Teachers 'put down their pens and go to war'
(Baonghean) - Nearly 50 years ago, responding to the general mobilization order, thousands of students and teachers in Nghe An "put down their pens and ink" to go to the South to fight. And for them, even though they had to leave behind blackboards, white chalk, and leave their families and lecture halls, they were always proud to be able to participate in the sacred moments of the nation.
Happy to be in battle
Mr. Hoang Khac Hue - former student of the Faculty of Mathematics - Vinh University, former lecturer of the Military School of the 2nd Corps, currently residing in Tan Tien block, Hung Binh ward, Vinh city, was one of the four outstanding young men of Thanh Lien commune, Thanh Chuong district who passed the university entrance exam.
In the summer of 1971, when he was a third-year student, he returned to his hometown and received a general mobilization order from the school. One day later, due to the urgent request to be present at the assembly point in Quynh Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, Hoang Khac Hue's departure day seemed to have no preparation at all.
He also did not remember many moments of farewell when he joined the army because at that time, "my father was working at the cooperative, my younger brother was still young, the mother and I finished eating and then left." The most memorable memory was the scene where his mother saw him off at the village entrance, gave him a handful of coins and cried. But, at the age of over 20, full of enthusiasm and the desire to go to war, he did not know how to hug and even less how to say a word of comfort. The only promise he made to his mother was, "Don't worry, I won't die."
Enlisting in the army, the student of the Mathematics department was assigned to the 66th Infantry Regiment, Division 304 and after only 2 months of training as a new recruit, he was transferred to study at the Non-Commissioned Officer School of the 2nd Corps in Military Region 4. With the advantage of being a young, enthusiastic and bright student, after 4 months, from a "new recruit", he switched to the role of a trainer and then went straight to the Quang Tri battlefield with his teammates to participate in protecting the Citadel. At the end of 1972, he continued to be sent to study at the Army's Military Academy to prepare the main force for the Army to fight in the South.
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| Mr. Hoang Khac Hue and the medals and orders awarded during the resistance war against America. Photo: My Ha |
Since 1974, as a combat assistant of Regiment 66, his unit participated in fighting the enemy along Route 1 and directly fought to liberate Da Nang, advancing to Binh Thuan to destroy other enemy defense bases in Phan Rang, Ham Tan and on April 29, 1975, after participating in capturing the Nuoc Trong - Long Thanh base, his 2nd Corps was ordered to advance into Saigon in the East - Southeast direction.
On April 30, Mr. Hue's 66th Regiment was the first infantry unit to arrive at the last citadel, the Independence Palace. It was also here that he and his comrades witnessed the moments that went down in the history of the nation when President of the Saigon government Duong Van Minh read the words of surrender and the flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam flew on the roof of the Presidential Palace.
“Before entering Saigon, I knew that the Independence Palace was an “inviolable” address for the inner city residents. Therefore, the moment we occupied the Independence Palace meant that we had completely won and that was the happiest moment for a soldier,”
In 1971, the war atmosphere in Hanoi was also very hot because the fighting situation in the South had entered a very fierce phase. So even though he lived in the North, enjoying the peaceful days of a student at Hanoi Pedagogical University, student Nguyen Quoc Phu (later a teacher at Ha Huy Tap High School) also volunteered to go to the battlefield. At the moment of leaving, what he remembered most was the image of more than 600 students from 3 schools of Hanoi Pedagogical University: Natural Pedagogy, Social Pedagogy and Foreign Language Pedagogy eagerly going on the road.
To say goodbye to those who stayed, the car took all the students around the school 3 times, while friends waved their hands endlessly. “We set off with an excited mood, heading towards our beloved South. Later, when gathering at the northern bank of Ben Hai, the students stayed partly in Quang Tri, partly crossed Truong Son to the B2 battlefield, the Southeast, and suffered no small sacrifice and loss. However, when we left, we carried with us the belief in the day of victory,” teacher Nguyen Quoc Phu recalled.
No regrets about blood and bones
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, this year the Nghe An B Teachers' Liaison Committee did not have a regular meeting like every year. However, at the small house of teacher Nguyen Quoc Khanh (former teacher of Ha Huy Tap High School) on Hong Bang Street (Vinh City), old colleagues still had a small reunion to recall memories of a time of fighting in the battlefield.
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| Meeting of teachers going to B (Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh on the far right). Photo: My Ha |
In April, once again, teacher Nguyen Quoc Khanh had the opportunity to reread his poem "April Feelings": "My dear! If this April ever forgets you/ Please don't be angry with me/ At that moment I think about my comrades/ We were together when the salt was bland and the vegetables were lacking/ We were together in the battlefields/ Wild cassava shoots became "delicacies"... April is also the days when the whole country rejoices at the liberation of the South/ I am proud to have a little of myself in it/ Can you hear the thunderous cheers/ Is there any joy greater than the reunification of the country?
48 years ago, 150 teachers of Nghe An Department of Education were ordered to join the army. At Tan Ky High School, teacher Nguyen Quoc Khanh, teacher Pham Quy Hung (former Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training) and 4 other colleagues were the first to put down their pens and chalks, say goodbye to the podium to go to war, adding troops to the southern battlefield.
On the day of departure, each person brought their own worries because for Mr. Khanh's family, after him there was a small child, whose family situation was difficult. Teacher Nguyen Quy Hung was more special because he was one of the new recruits, over 30 years old, "burdened" with a wife and 2 small children, the second child was only 1.5 months old.
Before leaving, Mr. Hung was the Party Secretary, Vice Principal of the school and had a permit to study abroad. However, following the sacred call of the Fatherland, the teachers were ready to leave without “any personal gain, without sparing any blood or bones”.
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| Every April 30th, the anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, teachers who once "put down their pens and went to war" gather together to reminisce about old memories. Photo: My Ha |
Nearly half a decade has passed but the memories of the days participating in the battle have never faded and the happiest moment is still the moment of national victory.
The teacher said: At 1:30 pm on April 30, we arrived in Saigon. The moment we met again, the joy was so overwhelming that no words could express it, we could only tell each other through our eyes, through our smiles and through the tears of joy that flowed.
Teacher Pham Quy Hung said: “We are luckier than many other comrades because we were able to return intact and continue to contribute to the education sector. The days on the battlefield are unforgettable and we were trained, nurtured and matured thanks to those arduous but heroic days.”
