'Soviet Son' and Unforgettable Years

Determined to embellish the history of the homeland

Present at the reunion, Ms. Ho Thi Thu Hien (born in 1947, residing in Le Mao ward - Vinh city) - who was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, was the Captain of Company 202 (belonging to Team 241) and her teammates recalled the time nearly 50 years ago.

In 1968, the Youth Volunteer Team 241 was established with about 500 Nghe An children, mainly aged 17-19, more than 70% were female. When leaving, comrade Chu Manh - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee advised: "You were born and raised with the tradition of the Nghe - Tinh Soviet bloodline, so no matter what the circumstances, you must be determined to add more color to the history of your homeland".

After marching for more than a week, over 400 kilometers under enemy bombs and bullets, with swollen feet, the army gathered at Ho village in the western part of Quang Tri. The unit's mission was to clear the way, transport food, and carry ammunition to support the Tri-Thien front, where fierce battles were taking place between us and the enemy.

President Ho Chi Minh talks with delegates of the "Youth Volunteers to Fight America, Save the Country" emulation movement in the North, January 1967. Photo: archive

Recalling the dangerous years, the former Youth Volunteers of Team 241 recalled the tragic event of July 16, 1969. That day, the unit's marching formation was hit by enemy aircraft, killing 3 people and seriously injuring comrade Hoang Quoc Thin.

The situation was critical. Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh, who was only 17 years old at the time, had a thin body, but regardless of the danger, she crossed the smoke and fire, tore off her shirt to bandage her injured comrade, then carried Mr. Thin out of the danger zone to transfer to the field hospital, but the wound was too severe and Mr. Thin died.

Youth Volunteer Force carrying ammunition to serve the battlefield. Photo: document

A comrade wrote a few verses expressing his grief and hatred when sending off those who had just fallen:For the Fatherland to die without regretting their youth/For the South, they devoted their whole hearts/You fell carefree and calmly/With no medals on your chest, no military rank on your lapel/Only the name of a simple volunteer youth/Comrade, before I could look at you carefully/You were sadly buried in the red soil, my brothers!/The moment of parting, the last words of life/Comrades engraved them into strength”...

See wounded soldiers as flesh and blood

“In early 1971, while recuperating in Quang Binh, we were ordered to serve in the Route 9 – Southern Laos campaign. Hundreds of petitions were written in blood with the spirit: “Soviet youth are not afraid of sacrifice, determined to embellish the history of their homeland”. "At that time, for us, serving in the campaign was a joy”. The former Youth Volunteers shared at the meeting.

This time the main task was to carry the wounded, that is, to give first aid and transfer the wounded from the battlefield to the rear for treatment. This work was much more difficult and arduous than before, not only because of the rugged terrain and large area, but also because we had to cross undisarmed minefields.

Youth Volunteer Force carries wounded soldiers to the rear for treatment. Photo: document

Company 202 was assigned to form a suicide squad to clear mines and bombs, paving the way for safe stretcher operations. The superiors had stipulated that 6 people would be in charge of each stretcher shift, but the unit was determined to reduce it to 3 people in the spirit of not letting wounded soldiers die or be injured a second time.

Brothers and sisters all considered the wounded soldiers as their own flesh and blood, and in times of danger, were ready to use their bodies to shield them. Once, while carrying a wounded soldier, when an enemy plane bombed him, comrade Vo Hong Bich from Thanh Dong (Thanh Chuong) shielded him and died from a bomb fragment lodged in his head.

The time standing at the foot of Ta Con hill, discovered and bombed by the enemy, Company Commander Ho Thi Thu Hien calmly and resourcefully brought the entire unit to safety. Afterwards, the unit was commended by Group 559, Logistics Department B70 and Division 308, and recommended to award medals to the collective and many individuals.

The loyal hearts

Returning to normal life, the young men and women of the Youth Volunteer Force now each have their own fate. Some get married and live happily with their husbands and children like Ms. Ho Thi Thu Hien and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien. Some wait for their promise but their lover has died on the battlefield, leaving them alone like Ms. Ton Thi Phuoc Vien. Some get married but their lives are not happy, and in the end they are still single like Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai and Nguyen Thi Duc...

Former Youth Volunteer Ho Thi Thu Hien with memories of her comrades. Photo: Cong Kien

Each person has a different situation and fate, but they all have one thing in common: the comradely love that never fades. Almost everyone keeps small portraits of their comrades hidden away, and when they are sad, they take them out to look at as a source of comfort and encouragement.

In each person's heart, there are always heroic memories, memories of camaraderie. Then, every time we have a chance to meet, our skinny hands hug tightly, telling stories about the unforgettable years, with pride in having contributed to writing the legend and epic of the country.

It is known that during the anti-American period, Nghe An had nearly 30,000 people participating in the Youth Volunteer Force, making efforts to ensure 52 traffic routes (over 2,300 km of provincial and national roads; 200 km of roads in Laos; 200 km in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces; 3,500 km of district roads; 250 km of rivers, sea routes, Le canals and 60 km of railways passing through key points.

Portraits of comrades kept by former Youth Volunteers of Team 241. Photo: Cong Kien

The Nghe An Youth Volunteer Force contributed an important part in terms of strength and intelligence, together with the army and people of the whole country to liberate the South, bringing the country back together.

Returning to the reunion of former Youth Volunteers of Team 241, we suddenly remembered a few lines from the epic poem "Those Who Go to the Sea" by Thanh Thao:“We have gone without regretting our lives/ (But how can we not regret our twenties)/ But if everyone regrets their twenties, what is left of the Fatherland...”.