Follow the example of the country and the people

(Baonghean) -General Vo Nguyen Giap - the "Elder Brother" of the armed forces, the talented general of the nation has gone to sleep forever. All generals, officers, soldiers, the army and millions of Vietnamese people's hearts are in pain and loss at this great loss. In memory of the outstanding "Elder Brother", the armed forces of Military Region 4 in general, and the armed forces of Nghe An in particular, are making every effort to train and strive to follow the example of the General for the country and the people.

The General's military strategy mark in "Inter-zone 4"

Flipping through the archived documents about General Vo Nguyen Giap's working sessions with the armed forces of Military Region 4, Colonel Nguyen Cong Thanh's hand - Director of the Military Region 4 Museum - trembled. There remained intact the general thoughts and timely instructions of the General with the land of Military Region 4, which had a difficult, rugged, harsh climate, but was the "shoulder" of the two ends of the country. During his career, the General had 4 official working trips with the armed forces of Military Region 4. According to the assessment of political, military and historical researchers, all 4 of those times were associated with important milestones for our country's revolution.

The first time was in 1946, when the country had just gained independence, the Party, the Provisional Government and the people had to face famine, "ignorance", "internal and external enemies" with many challenges and difficulties. It was at this time that General Vo Nguyen Giap returned to work with the troops of Inter-Zone 4 to prepare forces for the resistance war. The second time was in 1965, when the whole country was concentrating human and material resources on the South to fight the American imperialists. During this period, the issue of opening traffic routes on the battlefield was one of the important factors, especially in the North Central provinces. In that situation, the General returned to Military Region 4 to direct the armed forces to strengthen the construction of traffic routes. Immediately after that, the progress of the routes to the battlefield was accelerated, helping the troops march from North to South more conveniently.

General Vo Nguyen Giap worked with Military Region 4 in 1978.

In 1973, General Vo Nguyen Giap returned to Military Region 4 for the third time. At that time, the Paris Agreement was being discussed, and the battlefield was still fierce. The General secretly entered the Quang Tri front to encourage officers and soldiers to stand firm in the battlefield, continue to attack on the military front, and at the same time correctly assess the actual situation of the war to advise the Party Central Committee and serve the negotiations. On the first night of entering the "battlefield", the General worked with the 320th Division - Eastern Wing, led by Comrade Sung Lam (later Lieutenant General - Deputy Commander of Military Region 4) to direct plans to fight the enemy. That night, our troops burned 24 enemy tanks. Early the next morning, the troops on the battlefield were really surprised to see General Vo Nguyen Giap appear to visit his comrades and grasp the actual situation. The presence of the General at that time was of great value in encouraging the troops to firmly attack, cross the Ben Hai River, advance to liberate the southern provinces, and unify the country. And for the fourth time, in 1978, the General returned to work with the Military Region 4 Command, deploying important military and defense tasks, including preparing forces and food for the war to protect the country.

According to the analysis of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Hong - Head of the Department of Vietnamese History - Faculty of History, Vinh University, the times General Vo Nguyen Giap officially worked with the armed forces and people of Military Region 4 demonstrated his excellent military strategy. "Through that activity, we see that the General highly appreciated the role and position of the large land and large population of the provinces of Military Region 4 in the historical process of the nation. In fact, after the visits, the General aroused the patriotism of the military region's soldiers and people, contributing human resources, financial resources, and material resources to the resistance war, national construction, contributing to the victory with the army and people of the whole country...". Later, there were many times when the General visited the military region again, he always reminded the armed units to promote the advantages of land and people of Military Region 4 in building a "solid regional defense posture", "high combat readiness", effectively serving the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

A shining mirror

When mentioning General Vo Nguyen Giap, the army and people in the country always respect a man of talent and virtue, both literary and martial, and the military circles of other countries, including hostile forces, truly admire and honor him as one of the most talented generals in the world. More specifically, the General is praised for his humanity in military strategy. Victory is the goal, but we must try to minimize damage and casualties. “This comes from the most fundamental element in the General’s human nature. Because he came from the people, fought for the people, and the war of national defense we carried out was a “people’s war” with guerrilla warfare combined with clever enemy propaganda.

This is the viewpoint and the core of the nation's victory over powerful enemies. Therefore, in today's era and in the future, building a "national defense posture" is the "compass" in military policy. This requires the armed forces of Military Region 4 in particular and the whole country in general to constantly cultivate morality, closely connect with the people, learn from the example of General Vo Nguyen Giap, continue to shine the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers of which the General is a typical, most advanced and beautiful example...", Major General Tran Tien Dung - Deputy Political Commissar of Military Region 4 Command affirmed.

General Vo Nguyen Giap inspected the Quang Tri battlefield in 1973.

In memory of the General, Nghe An armed forces have intensified propaganda work about the General's life, career and moral example to all officers and soldiers; launched a peak emulation campaign throughout the force to achieve many achievements in studying, training and combat readiness from now (October) to December 22, 2013. Colonel Bui Hoai Thanh - Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command shared: "The example of General Vo Nguyen Giap has lit a fire of determination, intelligence, morality and love for the country for each officer and soldier. We, together with our comrades from the command level to the officers and soldiers, are determined to turn sorrow into action, compete to achieve outstanding achievements in all fields and consider it a beautiful flower basket to offer to the brave general of the armed forces...".

In recent days, along with promoting training and improving combat readiness, Regiment 764 under the Provincial Military Command has carried out many meaningful activities such as promoting propaganda about the life, career, and example of General Vo Nguyen Giap for the country and people on training grounds, training grounds and the unit's internal broadcasting system; at the same time, launching emulation movements to achieve many pinnacles of victory, learning from the General's moral character in performing professional tasks, and outdoor activities to help people in rural areas develop their socio-economy. Private Duong Nhat Linh - Soldier of Regiment 764 confided: "For me, since I was in school, history lessons have made me and my friends truly admire the example of General Vo Nguyen Giap. Now, serving in the military, the General's example further urges me to strive in performing my duties as well as in daily life...".

The General’s military talent, moral qualities, and revolutionary will are always an important support for every soldier in their military career. Looking at that great example, everyone sees that they must learn to grow up…

Nguyen Son