The story of the My Son son who fell at the 'fire coordinates' Truong Bon

Volunteer to join the suicide squad

These days,Truong Bon National Historical Sitewelcomed many delegations of visitors and offered incense to the souls of thousands of outstanding sons who had fallen. Especially the heroic sacrifice of 13 youth volunteers of Company 317 in the early morning of October 31, 1968, that is, the moment before the day the US stopped bombing the North.

Coming to Truong Bon this time, we spent time visiting the family of Mr. Hoang Van Thang, who is worshiping his brother, martyr Hoang Van Phuc, a son who has incarnated into his homeland.

Mr. Hoang Van Nam talks about his brother's sacrifice. Photo: Cong Kien

That day, Mr. Thang was in the South visiting his children and grandchildren, and Mrs. Dang Thi Chung spoke on her husband’s behalf. A while later, Mr. Thang’s two younger siblings, Mr. Hoang Van Nam and Mrs. Hoang Thi Sau, also arrived. Thanks to that, we had the opportunity to record some of the relatives’ memories of martyr Hoang Van Phuc - the person who contributed to writing the legend of Truong Bon.

Mr. Nam began the story: “Our parents had 8 children, 5 boys and 3 girls, Phuc was the third child. We all joined the resistance war, contributing to liberating our homeland and the country. Phuc joined the suicide bomb disposal team and died at the age of 19, before he was married.”

Portrait of martyr Hoang Van Phuc. Photo: GĐCC

Mr. and Mrs. Hoang Van Man originally lived in Thai Son commune, about 5 km from My Son commune. At that time, Truong Bon was still very wild, with few houses, so Mr. Man moved his family here at the call of the leaders of Do Luong district. The couple worked hard to stay in the fields and alluvial land to raise their children.

Then the war spread to the North,American aircraftThe bombing of Truong Bon became increasingly fierce, and this place was considered the “fire coordinate”. Thousands of youth volunteers were mobilized to clear roads and fill bomb craters; every night, convoys of vehicles crossed one after another to enter the front line.

Youth Volunteer Force fills bomb craters at Truong Bon "fire coordinates". Photo courtesy

All day and night, American planes rained down all kinds of bombs and ammunition on the road passing through Truong Bon, including extremely dangerous ones such as time-delayed bombs and magnetic bombs to prevent support for the enemy.Southern battlefieldIn the midst of the "boiling oil and burning fire", following the direction of superiors, My Son commune established a Suicide Bomb Disposal Team, consisting of people with combat experience and healthy, agile young men.

The team's mission is to clear unexploded bombs along the route, ensuring the safety of passing vehicles and keeping supplies flowing.

Entering his youth was also the time when his hometown was fiercely bombed by American planes. Hoang Van Phuc witnessed many times the scene of villages burned down, houses devastated, people buried by bombs. In 1967, he joined the air defense observation post on the top of Mao Ga mountain, performing the task of detecting and warning when enemy planes were about to bomb the area.Truong Bon.

For his achievements and contributions on the Truong Bon "fire line", martyr Hoang Van Phuc was posthumously awarded the Third Class Resistance Medal. Photo: Cong Kien

Knowing that the commune had established a suicide bomb disposal team, he volunteered to join. The suicide squad of My Son commune consisted of 12 soldiers trained in bomb detection and disposal techniques, directly commanded by comrade Nguyen Van Sau, who had served in the army against the French.

During those fierce days, after each bombing raid by American planes, Hoang Van Phuc and his teammates were immediately present to search for and destroy magnetic bombs and time-delay bombs, ensuring that the traffic arteries were always open. The mission was extremely dangerous, the line between life and death was so fragile that every time they entered the mission, the soldiers were given a living funeral.

After each victory, the soldiers returned in the midst of smoke and mud, moved to tears by the welcome from their comrades and people...

Give life to your teammates

On the morning of September 11, 1968, the Suicide Bomb Disposal Team received orders to quickly dispose of the bomb that was blocking Khe May point on Highway 34 so that the military convoy could enter the Ba Thung area to receive the goods. With the support of a Provincial Military Command officer, Team Leader Nguyen Van Sau and 5 members, including Hoang Van Phuc, were assigned to defuse the bomb in Khe May.

Certificate of National Merit of Martyr Hoang Van Phuc. Photo: Cong Kien

From dawn until almost noon, the soldiers had applied all necessary solutions but still could not deal with the bomb lying right in the middle of the road. Finally, everyone came to an agreement to double the explosives, so that if the bomb did not explode, it would sink deep into the ground, temporarily ensuring safety.

Agreeing on the plan, Captain Nguyen Van Sau was assigned to bring in explosives to detonate the bomb. But Hoang Van Phuc immediately stopped him: “Let me go in and set it for you… You’re still young and don’t have a family. I have a sister and young children.” After saying that, Phuc brought in explosives to set it. As soon as he turned around, a loud explosion rang out…

Relatives always remember martyr Hoang Van Phuc. Photo: Cong Kien

“Hearing the news that Phuc had defused the bomb, my parents, siblings, and the villagers rushed to Khe May hoping to find him thrown out by the pressure. But after searching for a long time, we only found a few pieces of his body and a pair of rubber sandals. To this day, I still remember the scene where my father silently carried his sandals back, while my mother was numb with love for him. That day, he woke up early to do his duty, and he hadn’t had time to eat breakfast yet…”

Mr. Hoang Van Nam - younger brother of martyr Hoang Van Phuc

When brothersacrifice, Mrs. Hoang Thi Sau was still young. For the past 54 years, she still keeps the image of her gentle brother, always loving and sharing with his younger siblings. She recalls: “On days when he was not on duty, when Phuc came home from the field, if I hadn’t had time to cook, he would rush to light the stove. When I saw my father holding his rubber sandals, I burst into tears because I knew he would never return, and from then on the family always carried the pain of anxiety…”.

The heroic sacrifice of Hoang Van Phuc, a son of My Son, further strengthened the determination of the forces on duty in Truong Bon to complete their mission. Bombs continued to fall, and convoys continued to go to the front line. Then, 50 days later, on October 31, 13 more Youth Volunteers of Company 317 fell in the midst of the fire and smoke of Truong Bon…

Relatives next to a photo of martyr Hoang Van Phuc. Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Phan Trong Loc - Director of Truong Bon Relic Management Board said: “Truong Bon is a sacred land, where hundreds of thousands of young people fought with their feet, cutting through mountains and clearing bombs for vehicles to enter the front line. Here, 1,240 outstanding people fell, contributing to the miracle of the resistance war against the US to save the country. Among them, there was the heroic sacrifice of martyr Hoang Van Phuc, whose family and local authorities have now prepared a dossier to propose conferring the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces”./.

Cong Kien