The man who returned from the "dead forest"

(Baonghean) - In Tra Lan mountain hamlet in Phuc Son commune (Anh Son), there is a woman who lives quietly alone in a small house. She was once active, and her youth was devoted to the battlefields and the roads. Now that she is old and suffering from endless loneliness, she still keeps her joy and nostalgia intact when talking about her youth and the faces of her old comrades...

YOUTH ON THE ROADS

From Cao Veu, a border village, to the center of Phuc Son commune, we visited the house of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Mai - a former youth volunteer (TNXP) against the US. The reason for this unexpected visit was because an acquaintance in Yen Thanh district had the opportunity to stop by to see how his old comrades were living now. The small house was nestled in the corner of the mountain, the entrance was a small path, with branches sticking out on both sides. When someone called, the homeowner walked out with limping legs, scrutinizing eyes, a suspicious attitude, determined not to invite guests into the house. When we explained the reason, connected to the old comrade in Yen Thanh, Mrs. Mai invited us into the house. "Knowing that I live alone in this remote house, bad guys often come to take advantage of me to trick me into selling this and that, so I have to be vigilant. I hope you understand..." - the homeowner confided.

The album containing photos of old friends and teammates is always cherished and respected by Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai.

Compared to her age of about 70, Mrs. Mai looks much older, from her appearance, hair to face, everything exudes hardship. While pouring water for her guests, she began her story: “Officially, I was born in 1944, but when I registered to join the Youth Volunteer Force, I declared 1948 to meet the age requirement, because if I was over the age, I would not be able to join. Therefore, all documents now show my year of birth as 1948.” Mrs. Mai was born into a family of 6 brothers and sisters, her hometown in Vinh Son commune is located on the left bank of the Lam River with fertile alluvial plains. In 1969, the war against the US entered a fierce and fierce period, the need for support for the battlefield was increasing, young men and women from the villages eagerly went to the front.

The village girl Nguyen Thi Mai was busy with rice fields and corn fields at that time but still registered to join the Youth Volunteer Force to serve the work of supporting the battlefield. Taking a 4-year break to match her age, the girl from Vinh Son was present in the army through the fire and bullets to operate in the Se Bang Hieng river area in Huong Hoa district (Quang Tri). The mission of Nguyen Thi Mai and her teammates at that time was to clear the road, lead vehicles through tunnels, carry ammunition, carry the wounded and take care of the wounded. During those years, the Youth Volunteer Force soldiers witnessed bombs falling, bullets exploding, witnessing bravery and sacrifice many times. Sometimes, enemy planes came to bomb, the unit had to evacuate to the mountain cave, but the enemy's bomb fragments still flew into the cave entrance, causing several comrades to die. The B-52 "carpet bombing" and the battlefields filled with cluster bombs and magnetic bombs were always haunting. There, the boundary between life and death is very fragile. Sometimes, two close friends are chatting happily tonight, sharing many plans for the end of the war, but tomorrow one of them will lie forever in the wild forest, the remote mountain pass. The living person sheds tears of sorrow to see them off, builds a simple grave and continues with the increasingly fierce battle.

In particular, during the years of serving in the battle at Khe Sanh and Route 9 - Southern Laos, female Youth Volunteer Nguyen Thi Mai not only saw many tragic and fierce scenes of bombs and bullets but also witnessed with her own eyes the bare forests. The American army had sprayed toxic chemicals on the Truong Son forests hoping to stop the advance of the Northern army and people, and many streams along the way were also soaked with that evil poison. Yet the soldiers and Youth Volunteers of the North still crossed, still used stream water for cooking and bathing. Until now, more than 40 years have passed, sometimes Ms. Mai still cannot explain why she was still able to return from the fierce smoke of bombs, from the "dead forests" in the Truong Son range. Not to mention the tormenting malaria that made her hair fall out, her skin pale and dark.

In 1972, after 3 years of serving on the battlefield, doing the tasks of opening roads, defusing bombs, transporting ammunition and carrying wounded, Nguyen Thi Mai was discharged from the army and returned to her hometown. The organization arranged for the female Youth Volunteer Force to work as a traffic worker in the Western region of Nghe An. So the journey of opening roads continued, the feet of the girl from Vinh Son again left their mark on the arduous lands. Those were Cua Rao, Khe Kien (Tuong Duong), Khe Nam, Muong Xen (Ky Son). Today, those places have become familiar, traveling has become easier, but 40 years ago it was a great challenge. There were still steep passes, deep holes, abysses, scorching sun, bitter cold; there were still persistent malaria in the jungle, terrifying flash floods. Thanks to being trained on the fiery battlefield, Nguyen Thi Mai always had enough spirit and determination to overcome.

