Extraordinary willpower of veteran with 5% life left in Nghe An

Napalm Memories

These past few days, the cold winds have made wounded soldier Nguyen Xuan Mau in Hoang Chua hamlet, Thanh Tien commune (Thanh Chuong) more sore, sometimes the pain rolls over his body like a tidal wave. He still tries to get up to hold his grandson who is just over 1 year old, so that his daughter-in-law can have free time to work, and also help him forget the pain caused by the capricious weather.

War invalid Nguyen Xuan Mau talks about his life. Photo: Cong Kien

While comforting his grandchild, Mr. Mau confided: “Although my body is crippled and my face is deformed, being able to return to my hometown, having a family to take care of, and having a grandchild to hold is an extremely lucky thing for me. Because so many comrades have remained in the trenches and on the edges of the forest and on the cliffs, never to see their loved ones again…”

In 1968, just turned 18, Nguyen Xuan Mau - a healthy, handsome young man from Hoang Chua hamlet joined the army, becoming a soldier.soldierRegiment 27 of Nghe An. Having just finished training, the young soldier and his unit crossed the Ben Hai River to fight in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province, where fighting often took place at a fierce level, causing both sides to suffer many losses.

Until now, the fierce battles of the past still often come back to the dreams of veteran Nguyen Xuan Mau every night, it is like an obsession that haunts him throughout his life. The scene of bombs falling, bullets exploding, smoke and fire and many fallen comrades makes him panic at times, suddenly waking up only to realize he is dreaming, only to realize that it happened more than 50 years ago...

And of course, the soldier who spent 4 years in the "fire land" of Quang Tri could never forget a day in April 1972, a day filled with glory but also with pain and resentment. That day, Mr. Mau's company fought and destroyed nearly 3 enemy companies, but before they could safely retreat, they called in dozens of bombers for support.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Mau's disability rate is 95%. Photo: Cong Kien

Looking up from the trench, the soldier saw an object as big as a barrel falling near his position. A moment later, smoke and fire filled the air, his whole body was burning and he passed out without realizing it. When he woke up, Mr. Mau was terrified because his whole body was severely burned, his wounds ached, and he was being treated at Military Hospital 108, then transferred to Military Hospital 103.

After more than a year of treatment, soldier Nguyen Xuan Mau's injuries began to stabilize. Doctors concluded that he had burns all over his body, a disability rate of 95%, a deformed face, one eye damaged, the other eye with only 3/10 vision, damaged teeth that had to be completely replaced, deformed hands, and some bullet fragments still embedded in his body...

"Gift" of fate

The American napalm bomb turned a healthy, handsome soldier into a cripple, so deformed that his family could not recognize him when they visited. Seeing his burned face, with only one blurred eye left, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Mau could not help but feel disappointed and frustrated, and at times felt at a dead end when thinking about the future. His wound stabilized, and he was transferred to the Nghe An War Invalids Nursing Home. After a while, Mr. Mau asked to be transferred back to his hometown to be close to his family.family, relatives and neighbors.

Pitying the kind-hearted war invalid with a difficult family situation, a relative introduced him to a girl from the neighboring commune, Dinh Thi Hien, from Thanh Linh commune. That girl was 2 years younger than Mr. Mau, healthy, the youngest of 3 sisters, her father was a local official.

At first, the young girl refused because they had not yet met, and her friends advised her not to tie her life to a severely wounded soldier, because of the hardships and suffering that awaited. But her family, especially her father, persistently advised her that Mr. Mau was once a healthy, handsome man who fought for the country, and that the people had to endure the brutality of the enemy.

“Slow and steady wins the race”, finally the girl Dinh Thi Hien agreed to marry the severely wounded soldier Nguyen Xuan Mau. The wedding was held in 1980, the wedding ceremony was packed with attendees, everyone prayed that the newlyweds would have enough determination and strength to overcome the challenges ahead.

War invalid Nguyen Xuan Mau was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his work in repaying gratitude. Photo: Cong Kien

As originally planned, after the wedding day, Mrs. Dinh Thi Hien had a difficult and arduous journey. Because her husband was almost unable to work, her disability allowance was still meager, her mother-in-law was old and blind, the house was leaking above and falling apart below. Then, she gave birth to 3 children in a row (in 1982, 1983 and 1985), her already difficult life became even more difficult and deprived.

Mrs. Hien worked hard all day in the fields, gardens, and fields to earn rice, corn, and potatoes for the family. Then on windy nights, when Mr. Mau had body aches, Mrs. Hien stayed up all night to massage him. Pitying his hard-working wife, Mr. Mau spent time taking care of and teaching the children and helping his wife raise chickens, ducks, and grow vegetables to improve their lives.

The children gradually grew up and matured, the burden was gradually lightened, especially now that all 3 children have their own families with 6 grandchildren, and the economy is increasingly stable. Mrs. Hien shared: "Being his wife and living with him, I began to have love, and then the love grew with the hardships and difficulties. That is what gave me enough strength to walk beside him on the very difficult and deprived journey to have the life today."

Disabled soldier Nguyen Xuan Mau and his wife. Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Mau did not hesitate to honor his wife as a "gift"fatehas favored himself after having to endure pain and misfortune. “If fate had not given me a virtuous wife like her, I don’t know what my life would be like now. Having a family life today, the credit goes to her,” said Mr. Mau.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hung - Chairman of Thanh Tien Commune People's Committee said: "Mr. Nguyen Xuan Mau and his family members are all exemplary citizens in implementing the Party's policies and the State's laws, being exemplary and harmonious with the village. Thanks to that, for many consecutive years, he has been recognized as a Cultural Family, and recently, Mr. Mau was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for his work in repaying gratitude."

Cong Kien