Four mementos and the immortal youth of a young soldier.
Among the thousands of artifacts preserved at the Nghe An - Soviet Nghe Tinh Museum, the collection of personal documents of martyr Nguyen The Tu, from Thanh Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district (now Dai Dong commune, Nghe An province), is of special value.
That's a military ID card.,Membership card,Military personnel record and Membership records – seemingly ordinary artifacts, yet they perfectly preserve the journey of a young man from Nghe An province, from the day he enlisted to the day he became a revolutionary soldier.
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On October 1, 1962, Military Identification Card No. 31066 was issued, marking the moment Nguyen The Tu officially joined the ranks of the Vietnam People's Army. At that time, North Vietnam was entering a phase of intensified force building, ready to support the major front in the South. Like tens of thousands of young people of his time, this son of Thanh Chuong put aside his own youth to don the military uniform.
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Just nearly three months after enlisting, on December 22, 1962 – the founding day of the Vietnam People's Army – Nguyen The Tu was admitted to the Vietnam Youth Union. To this day, his membership card number 111023 is still preserved almost intact at the Nghe An - Soviet Nghe Tinh Museum.
The small card, with its dark reddish-brown cover, has faded with age, yet the emblem of the Vietnam Youth Union is still embossed on the outside. Inside, the light blue pages have yellowed and show many stains from time, but the handwritten notes, red seal, and signatures are still quite clear. The signatures of the union members, along with the pages recording the payment of union dues in 1963, are still preserved, authentically recreating the activities of the young soldier in the military.
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Among the information recorded on the card, the handwritten inscription "At the Youth Union Branch: Cao The Chien" holds special significance. This is not only the name of a Youth Union organization but also a valuable piece of documentary information. Comparing it with the history of Regiment 101 reveals that the Cao The Chien Youth Union Branch was established. This is a Youth Union organization named after Hero of the People's Armed Forces Cao The Chien - Deputy Commander of Company 2, Regiment 101, Division 325, who bravely sacrificed his life in battle and became a symbol of traditional education for the unit.
During the years of resistance against the American invasion, naming military youth union branches after heroic martyrs was a movement launched by the Central Committee of the Youth Union and the General Political Department to educate revolutionary ideals, inspire emulation, and instill fighting spirit in union members and young people. Therefore, the fact that martyr Nguyen The Tu was admitted to the Youth Union at the Cao The Chien branch, along with the information about the unit designation C2.D9.E101.F325 recorded in his membership record, are important documents that contribute to clarifying his service in the 101st Regiment, 325th Division.
More specifically, the card was issued on December 22, 1962 – the traditional day of the Vietnam People's Army. This coincidence in timing served as a beautiful milestone in the young soldier's life: from then on, he was not only a soldier but also a member of the Youth Union, carrying within him the ideals of Vietnamese youth during the years when the entire nation embarked on the resistance war against the US to save the country.
The value of the collection of artifacts is further reinforced when compared with the Member's Record dated April 18, 1963, which clearly states the designation C2.D9.E101.F325 (Company 2, Battalion 9, Regiment 101, Division 325). At the same time, the Military Personnel Record dated January 15, 1963, also contains the handwritten comments of the unit commander, Pham Cong Chuan, reflecting the qualities, discipline, and training spirit of the young soldier.
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From those original documents, the military journey of martyr Nguyen The Tu becomes increasingly complete: a young man from Thanh Tuong who enlisted in 1962, growing up in the ranks of Battalion 9, Regiment 101, Division 325 - a mobile main force unit that made many contributions on the battlefields.
On March 12, 1969, he bravely sacrificed his life on the Route 9 - Northern Quang Tri Front and is now laid to rest at the Truong Son National Martyrs Cemetery (Zone 4, Row L, grave number 85).
Remarkably, after more than six decades, the entire collection of documents has been preserved almost intact at the Nghe An - Soviet Nghe Tinh Museum. In the midst of fierce warfare, the preservation of a complete personal file of a fallen soldier is highly significant. Beyond its value as an artifact, this collection of documents also contributes to supplementing original historical sources for research into the history of the army, the youth movement, and the revolutionary traditions of Nghe An.
For traditional education, these artifacts have a special impact. Before four pages stained with the passage of time, viewers can not only read biographical information or military symbols, but also feel the aspirations of an entire generation of Vietnamese youth to contribute. They once had very simple dreams, but when the country needed them, they were ready to set everything aside to go to war.
For the family and hometown of Thanh Tuong, now Dai Dong, these are priceless mementos of a son who dedicated his youth to the country.
For the Nghe An - Soviet Nghe Tinh Museum, this is a rare collection of artifacts that contributes to preserving historical memory and connecting the past with the present.
For today's generation, these four relics remind us that peace does not come from simple things, but is earned through the blood, youth, and ideals of countless Vietnamese people...