The photographer and the memory of capturing the pirate pilot

(Baonghean) -Through the introduction of Mr. Dang Sy Ngoc - a war invalid famous for his diary "Blue Sky Without Borders", we went to Quang Trung Street (Vinh City) to meet the old veteran, who was one of the first photographers in Vinh and listened to him talk about his memories of capturing American pilots...

Heroic memories

His tall, slender figure, silver-streaked hair and black glasses make Mr. Pham Minh Duc look much younger than his 70 years of age. The son of artist Pham Chan, alias Chan Quoc Ky, one of the first magicians of the Central Circus, Pham Minh Duc was born into a well-off family because his father's salary and benefits working in Hanoi at that time were enough to support the whole family. At the age of 15, Pham Minh Duc dropped out of school. Having an artistic streak from his father, Duc applied to study photography at Van Hoa Studio - the first and only photo studio in Vinh at that time. Being a quick, active, and curious person, Duc soon mastered photography. Every day, the young man was assigned to take photos for customers and edit photos. With the salary he was paid at that time, Duc freely enjoyed partying, shopping and was nicknamed "Vinh's playboy" or "Duc the flasher" by his friends at that time.

On August 5, 1964, while taking photos, Duc and the militia soldiers of Ward 1 received orders to put out a fire at the Ben Thuy gas depot because of a bomb dropped by American planes. After that fire-fighting trip, witnessing many young people in the same ward write letters to join the army, the 20-year-old man also decided to quit his photography career and enlist. He was assigned to the 271st Regiment, where he was trained and organized the casting of bunkers in the Cua Lo sea area. After completing the training course, Duc was assigned to work at the Regiment's Propaganda Department, with the task of taking photos of the soldiers' identity cards. As the war became more and more fierce, the Americans increased their bombing, Duc did not want to just stay around as a photographer but volunteered to go to the battlefield, becoming an anti-aircraft soldier of Battalion 15, Regiment 214, Division 324, with the task of protecting the airspace from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh, ready to cooperate in combat and shoot back at the enemy's bombing raids. In the new unit, Pham Minh Duc was assigned the task of observing, reconnaissance and long-distance measurement. If any abnormalities were detected in the sky, he must immediately advise his superiors to make urgent decisions.

After contributing to protecting the homeland's airspace, shooting down many American planes with his comrades and ensuring the safety of industrial clusters such as Ben Thuy ferry and oil depots, in 1968, Pham Minh Duc's unit was transferred to Ba Don area (Quang Binh) with the mission of protecting the Gianh River airspace. During a battle, Pham Minh Duc was wounded and was taken to the 200th Rehabilitation Group. Here, Pham Minh Duc met, got acquainted with and became friends with Dang Sy Ngoc, a native of Nghe An who was also wounded and was recuperating here. After their wounds stabilized, according to the regime, both of them would be sent to the North and demobilized, but in the dire situation, the whole country was fighting for the South, both of them determined to write a request to stay and were assigned to the D15 Air Defense Battalion, Regiment 284. With the mission of protecting the Gianh River airspace, fighting back against enemy bombardments.

On the morning of an early June day in 1968, when the battalion of Pham Minh Duc and Dang Sy Ngoc was organizing to pull artillery to the pine forest area of ​​Nhan Trach commune, Quang Trach district, Quang Binh to set up an air defense position, they were discovered by the enemy. Immediately, an "F4 ghost" plane flew in from the sea to scout. When it reached the Gianh River area, the F4 suddenly changed direction, flying along Highway 1. At this time, the whole battalion was ordered to be ready. When the plane was in sight, the Battalion Commander shouted to fire, immediately a series of artillery shells were fired in unison, in a moment, the F4 was hit, burning like a giant torch in the sky.

At this time, Pham Minh Duc was having breakfast after the night shift, seeing the red and blue parachute about to fall to the edge of the sea, the young soldier immediately left his bowl, shouldered his CKC gun and ran like the wind to the place where the parachute had fallen with the aim of capturing the enemy pilot alive. When he arrived, he saw 4 militiamen standing ready, pointing their guns at the tall pilot who was struggling to open the parachute, the alarm device in his hand was flashing, continuously emitting a beeping signal. Pham Minh Duc saw this and shouted loudly "Comrades, don't shoot", at this time, in the sky, a group of enemy helicopters and F4s were also circling around the area where the pilot was shot down to find a way to rescue his comrade.

