Promoting the heroic spirit of Truong Bon victory

On the night of October 30 and the morning of October 31, 1968, Company 317 was assigned to ensure traffic for the military convoy to the South. After many bombings destroyed the route, the urgent requirement was to fill in bomb craters at all costs so that the convoy could pass Truong Bon before dawn. Therefore, the Youth Volunteers focused all their abilities to complete the task within the specified time. Unfortunately, at dawn on October 31, 1968, while the soldiers were filling in bomb craters, American planes swooped in and dropped a series of bombs, creating a thick smoke, taking the lives of 13/14 soldiers of the "Steel Squad" (only Ms. Tran Thi Thong was lucky to survive).

Today, after 50 years, Truong Bon has returned to a peaceful life. The forests have covered the hills. The victory monument and the memorial stele to the martyrs have been built. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Nine months after the Truong Bon victory, in July 1969, Uncle Ho sent two consecutive letters to Nghe An (one to the Provincial Party Committee and one to the Youth Volunteers). He was “happy to see that the people, soldiers, cadres, party members, and union members of the province had fought and served well in combat: shot down 439 planes, sank 14 American warships, and performed well in transportation tasks; hundreds of thousands of young men and women had joined the army and youth volunteers. This had promoted the revolutionary heroism and glorious traditions of the Soviet homeland, contributing much to the revolutionary cause of the nation”.

Youth Volunteers fill bomb craters in Truong Bon. Photo: Document

At the same time, he expressed: “I am also pleased to see that cadres at all levels and in all sectors in the province have initially corrected bureaucracy and commandism, trying to stay close to the people to organize and mobilize them to implement the policies of the Party and the State” and did not forget to advise: “Humly listen to the opinions of the people to promote good deeds, correct wrongdoings, and do better work… Pay special attention to war-torn areas, orphans, the elderly, and families of martyrs, wounded soldiers, soldiers, and youth volunteers… Nghe An is a large province with rich resources, with hard-working and very revolutionary people. I hope that the people and comrades of the province will strive to make Nghe An one of the best provinces in the North”.

The activity of putting up the signboard of the “Youth Garden” project shows the gratitude of the youth for the great sacrifice of the martyrs of the Truong Bon Youth Volunteers. Photo: Phuong Thuy

Officials and youth union members of Nghe An province offer incense at Truong Bon relic site. Photo: Duc Anh

The Truong Bon victory (1968) is a tradition and at the same time a pedestal that contributes to lifting us up in the new era, reminding us to join hands and unite to help Nghe An break through and rise up, soon becoming a fairly well-off province in the North - satisfying the expectations of beloved Uncle Ho, worthy of being the heroic Soviet homeland!

In the current process of building Nghe An homeland, we find many values ​​inspired by the lessons of the Truong Bon victory 50 years ago.

Every day, hundreds of visitors come to offer incense and flowers at Truong Bon Historical Relic Site. Photo: Huy Thu

The Truong Bon victory has taught us the lesson that we must respect, exalt, arouse and promote in young people the will to always be ready to sacrifice for a great cause, to make effective contributions to the common cause of the homeland and the country. Therefore, party committees, authorities, fronts and organizations at all levels need to know how to gather, organize, educate, train and nurture young people, forming a unified bloc of action; stimulate creativity, efforts to overcome difficulties, think of plans to build a strong homeland; have appropriate policies to encourage young people to develop all their potential.

Promoting the Truong Bon victory in educating revolutionary ideals, ethics, and lifestyle for today's youth must always put the interests of the Fatherland above all; train the iron will and determination to achieve the set goals and complete the tasks in any difficult circumstances, be consistent with the goals, and believe in the victory of the revolution.

Tourists visit Truong Bon historical site. Photo: Document

Promote the internal strength and advantages of the homeland to carry out tasks; resolutely protect the Party and the regime in all situations, aiming straight at the set goal: successfully building socialism. Actively promote and introduce the culture and people of Nghe An, historical feats, especially the steel spirit of victory at Truong Bon to the masses, especially the youth in the province and tourists from all over.

The 50th anniversary of Truong Bon victory allows us to once again respectfully remember and be grateful for the contributions and sacrifices of those who made that victory; at the same time, we can reflect on the meaning, value and lessons of Truong Bon victory, suggesting ideas to promote and make practical contributions to the cause of building our homeland Nghe An today.

As the US Department of Defense admitted about the number of bombings: nearly 3 thousand times in February 1968, 5 thousand times in March 1968, 7 thousand times in May 1968 and 10 thousand times in May 1968. Particularly in Nghe An province, when Hoang Mai bridge (now Mai Hung ward, Hoang Mai town), Bung bridge (Dien Chau district), Cam bridge (Nghi Loc district), Ben Thuy ferry (now Ben Thuy bridge, Vinh city) were destroyed and controlled by the US imperialists, route 15A (extending from Bo Lan slope bordering Thanh Hoa through Truong Bon of Nghe An to Linh Cam ferry, connecting Dong Loc intersection of Ha Tinh) became the only traffic artery for the large rear base in the North to supply and support human and material resources for the battlefield in the South.