Nghe An Provincial Armed Forces: Worthy of being a twice-recognized Heroic Unit
Under any circumstances, whether in combat, combat support, or carrying out tasks in the current new era, the armed forces of Nghe An province have always proven themselves to be a reliable political force, a fighting force, a working force, and a productive labor force absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and the People, worthy of the title of a twice-recognized Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces.
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Colonel Nguyen Ky Hong
Political Commissar of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command
16/12/2024
Proud to be the armed forces of Nghe An province, a land rich in patriotic and revolutionary traditions in the heroic Soviet homeland. Under any circumstances, whether in combat, combat support, or fulfilling tasks in the current new era, the armed forces of Nghe An province have always proven themselves to be a reliable political force, a fighting force, a working force, and a productive labor force absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and the People, worthy of the title of a twice-recognized unit of the People's Armed Forces.
Over 79 years (August 21, 1945 - August 21, 2024) of building, fighting, and maturing, the armed forces of Nghe An province have highly promoted the achievements of the "Red Self-Defense" teams, always upholding revolutionary courage, achieving many victories, and leaving many historical marks in the resistance war against French colonialism. More than 80,000 outstanding sons and daughters of Nghe An volunteered to join the Army, supplementing and supporting the front lines, directly contributing to the building of the first main army corps of the Vietnam People's Army; building and organizing 150,000 militia and guerrillas; mobilizing nearly 200,000 civilian workers and youth volunteers to transport tens of thousands of tons of food and supplies, and opening transportation routes. They coordinated with the main army units to serve in combat and fight on various battlefields. They mobilized and contributed more than 100,000 tons of food and supplies to the front lines. The armed forces of Nghe An province were the core, vanguard force leading the fight against hunger and illiteracy, and a reliable force in the land reform revolution in rural areas.
At the end of the resistance war against French colonialism, Nghe An had 96 units and individuals who achieved outstanding feats and were awarded by the State and Government, including 8 officers and soldiers who were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.
For over 20 years of resistance against the American imperialist invasion, the armed forces of Nghe An simultaneously carried out four tasks on three battlefields, concentrating their ideology, organization, forces, and widespread strategic positions to create a combined strength of the people's armed forces in the area, making a significant contribution alongside the army and people of the whole country to defeating the two wars of destruction waged by the American imperialists. Regardless of the ferocity of the war, Nghe An, a key target of the American imperialists' attacks, remained determined to maintain vital transportation routes, secure the rear area, provide active, comprehensive, and timely support in terms of manpower and resources to the battlefields, protect and restore the economy, stabilize the lives of the people, and excellently fulfill its strategic rear area mission. It is the starting point of the legendary "Ho Chi Minh Trail" with milestone number zero in Lat town (now Tan Ky town), Tan Ky district. A rear area that made a direct and immense contribution, "Cutting through the Truong Son Mountains to save the country, with hearts full of hope for the future," a rear area where "not a single grain of rice was lacking, not a single soldier was lacking." Hundreds of village names, mountain names, river names, along with tens of thousands of courageous and loyal people in Nghe An have gone down in national history, creating legendary ferries, bridges, and transportation routes that fought and defeated the Americans, such as Cam Bridge, Ben Thuy Ferry, Truong Bon...
During the two wars of resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism, Nghe An province made the greatest contributions in terms of manpower and resources nationwide, with over 45,000 martyrs sacrificing their lives on the battlefields and tens of thousands suffering lifelong disabilities... At the end of the war, Nghe An province had 158 collectives and 73 individuals awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State, and thousands of collectives and individuals were awarded high-ranking medals and decorations.
With their exceptionally outstanding achievements, the armed forces of Nghe An province have been awarded many prestigious honors and titles by the Party, the State, and the Army. In particular, on December 19, 1979, the President of Vietnam bestowed the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces upon the people and armed forces of Nghe An province for their exceptionally outstanding achievements in the resistance war against the US for national salvation.
During the period of comprehensive national renewal, the armed forces of Nghe An province continue to uphold the glorious traditions of their heroic Soviet homeland, resolutely maintaining national independence and the goals and path chosen by the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the people. They organize and build strong, comprehensive provincial armed forces in a revolutionary, regular, elite, and progressively modern direction. They proactively, creatively, and flexibly advise and coordinate promptly and accurately with other forces, levels, and sectors to thoroughly and decisively resolve all "hot spots," successfully thwarting the schemes of opposing and reactionary forces to cause unrest in localities.
Building a strong, widespread, and increasingly high-quality militia force with appropriate numbers; building a powerful reserve force, well-trained, organized, and strictly managed, ensuring readiness for mobilization when ordered. However, even in peacetime, the blood of officers and soldiers is shed to protect the happiness of the people. The sacrifice of Lieutenant Va Tong Khu, a militia platoon deputy commander who had been involved in building and operating the border militia force of Ky Son district for nearly 20 years, has further enriched the glorious tradition of the militia force in the new era.