With the experience of an anti-aircraft artillery soldier, Duc instructed the four militiamen to open and spread out the parachute so that the planes above would not shoot at their comrades below, and at the same time asked the pilot to turn off the alarm device and take off all his belongings. A while later, without receiving any more signals, the enemy planes above also retreated for fear of being ambushed. After capturing the tall, fat pilot, Duc and the militiamen led him straight to the Quang Trach District Team.

After this capture of the pirates, Pham Minh Duc continued to join his comrades in protecting the battlefields of Quang Binh and Quang Tri, then was assigned to march in the two dry season campaign in Laos and participate in the campaign to protect the Quang Tri Citadel. At the end of 1972 and the beginning of 1973, Pham Minh Duc was injured and had to go to the North for treatment. His health had declined so much, he was tormented by a stomach disease, and he could no longer continue to fight on the battlefield, so he was demobilized and returned home.

The veteran fondled the old camera and considered it a treasure.

The battle for survival

After returning from military service, Pham Minh Duc continued his career as a photographer, got married, and built a house in his wife's hometown in Dien Yen, Dien Chau district. After 1975, when the country was liberated, Pham Minh Duc and his wife moved to Vinh City, continuing to make a living by taking photos, repairing and restoring old photos, making color photos, etc. Under Pham Minh Duc's talented hands, old photos were restored to look like new, and black and white photos were colored sharply. Photography helped the family prosper in the late 1980s. Later, when large photo studios with modern technology and color printers sprung up, Pham Minh Duc could no longer compete, and customers for photo restoration gradually dwindled.

When the digital camera was invented, Pham Minh Duc decided to clean the camera thoroughly, respectfully placed it on the glass cabinet under his father's altar and quit his job. His wife's selling job was not enough to support his children, so the former anti-aircraft artillery soldier had to buy peanuts, peel them, and marinate them to sell to agents and restaurants. From then on, Pham Minh Duc had another nickname: "Duc Lac". However, the peanut roasting and marinating business could not help the old couple make ends meet while business was increasingly difficult due to too much competition from dried and pre-packaged goods. The couple discussed and decided to buy a Chinese Wave motorbike to both serve as a means of transportation and as a means of practicing hybrid motorbike driving. For nearly 10 years now, regardless of the sun or rain, with a tire patching outfit and a hybrid motorbike license plate, the old veteran has always stood at National Highway 1A to make a living. From then on, he had a new nickname: "Duc Xe Lai, Duc Patch Tire"!

Under the scorching sun, the level 4 house hidden behind a small alley in block 12, Quang Trung ward of Mr. Pham Minh Duc is quite deserted. Placed solemnly in a worn wooden cabinet are two shiny antique cameras, becoming the only bright spot in the narrow living room. While fondling his photography equipment, the old veteran tried to contain his emotions when recalling stories about the days of fighting with the Praktica camera in the admiration of those around him; about the days of life and death on the battlefield, about the unforgettable memory of capturing a pilot. When asking about his wife and children, the old veteran's voice dropped, looking up at the altar, where the scent of incense smoke lingered. The couple had 3 sons but now only 1 remains. Two years ago, his youngest son was beaten to death by thugs. The veteran soldier, who had been through life and death before, was not afraid of bloodshed, but he was shaken and shivered when he heard the murderer recount the scene of his son being beaten before the trial...

Quietly and meticulously re-arranging the stacks of colored paper used for coloring photos, which were previously considered "rare treasures", lying among the Glorious Soldier Medals, First Class Military Exploit Medals, Truong Son Soldier Medals, Quang Tri Ancient Citadel Protection Medals and other messy papers, Mr. Duc tried to suppress his emotions, ignoring the unhappy stories at the end of his life. "For soldiers like us, nothing can overcome the will and determination to rise up. As long as I have strength, I will still work, still drive a motorbike taxi to make a living, to help my children and grandchildren," Mr. Duc confided, adding that these days of August, air defense and air force veterans like him have indescribable emotions mixed with pride because they seem to be reliving the boiling days of the years fighting the Americans, the days of straining their eyes to protect the sacred sky of the Fatherland.

He believes that, although his current life is difficult and arduous, he still feels much luckier than his fallen comrades who have sacrificed themselves without being able to live a single day in peace with their wives and children. “Every war has winners and losers, there is bloodshed, sacrifice and loss, but the struggle for survival today is much more arduous and difficult…”, the old veteran fondled his old camera, his voice lowered when talking about many of his comrades who are about to reach a “rare” age but are still struggling to make a living with all kinds of jobs.

Article and photos: Nguyen Khoa