The "Mother Suốt" on the Lam River

(Baonghean.vn) - During the war against the Americans, it's impossible to count how many mothers rowed boats across the Lam River to ferry soldiers across. They can be considered the "Mother Suốt" of Nghe An province.

Mother of Cửa Rào

In the remote district of Tuong Duong, many people in their 60s and 70s, returning from the battlefields of Southern Vietnam, still remember their elderly mothers rowing boats at Cua Rao wharf, the source of the Lam River. In the 1960s, crossing the river was only possible with small boats.

Cửa Rào (Xá Lượng - Tương Dương) - the place where a mother rowed a boat carrying soldiers across the river during the years of the war against the Americans.

No one remembers how many years that mother rowed her boat, only that generations of young men from the "4 Yen, 1 Nga" region (comprising the communes of Yen Na, Yen Tinh, Yen Hoa, Yen Thang, and Nga My) set off for the battlefields in the South.MaleThey all crossed the river on their mother's boat. On their return, the person rowing the boat across the river was not their mother from that year. Upon inquiry, they learned that their mother had been swept away by the current along with the boat during a heavy rainstorm when the water level rose high.

Once, Mr. Vang Van Phung from Phong village (Thach Giam) led us to inquire with relatives and anyone who might know a little about the mother who rowed the boat, but no one remembered clearly. No one remembered her name, relatives, or village, so they simply called her "the mother who rowed the boat." More than half a century has passed, and the flow of time has swept that mother deep into the past, her body merging with the rivers, waters, and fields of her homeland.

"The Long-Haired Army" of Van Ru

Regarding the Van Ru ferry terminal in Khanh Son commune (Male(In the village), we heard the story of the "10 girls of the Lam River". Mr. Tong Xuan Hung is the Party Secretary of the commune.MaleDuring the war against the Americans, Dong (now Khanh Son commune) said: "After the war, everyone dispersed in different directions; some married far away, some pursued other professions, some followed their children and grandchildren to settle elsewhere, and some passed away."

The "10 girls of the Lam River" from back then are now all approaching 90 years old. Currently, Mr. Hung only knows two of them who are living in Lam Son ward (Township).Male(The band). We went back up here to meet Mrs. Dang Thi Duong and Mrs. Tran Thi Ut - two of the "10 girls of the Lam River".

Ms. Dang Thi Duong (Nam Dan town - Nam Dan district) used to row a boat carrying soldiers across the river at Van Ru ferry terminal, Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan).

Mr. Duong, now in his 90s, doesn't remember much, only recalling a time when he rowed boats to ferry soldiers across the river. Mr. Ut (85 years old), though his hair is completely white, is still sharp-minded and remembers many details about his ferrying duties from the past. According to his recollection, Route 15A through Khanh Son commune was extremely treacherous, with mountains on one side and a river on the other, so American planes frequently bombed the area to cut off this strategic route.

Almost every day, this area was cut off. The militia worked day and night filling in the bomb craters, but as soon as they finished, American planes would come and drop another bomb. Sometimes, before they could finish filling in the craters, the enemy would come and drop another round of bombs.

Ms. Tran Thi Ut recounted the years she spent rowing a boat to ferry soldiers across the river at Van Ru ferry landing.

To avoid casualties and minimize damage from American bombs, when marching to Nam Dan town, our troops turned towards the Ta Lam dike, reaching Xuan Lam commune and crossing the Van Ru ferry. However, this only lasted a short time before the enemy discovered our troops' new direction of movement and continuously bombed the Van Ru ferry area.

Faced with increasingly fierce American bombing raids, Nam Dong commune established a "steel" company and a "10 Girls of the Lam River" squad, ready to fight to the death. The mission of the "10 Girls of the Lam River" squad was to transport soldiers across the river at night, camouflage the boats, weapons, and equipment of the soldiers during the day, and participate in rescue operations in case of casualties.

Starting at 5 PM, as night fell and mist obscured the river's surface, the squad deployed to carry out their mission. By 6 AM the following morning, the squad members camouflaged and concealed their boats to avoid detection by the enemy. In this way, every night, between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers crossed the river safely.

The scenery at Van Ru ferry terminal today.

Uncle Ut recounted: “There were times when we rowed the river almost every night, carrying soldiers across. The enemy dropped flares, making it as bright as day, then planes came and dropped bombs in bursts on the river. I told the soldiers to lie flat on the boat, while I jumped out, gripping the side tightly and letting the boat drift on its own. Only when the enemy planes were far away did I get back on the boat and continue rowing.”

Meeting and listening to the stories of the women from our homeland who served in combat during the fierce years of war, we were suddenly reminded of the verses in Nguyen Khoa Diem's ​​epic poem "The Road of Thirsting for Hope":"But do you know, my dear, how many girls and boys, among the four thousand generations of people our age, have lived and died simply and peacefully? No one remembers their faces or names, but they created this Nation..."

Cong Kien