"Martyr" returns and the journey to find his comrades

(Baonghean) - There was an old soldier who had participated in fierce battles during the anti-American war, fell into the enemy's hands and had a death notice sent to his family. The South was completely liberated, he returned with a disability rate of 71%, one damaged eye and 47 pieces of bullet in his body. Missing his comrades who fell in the wild mountains and forests, he set out again to the old battlefield to find their remains. He was Le Van Thuyet, from Phong Phu hamlet,Hung Hoa commune (Vinh city)…

THE YEARS OF "FIRE LINE"

We visited Mr. Thuyet’s house while he was herding ducks. Duck and fish farming is thriving in the low-lying areas of Hung Hoa. Mr. Thuyet’s family alone has nearly 1 hectare of fish pond and more than 700 egg-laying ducks. Looking at the way he takes care of his ducks, few would think that this is a soldier who has fought and died on the battlefield…

Mr. Le Van Thuyet (far right) handed over the remains to the relative of martyr Vu Hong Luc (Photo provided by the family).

In 1967, at the age of 20, Le Van Thuyet enlisted in the army and was assigned to the 304th Division. At first, his unit mainly operated in the Quang Tri area, which was considered the front line. Here, he participated in many fierce battles such as the battle to protect the Quang Tri Citadel, the Ai Tu and La Vang battles in 1972. During the Ai Tu and La Vang battles, his 8th Battalion (belonging to the 18th Regiment) was surrounded by the enemy on all sides, not to mention the gunboats from the sea, the bombs from B-52 aircraft, this area became a "fire coordinate". In that urgent situation, his company received orders from superiors to open a bloody path out of the siege to consolidate forces. At that time, his unit suffered heavy losses, many comrades fell in the battle to protect Quang Tri Citadel, the enemy mobilized almost all military branches with modern weapons, firepower with destructive power to attack the battlefield. At one point, Mr. Thuyet's company had only 15 people left and was ordered to withdraw to Hill 74 to consolidate forces. On the way back, the unit continued to suffer losses due to continuous gunfire from the gunboats and dense bombs from B-52s, the company had only 3 people left, of which 2 were injured by bomb fragments. Due to his injuries, he and another comrade fell into the enemy's hands. "Until now, 42 years have passed, in my memory, the fierce days of the "Red Summer" in Quang Tri have not faded!

Mr. Thuyet continued: On the way to retreat to Hill 74, suddenly he heard a deafening explosion, his whole body fell backwards, and his face was buried in sand and dirt... When he woke up, soldier Le Van Thuyet realized he was lying in the enemy's hospital, in Mang Ca prison camp (Thua Thien). Here, being interrogated, seduced and beaten by the enemy, Mr. Thuyet still maintained the will and steadfastness of a communist soldier. Unable to get any information, the enemy at Mang Ca station took him to Non Nuoc prison camp (Da Nang). Here, the enemy became even more cruel and brutal, using all forms of torture from the medieval to the modern to torture communist soldiers. Mr. Thuyet could never forget the times the prison guards hit him in the head with their rifle butts, causing him to faint from blood. Or the times they used pliers to pull out his teeth one by one, causing him excruciating pain. They used pliers to pull out all his lower teeth, and only three were left in his upper teeth. In the face of all the brutal torture and abuse, the soldier from the Soviet homeland remained steadfast and refused to say a word.

The enemy at Non Nuoc prison classified Le Van Thuyet as "stubborn" and exiled him to Con Dao. But the opportunity came on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 1973. Taking advantage of the opportunity when the soldiers at the prison were partying, dancing, and singing to celebrate the New Year, Le Van Thuyet and two other prisoners discussed escaping. The three of them took turns going through three layers of barbed wire fences. When they reached the fourth fence, the enemy's German Shepherd discovered them and barked loudly. The enemy raised the alarm, fired flares, and tried to chase them. In that dire situation, they discussed running away in three different directions. Le Van Thuyet quickly merged with the crowd gathering to celebrate the New Year, then slipped into an alley leading to the edge of the forest and escaped the enemy's pursuit. After successfully escaping, Mr. Thuyet found a way to contact and return to his unit to continue fighting. In 1974, while participating in the battle at Thuong Duc stronghold on the Quang - Da front, Le Van Thuyet was seriously injured, with more than 50 pieces of various types of bullets embedded in his body, so he had to be taken to the North for treatment. Three months later, he was again present with his unit to participate in fierce battles in the Quang Nam - Da Nang area.

