Burn incense for the Hero...

Anyone who has worked at the Department of Irrigation, now merged into the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Nghe An), must still remember a tall, slender man with a gentle and virtuous personality, always exemplary in his demeanor and lifestyle... He is irrigation engineer Phan Kim Ky - Deputy Head of the Department's Personnel Organization Department in the 1980s and 1990s of the last century.

Portrait of Armed Forces Hero Phan Kim Ky. Photo provided by family.

Mr. Phan Kim Ky was born on February 20, 1947 in Dong Hien village, Cong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district (Nghe An) in a patriotic family with a rich tradition of learning. His father is Mr. Phan Chong, a famous oriental medicine practitioner. His family has 5 brothers and sisters, of which the eldest brother is traffic engineer Phan Kim Khue, who participated in the resistance war at the Frontline Department, opening the Truong Son road during the years of fighting the Americans. Mr. Khue is one of the children of Nghe An who directly participated in the construction of President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The next younger brother is martyr Phan Kim Quynh, a special forces soldier who heroically sacrificed on the battlefield of the Southeast region in 1970...

Mr. Phan Kim Ky was a former student of Yen Thanh 2 High School. In 1970, when he heard that his younger brother had died, he was a second-year student at the University of Water Resources. He volunteered to join the army to go to the South to fight. Mr. Ky was assigned to Company 3, Battalion 172, Missile Regiment 64, Air Defense Division 361 - Air Defense - Air Force.

During the fighting and growing up process, with outstanding achievements, Phan Kim Ky was admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam right on the battlefield on March 11, 1973. In the traditional golden board of the missile troops of Battalion 172, it is also clearly stated:“On Highway 13, when the squad was almost exhausted, alone with an AK and a rocket launcher, comrade Ky crawled close to the fence at the beginning of Tan Khai runway, aiming to set fire to the plane as it took off.”In 1972, Phan Kim Ky was recognized by the 75th Division for his heroic actions and launched a campaign to learn from Phan Kim Ky's example for the entire Division.

Hero Phan Kim Ky (left) takes a souvenir photo with his hometown relative, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chu - Colonel, Director of the Political Department of the Cambodian Front 479, when they met on the battlefield. Photo provided by the family.

Due to his many brave and creative combat achievements, shooting down 6 American aircraft including 1A37, 1C130, 2AD6, 2AHIG,... Phan Kim Ky was elected as a Regional Emulation Fighter. From a Squad Leader (in 1972), Phan Kim Ky was specially promoted to Deputy Company Commander with the rank of Sergeant (in 1974).

In 1976, Phan Kim Ky was honored to represent Company 3 in Hanoi to receive the title "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" for his company at the Victory Conference of the Air Defense - Air Force.

According to the unit's and family's records, Mr. Phan Kim Ky was awarded many medals, medals of military merit, medals of liberation soldiers, commemorative medals for participating in the Nguyen Hue Campaign, the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. The unit once asked him to complete the paperwork to be recognized as a hero, but with his modesty, he asked to give it to his comrades who had more achievements than him...

At the end of 1976, Mr. Phan Kim Ky was demobilized and returned to the University of Water Resources to continue his studies. Graduating in 1979, Mr. Phan Kim Ky always strived to become an exemplary cadre in all activities of the Nghe An Department of Water Resources.

It is an honor and pride for his family, hometown, comrades, and the units where Mr. Phan Kim Ky worked that on July 17, 2018, Mr. Phan Kim Ky was posthumously awarded the title "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" by the State for his outstanding achievements in the resistance war against the US to save the country according to Decision No. 622 QD-CTN dated April 26, 2018.

When we contacted the widow Hoang Thi Huyen, we learned that after retirement, due to frequent illness, she had to move to Ho Chi Minh City to live with relatives. The two children of Hero Phan Kim Ky have graduated from university and college but still have difficulty finding jobs...

The valuable thing in this story is that the profile of the Hero Phan Kim Ky was voluntarily devoted by his former teammates, former colleagues, and comrades. Many people, because of their admiration for Mr. Phan Kim Ky's contributions and contributions, did not mind the hardships and voluntarily traveled to many places, contributing to fully consolidating the bases for the dossier and procedures for the State to posthumously award the title of Hero of the Armed Forces to Mr. Phan Kim Ky. Especially the cadres of different periods at the 77th Missile Brigade, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An province.

That is also what warms our hearts when writing about Hero Phan Kim Ky, that his teammates, colleagues, comrades, people and country will never forget the merits of those who have fallen to have peace and independence like today. On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2018), we would like to join together the lines of remembrance of a very proud and sick Hero, hoping to see it as a stick of incense expressing gratitude to those who have fallen to help the country rise up!...