The martyr's wife and letters through the years

Love in times of war

In July, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong (born in 1947) in Thanh Vinh ward was filled with longing for her husband who sacrificed his life in the resistance war against America to save the country.

She often stands in front of the altar, talking with her husband's portrait, then flipping through the photos and letters that have been carefully wrapped over the past half century.

“It has been more than 55 years since Kien left his family to join the army. Sometimes I feel like it was just a few days ago. Because his image, words and gestures are still imprinted in my mind, I still often see him in my dreams every night,” Ms. Luong confided.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong and her husbandmartyrsNguyen Van Kien (born in 1944) met each other in the Party Cell Committee member class held in Vinh town. Both were young party members assigned to participate in the Party activities program. Mr. Kien was a young cadre of the food industry, and Mrs. Luong was a worker at Tran Phu Mechanical Enterprise.

From the moment they met, the two had feelings for each other, their feelings grew over time, nurtured by friends from both sides and the desire to become a couple. Then, after 7 months from the first day they met, their wedding was held in 1970 in the joy of both families and friends.

After the wedding, they continued to work in Vinh town. Although they lived close together, they could only see each other on Sundays due to their busy work schedules. They cherished and treasured the short moments they spent together. And then, the young wife happily realized that she was carrying her husband's child - the sweet crystallization of love during wartime.

Not long after the good news, Mr. Nguyen Van Kien received the order.join the army. On the day her husband left, his young wife Nguyen Thi Luong saw him off a long way, holding his hand tightly and promising to wait for the day he returned to the joy of his homeland and country. Mr. Nguyen Van Kien and his unit trained in Thanh Hoa, and a few months later moved to Ha Bac to continue training.

During this time, the young couple often wrote letters to each other. Mr. Kien told his wife about their comradeship, military life and the hard training days. Mrs. Luong informed her husband about his health, work and relatives and family in the countryside. Each letter was full of love and affection between husband and wife during the months of separation.

One day in early 1972, when Mrs. Luong had just given birth to her daughter a few months earlier, she received a telegram from her husband informing her that the unit was about to enter the Southern battlefield. The unit was traveling by train, stopping at Vinh station and hoping that his wife would arrange to meet them.

The train was scheduled to arrive at Vinh station in the morning, but due to the emergency, the train departed a few hours earlier, so it arrived in Vinh the evening of the previous day. Mr. Kien had to walk to his friend’s house and ask for a bicycle to take him home. When he got home, the soldier only had time to hug and kiss his baby daughter who was lying in the cradle and hold his wife’s hand, saying, “Wait for me to come home!” before hurriedly marching with his unit…

A loyal heart

The battlefield became more and more fierce, communication between the two sides became more and more difficult. Since her husband went to the battlefield, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong only received 3 hastily written letters, some of which she received after 1 year from the date they were sent. The content of the letters was the soldier's feelings for his wife in the rear, the determination to fight and the wish to reunite in the day of peace.

At the end of 1972, Mrs. Luong received her husband's death notice. The ground beneath her feet seemed to collapse, everything around her was spinning, the young wife seemed to collapse. But then, thinking of her young daughter, she tried to get up to continue living and raising her child.

It is impossible to describe all the hardships and sadness of a woman raising a child alone. Mrs. Luong has tried to overcome everything to raise her daughter Nguyen Thi Thu Hien to grow up.

Mrs. Luong shared: “Whenever I feel sad, I look through the photos and letters to find dear memories of my fallen husband. Those souvenirs have given me strength and spiritual motivation to overcome many difficulties and challenges in life.”

We asked Mrs. Luong's permission to see a letter in the collection.souvenirs, the letter dated April 30, 1971, besides greetings, also talked about training work at the training ground.

In the beginning, the young soldier wrote:“My wife! I’m sure my mother and child are exhausted from work right now, having to endure the sweltering heat. If I were here with them right now, you would also endure the fatigue and breathe for me…”.Then tell your wife:“My salary! I want to inform you that I haven’t started yet. I’m still having to practice a lot. The requirements for fighting the Americans today are different. Each officer and soldier must have good qualifications, skills, and tactics…”.

There are some pages with blurred ink, perhaps on late nights when the wife missing her husband takes out old letters to read, tears falling on the wet, blurred pages...

Talking about her beloved mother, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien could not hide her pride in her parents' loyalty and steadfastness. After her husband died, she devoted the rest of her life to raising and caring for her little daughter until she grew up and became an adult.

Also according to Ms. Hien, in 2009, thanks to the help of her comrades, Ms. Luong, her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren found the grave of martyr Nguyen Van Kien and brought it back to their hometown for burial. At this time, they learned that Ms. Luong's husband died on April 29, 1975 in Tay Ninh, not at the end of 1972 as stated in the death certificate.

"My husband died one day before the liberation of Saigon, but since the end of 1972, our family has been in great pain when we heard that he fell on the battlefield," Mrs. Luong recalled.

Sorting out the photos and letters of her martyr husband, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong said: “Two years ago, I donated more than 10 artifacts to the Military Region 4 Museum, including letters and telegrams sent by my husband during his training in Thanh Hoa and Ha Bac. Through that, I hope that these souvenirs will live forever, helping the next generation understand more about the love between couples and the sacrifices of the generation during the anti-American war to save the country.”

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After receiving the letters donated by Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong, the Military Zone 4 Museum will organize an exhibition after completing the restoration and construction. These letters are historical pieces, vivid evidence of love between couples, feelings between the front and the rear during the historical period of fighting against the US, saving the country. Therefore, they have profound educational significance, especially moral education, revolutionary ideals for the young generation."

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Hoanh - Assistant of Military Region 4 Museum