HAPPINESS IS SHORT, LONELINESS IS LONG...

At a construction site in the Western part of Nghe An, there was a worker from Nghia Dan district who worked in the same team and often talked, confided in and helped the girl Nguyen Thi Mai. From being close and affectionate, the two fell in love. That love was nurtured by friends, colleagues and families on both sides, everyone wished the two would soon get married and their love would quickly blossom and bear fruit. The wedding was held at the construction site in joy and happiness, with wild flowers filling the entire wedding hall...

Like many other couples, after their wedding day, Mrs. Mai and her husband longed to hear the cry of a baby, to hold and caress the child they had given birth to. One year, two years, then three years. They continued to wait and hope, hoping that one day God would have mercy... There were sleepless nights, unable to sleep, Mrs. Mai could only pray to God to bless them with the same loving blood, to make the house less lonely. The years still passed by unintentionally, Mrs. Mai still waited in weariness and despair. Then one day, returning from the hospital, she received the conclusion that she was infertile, a consequence of being infected with Agent Orange/dioxin. That woman was stunned, she could not believe that the poison that had stripped the forest trees of their leaves had seeped into her blood and flesh and taken away her motherhood. Tears streamed down her face, the ground beneath her feet seemed to sink, the sky seemed to spin...

When she regained her composure, Mrs. Mai thought that once she was no longer able to give birth, she had no right to tie her partner down, and had to encourage her husband to find new happiness. The tolerance and forgiveness of the former female Youth Volunteer Soldier who had gone through life and death on the battlefields was shared by everyone around her, who always came to comfort and encourage her. According to her wishes, her partner went to find her own happiness, and now her children and grandchildren are all living in the red land of Phu Quy. Occasionally, he came to visit her when she was sick, but in recent years, he has grown old and weak and is no longer able to visit her.

After parting with her partner, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai also retired due to disability and returned to her hometown. She bought a small house from her younger brother in Tra Lan hamlet, living quietly alone in a remote corner of the forest. “Material matters are not a concern, because I have a disability pension and an allowance for victims of Agent Orange, and if I save, I have enough to eat every day and buy medicine when I am sick. But the loneliness and sadness never go away, they always surround me when I am awake or asleep” - Ms. Mai shared. Especially, every time the weather changes or she suddenly gets sick, she has to struggle to get up and take care of everything herself. Since last year, she has been dizzy twice and fallen to the ground, luckily her younger sister who lives 5 kilometers away from home came to her rescue in time. Her younger sister once discussed with her moving the house next door so that she would have an older sister and younger brother to look after her when she was sick. That was also the wish of the former female Youth Volunteer, but unfortunately she still hasn't collected enough money to transfer, maybe she'll have to wait a little longer...

The old eyes of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Mai suddenly lit up when she held in her hands a souvenir of the fiery time, which was a photo album of her comrades and teammates. The small black and white photos were carefully kept by her, neatly arranged in the album. Looking at the way they were kept, we knew that the owner always cherished, respected and considered them a treasure. And what is more remarkable, Mrs. Mai could call out the name, age and hometown of each person, whether they were alive or dead, or had sacrificed their lives. They were soldiers, Youth Volunteers in their twenties who met each other on the march or on the battlefield, exchanged photos to get acquainted, and then went into battle together. Some only met once, some returned to their hometowns and occasionally had the opportunity to reunite. All of them weaved memories of their youth, both arduous but extremely passionate, full of ambition. That stream of memories has now become the driving force and spiritual support in the life of the former female Youth Volunteer Nguyen Thi Mai. Because every time she feels extremely lonely, she turns her memory to find joy and comfort...

The sun gradually disappeared behind the mountain range in front of the house, Mrs. Mai quietly prepared dinner. A small pot of rice, a bunch of wild vegetables and some pickled eggplants, that was the daily ration of the female former Youth Volunteer Force in Tra Lan hamlet. The woman shared: "Cooking once to eat all day, simple rice and soup because of old age, the body can no longer absorb many nutrients, eating fish and meat is the same, saving money to buy medicine when sick...".

In the distance, the dark green forests under the afternoon shadow, a lonely bird in the vast space. The image of former Youth Volunteer Nguyen Thi Mai and her endless loneliness appeared in our minds, because tonight was like any other night, alone with a tray of food, a bed and an empty house...

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