Actively and proactively participate in disaster prevention, search and rescue, and carry out urgent tasks to protect the safety of people's lives and property, and overcome the consequences of natural disasters and epidemics with the spirit: "Saving people is a command from the heart," "The lives and property of the people are paramount," contributing to promoting the qualities and spreading the image of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new situation.
It can be affirmed that over the past period, generations of officers and soldiers of the armed forces of Nghe An province have stood side by side with all strata of the people in the area, always united in will and action, overcoming difficulties, being proactive, creative, daring to think and act, promoting emulation movements, and successfully completing all assigned tasks, contributing to further enhancing the image and noble qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in the new era.
For their exceptionally outstanding achievements and contributions during the period of reform, especially in the period (2014-2024), on October 10, 2024, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces for the second time to the Armed Forces of Nghe An province.
Currently, the task of building and defending the Fatherland, undertaken by the Party and the State, faces new opportunities and challenges, but also numerous difficulties and obstacles. Hostile and reactionary forces continue to intensify their subversive activities against our country's revolution with new, sophisticated, and insidious methods; the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has had and continues to have multifaceted impacts on all aspects of social life, including national defense and security. This necessitates the task of defending the Fatherland and building a lean, efficient, and modern army.
In this context, the provincial armed forces need to uphold their glorious traditions, continue to build a truly "exemplary and outstanding" comprehensive and strong force, serving as a sharp instrument and a reliable political force for the local Party committee, government, and people; a core force in building and consolidating the all-people national defense posture in conjunction with the people's security posture and building a solid provincial defense zone.
Based on the resolutions of the Military Region Party Committee and the Provincial Party Committee on national defense and security tasks, military agencies at all levels need to provide effective advice to Party committees and governments, strengthen the consolidation and construction of the all-people national defense posture and people's war, and simultaneously implement the comprehensive building and consolidation of local troops in the direction of "revolutionary, regular, elite, and progressively modern," strong and widespread militia and self-defense forces, and sufficient and high-quality reserve forces, truly serving as the core force to meet the requirements of combat on the spot, protecting villages and hamlets, and mobile combat in all directions, together with the entire population, ready to defeat all enemy plots and schemes when war breaks out.
The officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces consistently uphold the spirit of solidarity and responsibility, focusing on effectively carrying out political tasks, improving overall quality and combat readiness, and training, creating a solid and comprehensive transformation. Annual training results show 100% of content achieving good or excellent ratings; live-fire defense exercises at all levels achieve excellent results and absolute safety. They actively participate in competitions and sports events at all levels, winning many high awards. The officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces have absolute confidence in the leadership of the Party, the Party committees at all levels, and the administration and management of the government. They maintain a high level of revolutionary vigilance, fighting to protect the ideological foundation, guidelines, and policies of the Party, and the laws and regulations of the State; preserving the cultural identity and traditions of the armed forces in the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh; assisting the people in the area; and fostering strong solidarity and close ties with the local Party committees, government, and people. Focusing on and effectively fulfilling the functions of a fighting force and a working force, officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces need to proactively develop plans and strategies to be ready to assist the people in preventing and mitigating the consequences of natural disasters, and in search and rescue operations; and to intensify propaganda and mobilization of the people to implement the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws.
Advising and coordinating with local Party committees and authorities to effectively carry out "Gratitude and Repayment" activities and effectively implement Directive No. 42/CT-TTg dated November 9, 2024, on accelerating the elimination of temporary and dilapidated houses in the province; actively participating in building political foundations, supporting and assisting people in developing production, eradicating hunger and poverty, and improving education, especially in remote areas and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities; aiming to contribute to building and consolidating a solid "people's support base," creating a foundation for successfully implementing the task of building a defense zone in the new situation. Focusing on leading and directing the innovation of content and methods of disseminating and educating on the law, raising awareness and self-discipline in complying with the law and discipline for the armed forces. Strengthening measures to manage the ideology, discipline, and social relationships of military personnel, reserve forces, militia, and self-defense forces. Do a good job of identifying and replicating advanced models; and recognizing collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in implementing emulation movements.
The Nghe An Armed Forces are celebrating their 79th anniversary on the occasion of receiving the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces for the second time, amidst the nationwide emulation of achieving the highest achievements to welcome the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army and the 35th anniversary of the National Defense Day, and to welcome the Party Congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th National Congress of the Party. This is an opportunity for us to look back on the journey so far, to be proud of the tradition of a unit that has been twice awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, and from there to build new motivation and determination to build upon the achievements, excellently fulfill all assigned tasks, and ensure that the provincial armed forces remain worthy of being a reliable political force and an absolutely loyal fighting force of the Party Committee, government, and people of the province in the construction of the province into a relatively developed province of the country, with rapid and sustainable economic development, deeply rooted in Vietnamese and Nghe An culture. It is the center of the North Central region for trade, logistics, healthcare, education and training, science and technology, industry, and high-tech applied agriculture, contributing to meeting the requirements of national construction and defense in the new situation.
