Teachers go to B

(Baonghean) - From May 22, 1961 to December 10, 1974 - the day the "Northern teachers' delegation went to B" to support the Southern battlefield to fight the Americans, there were a total of 31 delegations with 2,752 teachers. Among them, according to incomplete statistics, there were nearly 200 teachers from Nghe An,...

The teachers from Nghe An who were tasked with supporting the revolutionary education in the South, when they left, were mostly education managers and educational institutions, but many were also newly graduated teachers, still very young. Teacher Chu Cap (who left for B in 1965), former Principal of Yen Thanh 3 High School, confided: When leaving, there were teachers who had to hold back their tears to say goodbye to their old mothers and weak fathers; there were teachers who had to put on mourning scarves because they had just received the death notice of their brother in the battlefield; there were wives about to give birth, while their houses were crumbling and their walls were broken;... but all were determined to leave.

In the South, our brothers and sisters were present in almost all the battlefields of the South, the South Central Coast, the Central Highlands, Quang Tri, etc. Some went to the fierce Cu Chi area, to Ca Mau, Dong Thap Muoi; some went all the way to the border area between us and the enemy. All of them had the main task of staying close to the people, staying close to the land, both doing teacher training work, building the education movement in the liberated areas, fighting against the sweeps, destroying evil, and eliminating traitors. And, everyone overcame the fierceness of the battlefield, successfully completing the assigned tasks, of which 14 people had to sacrifice; 4 people were captured, imprisoned, and brutally tortured but still kept their integrity.

Teacher Le Thi Bach Cat, a daughter of Cua Lo Town, after entering the battlefield, was assigned to the Saigon - Gia Dinh area to participate in the special forces under the code name Sau Xuan. In May 1966, Sau Xuan participated in the establishment of the Le Thi Rieng Women's Special Forces Battalion. In March 1968, Sau Xuan was a member of the District Party Committee and Secretary of the District 3 Youth Union. In the fierce and unequal battle on May 5, 1968, Sau Xuan calmly, bravely, and intelligently commanded her teammates to fight and hold out against the enemy for many hours. When she ran out of ammunition and knew the dangerous situation was approaching, Sau Xuan ordered her teammates to retreat, while she herself stayed behind to block the enemy's path with the last grenade and heroically sacrificed herself. To remember the sacrifice of Nghe An teacher Sau Xuan - Le Thi Bach Cat, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City decided to name a junior high school and a street in the city after her.

Teacher Le Dang Kieu (who went to B in 1969), now retired in Kim Lien hamlet, Quan Hanh town, said: In the South, he and a number of teachers were assigned to support the Central Central battlefield. Some went to the Education Board of Zone 5, some went to the Education Boards of the province and district to direct and build educational movements and mobilize the masses to participate in the revolution. They went to hamlets and communes in the outskirts and leopard skin areas many times to open classes, build schools, and find local teachers to teach. Many times, they worked with local cadres and people to fence villages and set up anti-sweep spikes. Between the "deep penetration" campaigns, taking advantage of the rare free time, they returned to the base to grow cassava, potatoes, raise chickens, raise pigs, etc. to be self-sufficient in food. And, during those arduous days of fighting, teacher Phan Thanh Hoa (from Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district, went to B in 1969) had to sacrifice himself because of a fierce enemy bombardment of the Ba To war zone.

Teacher Hoang Tu Hau (who went to B in 1973), currently retired in Ha Huy Tap ward, Vinh city, said: After April 30, 1975, he (who taught Chemistry) and a colleague (who taught Mathematics) were assigned to inventory and receive the handover of assets of Cao Dai University in the Tay Ninh Holy See. In liberation army uniforms, floppy hats, and tire sandals, the two men walked to school. Welcoming them in front of the hall were two rows of dignitaries and professors in neat clothes, with badges on their chests clearly stating their positions and degrees (some were professors of Theology, some were professors of History, etc.).

When he started the inventory, he knew that they did not want to cooperate, did not like the “liberation soldiers”. In the Chemistry lab, the two laboratory staff always asked: “Sir, I do not know what substance is in this bottle? What is the name of this instrument?...”. For him - a Chemistry teacher, the two laboratory staff's probing questions could not make him confused, he happily answered them. After a while, the dignitaries and professors invited the two men to take a break to drink water with a gentle and respectful attitude; because they recognized the two men as “literate soldiers”.

Nearly 200 teachers from Nghe An who went to B brought with them to the battlefield the tradition of generations of teachers from Nghe An. And they themselves promoted that tradition to the fullest, contributing with the nation to the victory of April 30.

Minh Duc