Sea eyes in the middle of the ocean

(Baonghean) - Nearly 20 nautical miles from the mainland, Mat Island is likened to the eye of the sea, guarding the sea and sky of Nghe An day and night. During the war, this was a heroic small island. In peacetime, officers and soldiers of Mat Island Mixed Battalion continue to uphold their tradition, day and night with steady hands on their guns, enthusiastically practicing to be ready for combat, and being a support for fishermen who stick to the sea in the face of storms and tempests.

At 7:00 a.m., from Cua Hoi Port, we followed the military ship numbered 15-11-14 to visit Mat Island. Although the weather was cold due to the strengthening cold front, there were still warm rays of sunlight slanting through the undulating waves in front of the ship. On the front deck, soldiers were chatting while using sacks to cover pigs, roosters, and some sacks of rice, onions, dried garlic, and other household items lying on the floor, soaked by the waves. Experienced in the waves of the ocean, Captain Duong Duc Dung said that the ships visited and supplied the island quite often, but this ship had something very special, because in addition to the regular goods and necessities, it also carried the affection of the soldiers and civilians from the mainland to the soldiers on the island on the occasion of the founding of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22).

The ship carrying necessities is about to arrive at the island.

Just past Ngu Island, the waves became unusual, coming in waves. The sea was rough, but the military ship still sailed through the waves. In the cabin, Captain Dung remained calm despite the rocking and swaying of the ship and the anxious eyes of the passengers sitting in the cockpit...

Soldiers prepare to welcome the ship to the island.

After 2 hours of sailing, we saw Mat Island. From afar, the island appeared firmly in the middle of the ocean, as if challenging storms and tempests, as the embodiment of the strength of soldiers guarding the homeland's sea and sky. Near the pier, the words "Firm will, steady gun - Protecting the sovereignty of the homeland's sea and islands" gradually appeared on the cliff, making those who came to the island for the first time feel excited, confident and as if they had recovered from seasickness. The welcoming ceremony to the island took place solemnly and emotionally right at the foot of the pier. A few minutes later, from the commander to the soldiers, without anyone telling them, everyone rolled up their sleeves, some carried packages, some carried bags of rice, others carried pigs and chickens, and together moved necessities to the island. The road to the island was very high, but when seeing the slogans solemnly drawn next to the maps of the Fatherland made of natural stone slabs, many people forgot the feeling of fatigue and hardship when having to step up the steep concrete steps. Major - Island Chief Dinh Xuan Lam said that the slogans and maps engraved on stone are reminders to generations of officers and soldiers about their important duties, both in wartime and peacetime.

On the country's map, Mat Island has a very special strategic position, being an outpost, guarding the sea and sky of the Fatherland and a transit point for goods and ammunition for the mainland as well as the southern provinces. During the war against the US, Mat Island was fiercely bombarded. However, hundreds of officers and soldiers of Mat Island did not mind the difficulties and hardships, fought and won many victories, firmly protecting the sky and sea in the East of Nghe An province. Officers and soldiers on the Island fought side by side, bravely fighting in more than 30 battles, shooting down 15 planes, burning and sinking 9 warships and commando boats, rescuing 3,101 civilian boats, rescuing 137 victims, etc. Mat Island was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in 1973. The Party and State have awarded many Military Exploit Medals, Military Exploit Medals of various classes along with hundreds of certificates of merit and commendations of various types.

Minute of silence for the heroic martyrs at the Martyrs' Memorial of the Island

While telling us about the heroic tradition of the island, Major Dinh Xuan Lam, the island chief, took us to burn incense at the island’s martyrs’ cemetery, which was solemnly built near the Command Center. When introducing the two steles engraved with the list of martyrs and the island’s tradition of fighting the Americans, the island chief’s eyes seemed to sink: “In the fight against the enemy, 9 officers and soldiers fell and sacrificed, many others had to leave a part of their bodies for the integrity of the island, for the cause of protecting the Fatherland, protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the homeland. The martyrs sacrificed when they were very young...”.

Transporting goods to the island

Suddenly, we heard the continuous sound of alarm bells, along with the strong running steps of soldiers in camouflage uniforms, guns in hand, and helmets on their heads. Island Chief Dinh Xuan Lam and Political Commissar Tran Van Thao said that this was the time when soldiers of the Mat Island Mixed Battalion were practicing and ready to fight. Continuing to climb hundreds of concrete steps with vertical slopes, we reached the highest point of the island, 218 meters above sea level and directly witnessed the soldiers of the 85mm and 12.7mm artillery batteries practicing. The weather was bitterly cold, but everyone was sweating profusely, their eyes never leaving the scope, their ears attentively following every command of the commander. Looking at the image of soldiers practicing enthusiastically with decisive, strong, and sure movements of the young soldiers practicing under the fluttering national flag and the slogan: "Do not let the Fatherland be surprised by situations in the air and at sea", everyone present at the training ground of Mat Island felt moved and proud.

