Repeat, to love more peace
(Baonghean)Over 1,000 times by aircraft, including about 500 times by B52 aircraft - considered the inviolable "super flying fortress", the pride of the US military with 40,000 tons of bombs dropped on 67 suburban communes, 39 inner-city streets, 7 train stations, 4 bridges, 4 ferry terminals of Hanoi in the winter of 1972. With a devastating attack on the political, economic and cultural center of our country, the Richard Nixon administration clearly showed its betrayal and wanted to use the power of bombs and bullets to force us to the negotiating table, in order to force us to accept peace under the imposition of the US. But no, we faced the challenge to enter the war...
What happened to Hanoi, Hai Phong and the North during those historic December days will forever be remembered by those who overcame bombs and bullets, those who loved peace, fought for justice, and for the integrity of the country.
A young girl from Ngoc Ha village waters flowers next to the wreckage of a B52 - American plane shot down during the Dien Bien Phu air campaign, December 1972. Photo: Van Bao.
Surely the people of Kham Thien, Bach Mai... will forever remember the devastation, surely the history of the Voice of Vietnam Radio Station, Bach Mai Hospital will highlight the painful days of bombing. Then Hai Ba Trung neighborhood, Sao Vang Rubber Factory, Bach Mai airport, and Dong Anh, Yen Vien, Khuyen Luong, Da Phuc, Duc Noi, Co Loa... the key points, beloved places were covered with bomb craters. Nearly 2,400 people died, 1,355 people were injured during 12 days and nights that year. Hanoians will not forget the rumbling death signal of B52s, will not forget the alarm bell, will not forget the sound of wooden clogs on wooden stairs, the calls to each other to go down to the bunker, will not forget the evacuations and looking back at every street corner, every roof, flower garden, every gate that is gradually moving away...
The children of Hanoi at that time sang the song "Bê bé bằng Bông" loudly as a confession, as a promise: "Mom went to evacuate, carrying you along.../When victory brings you back to the crowded streets". The classrooms were quiet and on the blackboards, the white chalk was shining: "Dear class, we will return...". That's right, not only the soldiers fought to protect the capital, but in the hearts of every Hanoian, they kept their oath "To die for the Fatherland, to live". And in a phone call to the divisions fighting to protect Hanoi, General Vo Nguyen Giap emphasized: "The whole country is looking towards. The whole world is looking towards Hanoi...". Missile troops, air defense troops, self-defense forces in factories and enterprises, those who stayed to rescue, fire-fight, save people... all fought side by side, with Hanoi to create victory.
Love songs still resounded from the bunker's mouth. Weddings still took place between battles. Church bells still rang out on Christmas Eve... Hanoi was ablaze for 12 days and nights, steadfastly defeating the American "super flying fortress" and creating a "Dien Bien Phu in the air", forcing the US to end the war and resume peace negotiations. And the daughter of Ngoc Ha village smiled eternally next to the spring flower beds, in the distance was the body of the "flying fortress" lying motionless at the bottom of Huu Tiep Lake.
40 years have passed. The tall buildings, the cool shade of trees, the hustle and bustle of people and vehicles have created the appearance of the capital today. There have been and will be military-scientific conferences to talk about what makes victory possible. There have been and will be questions about the military strength, the strength of will, the strength of Vietnamese intelligence. The answer is so simple: We love peace and we love our Fatherland!
Nghe An weekend
