Forever the qualities of a soldier

(Baonghean) - Having fulfilled their duty to their homeland and returned to their localities, generations of veterans have continued to promote the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" in educating their children and grandchildren, building prosperous families, and setting good examples in all social activities...

We returned to Linh Son commune (Anh Son) in the early days of December. At this time, the locality was having many exciting activities to celebrate the founding day of the Vietnam Veterans Association. At the volleyball court of the commune People's Committee headquarters, people gathered to watch the veterans' volleyball tournament, cheering, clapping, and commenting animatedly. The 14 veterans' associations in the commune are 14 teams, the teams are divided into groups, competing in a round robin. While we were engrossed in watching, a strong pat on the shoulder from the man next to us said: "Good! Do you think our team can play?"

Turning around, I suddenly realized it was Mr. Nguyen Van De, 64 years old, the head of the Veterans Association of Hamlet 12. He has been retired for 20 years and has been the head of the local Veterans Association for the same amount of time, but his enthusiasm for the Association movement has never diminished. "Come to my hamlet to have some chicken porridge to celebrate. The ladies in the association have cooked it," Mr. De enthusiastically invited. Not disappointing his enthusiasm, but thinking about the road to Hamlet 12, which is far from landslides and mud, makes us feel discouraged.

As if reading his mind, Mr. De immediately reassured, "Let's go in. This year, with the enthusiasm and dynamism, the veterans' association has mobilized to open inter-hamlet and intra-hamlet roads, wide fishbone roads, and solid concrete roads. The roads are "good" and no longer as difficult as before." Walking on the inter-hamlet road to hamlet 12, which is 7 meters wide, Mr. De said: In 2011, Linh Son started to build a new countryside. The Party Committee and the government determined to take the veterans' association as the core and nucleus of the movement. In hamlet 12, after being thoroughly informed of the policy, the members were very happy, because building a new countryside will completely change the countryside. The first thing is to overcome the limitations of traffic routes; wide and solid roads are the foundation of innovation.

Thinking is doing, 37 veteran members of hamlet 12 spread out to mobilize 148 households in the hamlet to donate land, contribute working days, sand and gravel materials to open the road: Land is as precious as real gold, but without convenient roads, agricultural products cannot be transported, it is immature gold, of low value. To set an example, veterans in the hamlet took the lead. Mr. Nguyen Van De's family was the first to donate 96 square meters of land, other members such as Nguyen Van Hong, Nguyen Hong Khanh, Nguyen Huu Kinh... followed.

In 2011, Hamlet 12 had an additional 300m2 of land to widen the road; in 2012, there was an additional 1,800m2 of land to widen the road, in 2013, it was 3,600m2. Each section widened by about 1 meter - 1.5 meters, making the 11 km of road in Hamlet 12 much more convenient to travel. The inter-hamlet and intra-hamlet roads were widened by 6-7 meters. Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Chairman of the Veterans Association of Linh Son Commune, said: "Veterans of Hamlet 12 are typical examples in the movement of donating land, trees, and architectural objects to build rural traffic, joining hands to build new rural areas in the commune. In 2012, the Veterans Association of the commune had 194 households donating land with 29,573 m2 worth 1,682 million VND, mobilizing 1,406 working days worth 289 million VND.

Saying goodbye to the veterans of hamlet 12, we followed Mr. Nguyen Van Dong to visit the wood workshop of veteran Nguyen Ba Thuc in hamlet 8, Linh Son commune. In 1990, after leaving the army, Mr. Thuc returned to his hometown. Originally a hard-working and diligent person, not resigned to poverty and always keeping in mind Uncle Ho's teachings "If we have independence and freedom but the people are still hungry and cold, what is the use of independence and freedom?", Mr. Thuc determined to develop the family economy by opening a civil carpentry workshop. With the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" who constantly learn and improve, his carpentry workshop developed and more and more people in the commune, Anh Son district, Do Luong came to order, creating jobs for 10 workers.

The carpentry workshop of veteran Nguyen Ba Thuc, hamlet 8, Linh Son commune creates jobs for many local workers.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Thuc shared: “Once the workshop was stable, I thought about getting rich and creating jobs for local workers. The workshop continuously accepted apprentices and then recruited workers. Up to now, 10 workers are young people in the commune with a stable income (7-8 million VND/month). My family was able to build a spacious two-story house, with an income of about 150 million VND/year...”. For many people in this poor commune, the family of veteran Nguyen Ba Thuc is a typical example to learn from and follow.

Mr. Tran Van Thuan - Vice Chairman of the Veterans Association of Anh Son district shared: In the district, veterans have built many economic models for high income such as raising bees, fish, porcupines, frogs, renovating mixed gardens to grow fruit trees. Typically: The Veterans Association of Binh Son commune planted 200 hectares of forest, Vinh Son commune 80 hectares, the Veterans Association of the town developed 2 models of commercial and mechanical services; Cao Son and Khai Son communes developed small transport services. Implementing land conversion, land consolidation, plot exchange, site clearance for new rural construction, by October 2013, 730 member households participated in donating land with nearly 70,000m2, 200m of fence, clearing 141,100 meters of traffic corridor, participating in 18,000 working days, contributing over 2 billion VND.

Forever Uncle Ho's soldiers, anywhere, anytime, veterans always actively participate in building and protecting the Party, the State and the regime. Head of the Veterans Association of Block 15, Ha Huy Tap Ward, Mr. Mai Van Khuc confided: As a party member, a veteran, there will be no retirement age. Always being devoted, living wholeheartedly for the people, for the common cause is the wish of every Uncle Ho's soldier...

Mr. Khuc has lived his life as he wished. For the past 15 years, since his retirement, he has been the block leader, the Party cell secretary, and now the head of the veterans' association. Village and national affairs have come to him one after another, without a single day of rest, from taking the lead in movements to protect national security and care for poor households to meeting and encouraging drug addicts to return home, people who have made mistakes; mobilizing people in the block to actively participate in the movement "All people protect national security", building a cultural life in residential areas, propagating and educating the young generation to be proud of the revolutionary tradition of their homeland...

According to statistics of the Vinh City Veterans Association: Up to 71% of the ward officials, to the People's Council delegates at all levels in the city are members of the Veterans Association. With personal prestige and experience in mass mobilization, veteran members have contributed to creating consensus in implementing local political and social tasks, building a security and defense posture. Veterans also actively participate in training militia and self-defense forces, patrolling and guarding.

Working trips back and forth on the roads in the province helped us meet veterans who always kept the will of Uncle Ho's soldiers, living a simple, quiet, yet noble life: That is village elder Kha Thien Phuc, former Chairman of Huu Duong commune, Tuong Duong district (old), now in Nhan Pa village, Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), constantly worrying about educating his children and grandchildren, everyone to preserve and maintain cultural identity; veterans who quietly put on their backpacks and returned to the old battlefield to find their comrades who were still there; veterans who volunteered to look after historical and cultural relics to have the conditions to educate patriotism to the younger generation...

Thanh Chung