Always be alert in every situation

This year, 19 years old, having been in the army for 1 year, the Captain of the 85mm Artillery Battalion, Le Van Binh, has a youthful face, quite different from his bold and mature attitude when commanding his teammates to practice. Binh confided that nearly 1 year ago, when he arrived at Mat Island, like many other new recruits, he was very sad because he was far from the mainland and his family. But after getting used to the stormy environment and learning about the island's heroic traditions, at some point, this young man from Nghia Tan Commune, Nghia Dan District, felt like he was at home on the island. "2 months ago, I was able to go home on leave. When I met my parents and everyone, everyone was happy to see that I was much more mature than before. If I complete my military service in the future and have the opportunity to serve long-term in the army, I will volunteer to go to the island to contribute my efforts to protect the sea and islands of our ancestors," Binh confided.

On patrol

Not only doing well in training, being ready to fight, and absolutely protecting the safety of the airspace and sea of ​​the Fatherland, the officers and soldiers of the Mat Island Mixed Battalion also do well in increasing production. Mat Island has a large slope, 70% of the soil is rocky, the lack of fresh water and land for increasing production is inevitable. However, with the spirit of "food sufficiency, strong soldiers", overcoming difficulties, overcoming hardships, applying good models, and clever ways of the island soldiers such as making vegetable gardens in the style of terraced stone fields, making gourd and squash trellises, keeping jasmine roots indoors in winter, ... up to now, Mat Island has become a bright spot in the movement to increase production. The whole island currently has 25 green vegetable gardens, vegetables for each season; 20 gourd, squash, jasmine trellises, 60 pigs, 40 goats, 15 cows and more than 650 poultry. Every day, after training and armed patrols as prescribed, officers and soldiers on the island roll up their sleeves to increase production. In the midst of stormy seas, the above figures are the result of the hard, arduous days after training on the training ground of the soldiers of Heroic Eye Island.

Firmly hold the gun to protect the sea and sky of the homeland

In recent years, the Mat Island Mixed Battalion has been a typical unit in the movement of studying, practicing and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh. If in previous years, the whole island enthusiastically competed in training, increasing production and completing assigned targets with campaigns such as: "Forging virtue, practicing talent, enthusiastically making achievements to present to Uncle Ho"; "Implementing Uncle Ho's teachings, competing for 5 best, 3 no's" with specific actions and deeds of each cadre and soldier, then in 2013, Mat Island is implementing the peak of 3 breakthroughs: Improving the quality of training, discipline compliance; Improving the capacity and responsibility of the cadre and management team, especially the chairperson and building specialized agencies at all levels, exemplary and regular units. Implementing the contents of those 3 breakthroughs, each cadre and soldier on the island strives to complete all assigned tasks in the best way, exemplary in observing discipline and order of the agency and unit...

Captain Tran Van Thao, Political Commissar of the Battalion, said that the movement to study and follow Uncle Ho's example on the island has created a ripple effect from soldiers to commanders with specific, practical actions of each individual. If each young soldier has more awareness in training, building the unit, cultivating ethics, being responsible for work, cadres and people, many cadres and commanders have also adjusted their methods, working style, and awareness of better implementing the principle of democratic centralism. Last November, cadres and soldiers of the Battalion contributed their salary to repair the road from the wharf to the island that was damaged by waves; supported 20 million VND to help the family of a soldier in difficult circumstances, etc.

Vegetable garden care

Pointing his hand to the fishing boats anchored to avoid the waves at the foot of the island, a young soldier of the patrol team told us: During each rough sea, storm or big wave, the pier and sheltered positions around Mat island become a safe shelter for boats inside and outside the province. Many times, officers and soldiers on the island have done a good job of rescuing, helping fishermen in trouble at sea. During the recent cold spell, the island's soldiers, despite the danger, successfully rescued a fishing boat of fishermen in Quynh Luu district that had stalled and was at risk of sinking. Five other fishermen in trouble at sea were also promptly rescued, given first aid by doctors of the Battalion's infirmary and urgently transferred to the mainland for treatment,...

Right at the pier, at the foot of the limestone mountain, is a special water tank with a capacity of 10m3, close to the shore. Above the tank are many small grooves, carved from stone slabs. Deputy political commissar Tran Van Thanh said that to have this water tank, countless soldiers on the island had to sweat and work hard to chisel natural stone grooves, use cement to create small channels, and carefully collect every drop of fresh water flowing from the limestone into the reserve tank. It looks simple, but this is an important source of clean water for fishermen who go fishing for long days at sea,... On holidays such as December 22, National Day or Uncle Ho's birthday, soldiers on the island all receive gifts from fishermen when they come in to get fresh water. The gifts here are simply bunches of newly caught fish, but each officer and soldier appreciates them very much, because they are the hearts of the fishermen, the embodiment of the image of the army, people - fish and water.

“During the war, Mat Island was a heroic unit, an impregnable steel fortress, where the enemy had to fear both in the sky and on the sea. Today, the officers and soldiers on the island continue to hold their guns firmly, ready to fight, absolutely not being passive in any situation of the enemy, absolutely protecting the safety of the airspace and sea of ​​the homeland and becoming a solid support for fishermen in the midst of storms at sea, worthy of the mission assigned by the Party and the people, worthy of the tradition of half a century of heroic small islands”, Island Chief Dinh Xuan Lam confided.

PV Group