Touching story of soldier's piggy bank on CASA-212

Lieutenant Le Duc Lam, an air mechanic of CASA aircraft number 8983, started saving money in a piggy bank since he found out his wife was pregnant. After 6 months, he had saved 1.6 million.

Coming to the 918th Air Transport Brigade (Hanoi) these days, the spirit of being on duty and ready to fight is still maintained seriously. But in that seriousness, it is not difficult to recognize the worry on the faces of each soldier. They are suffering a common pain, the pain of soldiers when their comrades have not returned as promised.

Saturday is over, why isn't he home yet?

The conversation between me and Colonel Ngo Quang Trung, An-26 navigator of Squadron 1, was interrupted by his tears of sorrow for his comrade whom he affectionately called “The foolish nephew”. For Colonel Trung, the memory of young Lieutenant Le Duc Lam (31 years old), an air mechanic of Brigade 918, from Van Hoi, Ninh Giang, Hai Duong is always full of memories.

His voice choked up as he shared: “My wife is on a business trip. Fearing that I would be sad, she promised me that she would take me out for bun cha this Saturday. Saturday is over, why hasn’t she come back yet?”

Lieutenant Le Duc Lam (left) and his teammates on a flight. File photo.

Being a meticulous and careful person in his work, and being a senior, Colonel Trung observed and looked at people very carefully. Three years ago, when he was transferred to take up duty at the CASA-212 Squadron, he still remembered the image of a soldier who was still shirtless, cleaning the squadron's hallway at 9pm.

When asked, the soldier shared: "I have nothing to do so I clean the hallway to relieve boredom." From that moment on, he had a liking for the young soldier. Later, when they got to know each other better, he learned that because his salary was not much, he was reluctant to go out.

Born and raised in a poor family in Chu Se, Gia Lai, Lieutenant Lam's childhood was filled with hardships and difficulties. Life was difficult, but everyone who met him was impressed by this young lieutenant. He was a hard-working, hard-working, gentle and responsible person.

Colonel Ngo Quang Trung and Lieutenant Le Duc Lam on a tour. Photo: Archive.

“Lam is very eager to learn. He can follow his brother Luan, a mechanic, to the plane for a whole week just to learn more from the experience of his predecessors. He also wants me to teach him more about navigation, even though that is not his major.

Before he had a family, whenever his uncles and brothers in the unit were busy or had to go on business trips, Lam would take the job of taking the children to school so that they could work with peace of mind. He never shied away from anything, he always took the disadvantageous part for himself,” Mr. Trung choked up.

Lam's piggy bank

To Colonel Trung, Lam was not only a comrade, he was also a nephew who he loved and had special affection for. He said: “Lam was gentle. He was poor and had low self-esteem, so he never dared to love anyone. I still remember that in 2014, on the way back to base from a mission, he took out his phone to show off to Comrade Chinh - the squadron's political commissar - his future wife. I asked him: "Why did you show off to your brothers after getting married?"

At that time, Lieutenant Lam honestly shared: "My girlfriend is beautiful and has 2 university degrees. I am ugly and poor, I am afraid that people will criticize me, that people will not like me, so I never dare to show off to anyone." That girl is Thuy Nga, who is also Lieutenant Lam's current wife.

“My foolish nephew is very naive. He doesn’t understand that people love him, care for him not because he is rich or poor but because of who he is, because of the good qualities he has,” said Mr. Trung.

Lam got married in early 2015. With a small army salary and his wife not having a stable job, the young couple's life was full of ups and downs.

"Many times I scolded him because he kept thinking of reasons to cut off his meals. I scolded him out of concern for him, but I knew it was because he wanted to earn more money to help his wife," Mr. Trung recalled.

A souvenir photo of Lieutenant Le Duc Lam and his wife. Photo archive.

Lam's wife is 6 months pregnant with their first child, and the couple is busy preparing for the day of delivery. Mr. Trung said: "The day his wife got pregnant, the boy happily told me: My wife is pregnant, uncle. From today, I will put away my piggy bank to have money for my wife to give birth."

Lam's piggy bank made Mr. Trung almost cry: "The day before Lam left to take up his assignment, I met him and asked him how much money he had saved. He innocently boasted, "Probably about one million and six, uncle." I laughed and teased him, "Oh my gosh, it only took him six months to save one million and six?". I said that, but I knew his piggy bank would only consist of the small change he collected every day. Thinking about it made my heart ache for him."

Two years from now, when Mr. Trung retires, he promises to give the Lam couple the refrigerator and washing machine. "Now that they haven't come back, who will I give them to?", Mr. Trung said sadly.

Another Saturday is coming, and Lam's promise to take Uncle Trung out for some vermicelli with grilled pork is still unknown. But Lam and his 8 missing teammates on CASA-212 flight number 8983 kept their promise to their teammates and Khai's family that they would find him and bring him back. Six days have passed since they left, and they still haven't returned.

CASA, in Spanish means house. Believe these brave soldiers, they have never left their home, their nest and they will definitely return.

According to Zing