Truong Sa people in Phuc Tho

(Baonghean) - Phuc Tho Commune (Nghi Loc) is adjacent to the sea. On quiet nights, you can hear the sound of waves from offshore. No one knows since when, the sound of waves has been ingrained in the minds of young men, so that generation after generation of "young men" continue to head out to the East Sea. And there is a Truong Sa that always reigns over this land.

Return from Truong Sa

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien, 58 years old, lives in Hamlet 2, Phuc Tho Commune. He is one of the soldiers from Phuc Tho who returned from Truong Sa. Those years have passed nearly 40 years ago, but in the memory of the old soldier, every memory and every milestone is still intact.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien introduces commemorative photos of Truong Sa

The dream of becoming a marine soldier was kindled in Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien since he was a middle school student. However, it was not until he turned 18, after graduating from high school, that he joined the army. That was on February 17, 1975. In 1983, after completing the officer training course at the Military School of Military Region V (Da Nang), he was assigned to work in the Truong Sa archipelago, this was also the time when the sovereignty dispute in the East Sea between Vietnam and China was becoming tense.

Many years of working in Truong Sa in different positions such as: Company Commander on Truong Sa Lon Island, Island Chief on Thuyen Chai Island, Island Chief on Da Tay Island, An Bang..., as well as his comrades and teammates, he has tempered his iron determination and courage through each month and day to protect a part of the homeland.

The life of soldiers at that time was very difficult, food and means of communication were always lacking. For submerged islands, the difficulties were "unimaginable". At that time, they were called islands but in reality they were just steel frame huts. The lives of officers and soldiers followed the ebb and flow of the tides. When the tide rose, they climbed up, when it fell, they sank down. In addition to guarding and protecting the islands, the daily work of the soldiers was diving to collect coral to build the islands and guard the huts.

On March 14, 1988, China, in defiance of international law, arbitrarily occupied Gac Ma Island of Vietnam and killed 64 soldiers. At that time, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien was the Island Chief of Da Tay Island. Although he could not directly hold a gun and fight, he and his teammates were always on duty 24/7. All officers and soldiers worked twice a day and determined that if the enemy entered, they would fight to their last breath for the sacred land of the Fatherland.

In the same generation that participated in the Truong Sa archipelago like Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien, in Phuc Tho commune there are many others such as: Lieutenant Colonel Truong Ba Son, Colonel Nguyen Ba Lan, Colonel Phan The Su... Returning to normal life, they still keep in touch with each other, teaching and educating their children to continue the generation of their fathers. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Bien said with certainty: "If we were born a second time, we would continue to go to sea, to Truong Sa and Hoang Sa."

Continuing the generation of our ancestors

It is not by chance that Phuc Tho is known as the "forefront of the Fatherland", since the Nguyen Dynasty this small land has been called that. This land faces the East Sea and can observe the Lam River estuary from the North bank to the South where it belongs to Nghi Xuan district (Ha Tinh). Over the past 900 years of formation until today, Phuc Tho has always been chosen as the garrison of the navy. Perhaps the geographical location and history of the homeland have penetrated deeply into the subconscious of the people here and looking out to the sea, to Truong Sa is like a sacred call for each person.

Nghe An Newspaper reporter talked with Mr. Cao Xuan Chien at Truong Sa archipelago

Mr. Cao Xuan Chien, 36 years old, in hamlet 3, is one of the sons of this land who is working in Truong Sa archipelago. Coming to his house in the pale afternoon of early winter, I met and talked with Mrs. Tran Thi Phuong, Mr. Chien's mother. She said: Since he was in school, my son dreamed of becoming an island soldier when he grew up.

In 1999, Chien volunteered to join the army. In 2000, he was assigned to Truong Sa island. In the early days of arriving on the island, far from the mainland, he lacked everything, but what he felt most clearly was the lack of family affection. In 2005, during a cultural program on the island, Chien coincidentally met Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, from Tuyen Hoa (Quang Binh), a teacher at Truong Sa Kindergarten (Cam Ranh - Khanh Hoa).

After 5 months of knowing each other, and many letters back and forth, 1 year later they officially became a couple, their wedding was held in their hometown amidst everyone's admiring eyes.

In 2007, Thanh gave birth to a son named Cao Xuan Tien. The joy was not yet complete when 3 years later, in 2010, Thanh was discovered to have cancer and was in the final stage. "Chien was very sad, but he told me that I must always keep my mind steady to calmly solve the problem, even if there was a glimmer of hope, I had to cure my wife, by all means, one day at a time" - Mrs. Phuong confided.

When his wife was sick, Mr. Chien returned from Truong Sa to the mainland and took her to many hospitals. From Cho Ray Hospital (HCMC) to Hue Central Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi), Nghe An General Hospital... Mr. Chien also had to sell land and borrow money to buy medicine for his wife, but all of this did not help Ms. Thanh recover. Before she died, Ms. Thanh wished to be buried in her husband's hometown and told Mr. Chien to take care of and educate Tien to be a good person. He promised her in tears.

Six years have passed since Thanh passed away, and the Truong Sa soldier still has no intention of finding a new family for himself and Tien. Mrs. Phuong wiped her tears: “I kept urging him to get married, but he was afraid that his son would suffer. To this day, he still wears a wedding ring on his hand.”

Although his mother has passed away and his father is working in Truong Sa, Cao Xuan Tien - son of Cao Xuan Chien - is still a good and studious boy.

Busy on duty in the sea and islands, the soldier still did not forget his responsibility as a father, spending 30 minutes every night to call and ask about his son. He also regularly contacted his son's homeroom teacher to take better care of him. Not letting down his father, Tien was an excellent student every year, although he was only in 3rd grade, he was very diligent, hardworking, and often helped his grandparents.

Not only Mr. Cao Xuan Chien, in Phuc Tho commune there are many people who are dedicating their youth and strength to the front lines. We can mention Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Tran Nguyen Hong, Tran Nguyen Han… They represent today’s generation to continue the tradition of their homeland.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Tri, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Phuc Tho commune, said: "Currently, the commune has 19 professional soldiers working in Truong Sa archipelago, nearly 10 people are retired officers and soldiers. In addition, there are many people who have performed military service in the sacred archipelago of the Fatherland.

Leaving the village when it was already dark, somewhere echoing the sound of the waves lapping, I suddenly remembered Truong Sa, remembered the stories of the marine soldiers. They may be different generations, but their love for the sea and islands is very similar. It is a sacred and proud feeling.

Wang Yun