“The greatest pride of my life is being present in the army participating in the General Offensive campaign to completely liberate the South, witnessing the glorious moment of history when the Saigon puppet government announced its surrender” - Mr. Thuyet shared. In March 1975, Mr. Le Van Thuyet’s unit was ordered to attack and capture Nuoc Man airport (Da Nang). On the winning streak, the unit marched straight to the South, capturing Nuoc Trong base and Long Binh General Warehouse. At the end of April 1975, the “lightning speed” army quickly crossed Bien Hoa bridge and was assigned to march straight to Saigon and capture the Independence Palace, capturing Duong Van Minh’s cabinet. Perhaps, throughout his life, soldier Le Van Thuyet could never forget the moment at noon on April 30, 1975, under the command of Battalion Commander Hoang Trong Tinh (later Major General - Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 4 Command), his Battalion captured the Independence Palace, participated in capturing and escorting Duong Van Minh to Saigon Radio to call on soldiers to lay down their weapons and surrender. Seeing the scene of the national flag flying all over the streets, Saigon people holding flowers and waving to the victorious army, everyone's faces filled with joyful smiles, Mr. Thuyet suddenly burst into tears. After 8 years of fighting, facing death many times, being brutally tortured by the enemy, he had never shed a tear. But in this glorious moment, he remembered his comrades who had forever remained at the edge of the forest, on the mountain slopes, his eyes suddenly welled up and then burst into tears. He called out the names of each comrade who had fallen on the battlefields...

PAIN OF TEAMMATES

The country was completely liberated, the North and South reunited, the soldiers fulfilled their sacred duty to the Fatherland and returned to their families and homeland. Ironically, after Mr. Thuyet and his two comrades retreated to Point 74 and were captured by the enemy, the Regiment sent a death notice to his family, his parents cried until they had no more tears. Not long after the liberation of the South, a soldier carrying a backpack returned to Phong Phu hamlet, the whole hamlet rushed out to welcome a "martyr" back. Mr. Thuyet's parents cried again, but this time they were tears of joy and happiness because their son, after 8 years of separation, had returned from the dead, even though one eye was damaged, both jaws were fake and his body was covered with wounds.

Upon returning, Mr. Thuyet married a girl from the same village and had four children. Overcoming the difficulties of the subsidy period, Mr. Thuyet and his wife raised their children to adulthood. Up to now, his children have stable jobs and have their own happy families. He also actively participates in social work, working as a secretary, then an accountant for Hung Hoa Agricultural Cooperative, and for decades as a village chief. Every time the weather changes, his whole body aches, his head feels like it's about to explode, sometimes he wants to scream. Remembering his fallen comrades, he braces himself to endure. Then on sleepless nights, he remembers the battles of the past, remembers the moment his comrades fell in the trenches, the longing for his comrades is always in his heart. In his spare time, he would turn on and listen to the song “The young grass of the ancient citadel”. The lyrics made his heart flutter: “The young grass of the ancient citadel is a soft green color/ Who would have thought that this place once had bloodshed/ Which mother, which wife... sadly swallowed her tears/ When her husband and children did not return...”.

Mr. Thuyet always thought that he had to do something really useful to show his loyal and steadfast comradeship before it was too late. The first thing he did was to find the relatives of martyr Vu Hong Luc (from Vinh City) to discuss going to the old battlefield to find his remains. In 2013, he spent 2 weeks in the mountainous area of ​​Hai Lang (Quang Tri) to find his comrade's remains. The work was unsuccessful. Because the barren hills of the past are now covered with acacia forests, the landscape has changed so much, and he did not have a map in hand. Recently, when he had collected enough maps, Mr. Thuyet led the relatives of martyr Vu Hong Luc to search again. And this time it was successful, after 2 weeks of wandering among the hills filled with acacia trees, he recognized the burial place of his comrade. At that moment, he was moved to tears again... On that occasion, Mr. Thuyet also found 40 graves of his comrades surrounding the grave of martyr Luc. Mr. Thuyet informed the authorities of Quang Tri province to confirm and excavate the burial at the cemetery.

He added: “I plan to contact the Policy Department of Division 304 after April 30 this year to coordinate the search and collection of the grave of martyr Nguyen Quang Thanh. Thanh is from Hung Long (Hung Nguyen), his parents have passed away, and his only relative is his younger sister who suffers from mental illness. I feel very guilty if I cannot do this.” And now, when life is somewhat free and he still has energy, Mr. Le Van Thuyet is planning to gather his comrades to return to the old battlefield to find their comrades’ graves and bring them back to rest in their hometown. Because he is currently a member of the Association of Revolutionary Soldiers captured and imprisoned by the enemy, one of the Association’s tasks is to collect documents, artifacts and search for comrades’ graves.

The guests said goodbye and Mr. Thuyet continued his work with the fish pond and the ducks. The wind from the river blew cool, and the rice fields were in full bloom, giving off a sweet fragrance.

Article and photos:Cong Kien