of victory.
