The Will of Truong Son Soldiers

(Baonghean) - The war has been over for nearly 40 years, but the memories of the "fire and flowers" period still live on in the heart of veteran Le Thanh Hai (Hong Linh hamlet, Van Dien, Nam Dan). He was a Truong Son truck driver in the past, living and fighting in the heroic resistance war to liberate the South of the nation. Returning after the war, the soldier of a time of bombs and bullets still promoted the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, becoming a shining example of good production and business in the countryside.

The "fire and flower" time

“No glass not because the car has no glass/ Bombs shook and the glass broke/ We sat leisurely in the cockpit/ Looking at the ground, looking at the sky, looking straight ahead….”, that was the duty of us Truong Son drivers back then, driving in the rain of bombs and bullets but our hearts were always full of determination. Because behind us were weapons, ammunition, and food waiting to be supplied to our fellow soldiers on the battlefield. And as if touching a memory filled with memories, his emotions suddenly overflowed… when talking about the years of war.

Veteran Le Thanh Hai (far right).

In early 1972, Le Thanh Hai was only 18 years old. To be able to join the army, to go to the Southern battlefield at the sacred call of the Fatherland. Thanks to his tall stature, he was accepted into the 559th Corps, a famous army in the Truong Son Mountains during the years of fighting against the Americans to save the country. After a period of training as a driver to transport and supply supplies to the battlefield, in 1973, he was transferred to Battalion 80, Regiment 50, Southeastern Logistics Department to prepare for the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. During that period, his battalion was tasked with transporting supplies from Truong Son, Laos, and Cambodia to the Southeastern battlefield. There were shipments from Quang Binh, or from the Indochina junction to the Southern battlefield, the group marched for months. “Our convoy traveled through the vast forests and mountains at night, often resting during the day to avoid planes. The most memorable were the times when the brothers in the squad set up temporary camps to cook rice, cooking while keeping an eye out for planes. Then on the nights when our convoy crossed “underground gambling”, the brothers in the convoy all strained their eyes to concentrate on the road, their minds focused on the steering wheel, to control the vehicle according to the instructions of the soldiers.

However, there were still battles where we could not escape the enemy's VO10 aircraft. That was in 1973, when we were marching through the 15th military station, during lunch break, the drivers crawled under the vehicle to rest and regain strength to continue. Detected by the enemy aircraft, a vehicle carrying weapons in the convoy was hit and the vehicle burst into flames. My comrades were killed. Other vehicles were buried under the earth, and we fainted from the pressure of the bombs. However, when we woke up, we only rested for a while and then set off together.” His voice suddenly dropped when he mentioned his fallen comrades. There were marches with a convoy of 10 vehicles, but only 5 returned. There were vehicles that not only carried weapons and food but also carried wounded soldiers and fallen comrades. We know that in the war, life and death were only a hair’s breadth apart. However, each time we witnessed our comrades die, it was like a torment; and then it fueled the determination to fight in the Truong Son drivers.

In 1974, his vehicle battalion was assigned to support key battles: Dong Xoai, Tay Ninh, Loc Ninh. “That year, continuously receiving news of victory from the battlefield, our convoy seemed more excited, rolling faster. In the march in March 1975, liberating Xuan Loc, my unit sacrificed a lot. But we completed the mission of providing weapons and food in time to our troops; contributing to the victory. And the unforgettable moment was at 10:00 a.m. on April 30, 1975, when our battalion was ordered to march into Saigon. The South was completely liberated after so many years of waiting. The soldiers were happy, cheering, laughing and hugging each other, crying in overwhelming happiness. That historic moment is still imprinted in my memory.”

The industrious worker bee

After returning from the war, his health was affected (he was a 2/3 disabled veteran), he started a life of hard work in the fields. With the burden of making a living for his 6 children, he had to do all kinds of jobs to take care of his family. In addition to 7-8 acres of rice fields, he also worked in milling and raising livestock. There were times when he lost all his livestock, but he was not discouraged. He switched to selling fertilizers and purchasing agricultural products with the initial capital being a used motorbike that sold for more than ten million VND. Thanks to his reputation, his store became a trusted address for local farmers. Agile and sensitive, he gradually expanded the market.

At each point in time, he quickly seized the opportunity to trade in different products. From selling fertilizers and purchasing agricultural products, he switched to trading in furniture and construction materials. He saved money to expand production, invested in buying trucks, and in 2012, he established Lan Hai Transport Cooperative. Currently, his family's construction materials supply cooperative is creating regular jobs for 20 workers with a salary of 2.5 - 3 million VND/person/month. From the early days of struggling to find delivery sources, Lan Hai Cooperative has now become a supplier for rural traffic projects in the district; and has expanded to neighboring districts such as Do Luong, Thanh Chuong... Thanks to that, the cooperative owned by him has earned a profit of nearly 150 million VND/month.

To achieve his success today, he is always grateful for the years of arduous training on the battlefield. “During the war, we did everything ourselves, from cooking rice without smoke, avoiding the enemy; building huts and camps with just a small knife; then driving through the “silver tunnel” in the dark… I learned that we always have to be brave and independent to overcome all difficulties and nothing is impossible, just need to always try hard and be determined”.

And the soldierly qualities that remained intact in him were taught and trained by him to become good people to his children. Now, his 6 children are all grown up: Two of his children work at the Department of Justice in Da Nang; one is a lecturer at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City; one is a vehicle officer serving the airports in the Central region; the other two are working for him at the Transport Cooperative. The old veteran now smiles with satisfaction as his dream of educating his children has been fulfilled.

In his small office at Lan Hai Transport Cooperative, the resistance medals and awards were still hung solemnly on the school. He showed me the First Class Resistance Medal, the Liberation Soldier Medal, and the Glory Medal awarded by the State for his resistance achievements with a proud voice. Because he had once devoted his youth to the country and was lucky because he was able to return to his family and hometown.

Because of that sympathy, veteran Le Thanh Hai always has special love for his comrades and for the relatives of those comrades who unfortunately remained on the battlefield. He often shares and supports the war association of villages in the commune on holidays and anniversaries. Recently, he supported 20 million VND to build the Cultural House of Van Dien commune... And for him: "If I still have the strength to work, I will also spend money to participate in charity activities". Because of the idea that "in war, we soldiers always fought and sacrificed for the country; now living in peace, I feel lucky to contribute my efforts to build the country".

Dinh Nguyet