Warm your heart, Mother!

(Baonghean) - The ceremony of conferring and posthumously conferring the honorary title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother is an occasion for our Party, State and people to express the good morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", to show gratitude and remembrance to mothers who have endured the pain of losing their husbands and children who sacrificed for the greater cause... With deep responsibility and affection, the Party committees, authorities and people of Nghe An at all levels wish and are willing to do everything possible for the mothers, contributing to warming the souls of heroic martyrs and deceased Vietnamese Heroic Mothers.

Many days ago, preparations for the ceremony to award the honorary title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother of Nghe An province to mothers in the province were urgently and thoughtfully carried out by all levels and sectors. Therefore, the stage of the ceremony in Vinh City in the afternoon of the honor was truly solemn, warm, showing full gratitude. At this ceremony, the organizing committee fully arranged the reception department, honor guard, military band and medical department. It was not yet time for the ceremony, but everyone was present, in their correct positions. Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen, an officer of the Provincial Military Command, was very happy to be assigned to pick up and drop off the mothers. He said: “We are the next generation, and we would like to guide our mothers with love and respect. Our mothers are examples of great sacrifice. In the past, in the midst of extreme suffering, our mothers were still extremely brave and extraordinary. Now that our mothers are old and in poor health, we would like to be their walking sticks, their supportive arms, and their wheelchairs.”

Officers and soldiers of the Provincial Military Command helped the Heroic Vietnamese Mother attend the Honoring Ceremony. Photo: NK

At the ceremony, 31 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and relatives of 288 other mothers were present at the stage. The hall with nearly 1,000 seats was full. Many relatives of the mothers and people in the province came here to commemorate the heroes who sacrificed their blood and youth for the Fatherland, to show gratitude to the mothers who were "Heroic, indomitable, loyal, and courageous". Each of the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers had a different emotional tone: the mother was immersed among her "common children", the mother was in tears, the mother quietly turned her eyes to the stage. But all the mothers exuded kindness and tolerance. Vietnamese Heroic Mother Phung Thi Linh, from Nghi Khanh commune, Nghi Loc district, confided: "Any mother who loses a child is in pain. Each person feels pain in their own way. But if the child sacrificed for the country and the nation, for a great cause; the Party, the State, and the people always remember the child, the mother and the child's comrades, then the mother will be less sad and will be relieved".

Mr. Vuong Van Tien, 61 years old, in block 4, Doi Cung ward, came to receive the certificate of Vietnamese Heroic Mother for his mother, Nguyen Thi Khang (deceased), shared: I would like to thank the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers a thousand times for giving birth to heroic children who have devoted their blood and bones to the nation; I would like to thank the families and relatives of the mothers who sacrificed their lives to build up today's life; I would like to thank the Party and State for caring for and honoring the deceased martyrs, comforting their old age"... Mr. Nguyen Van Minh and Mr. Nguyen Cao Luc, in Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district (came to receive the certificate for mother Nguyen Thi Phung and mother Nguyen Thi Tich) also shared similar things: We are proud of our mothers, who gave birth to children who have made great contributions to the country.

The opening of the conferment and posthumous conferment ceremony were songs and dances praising and recreating the image of Vietnamese mothers with their sacrifices, endurance, hard work, and losses in the great resistance wars to liberate and protect the Fatherland. Mothers not only encouraged their husbands and children to join the resistance war but also directly participated in the life-and-death struggle with the enemy. When peace was restored, mothers overcame their own challenges, losses, and disadvantages, becoming a solid support for the whole family amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In particular, mothers did not consider themselves as policy subjects who needed to be cared for and treated well, but also joined hands to shoulder great and heavy responsibilities to the whole society. Those silent contributions of mothers have made the glorious tradition and shining dignity of our nation shine brighter, contributing to beautifying the beautiful landscape of Vietnam.

Provincial leaders presented certificates of recognition to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers.

In those emotional moments, everyone turned to the mothers as if trying to engrave and preserve their images with overflowing love. The mothers sat there, choked with emotion. The "common children" could only hug their mothers, wiping their tears with gratitude and admiration. Mothers are much more simple and noble than all... Mr. Ho Sy Tan, a relative of the Heroic Vietnamese Mother, confided on behalf of all those present at the conferment and posthumous conferment ceremony as well as many other Nghe An people: Conferring and posthumously conferring the title of Heroic Vietnamese Mother to the mothers is a recognition of their merits, warming the hearts of mothers and martyrs; it is a great honor for the mothers, their families and clans. The sacrifices of the mothers and martyrs will be remembered forever by the Party, the State and the people. We promise to continue to promote the traditions of the nation, homeland and family to continue educating the next generation to strive to build the country.

During the conferment and posthumous conferment ceremony, those present witnessed many touching images: Soldiers carried their mothers in wheelchairs onto the stage; provincial leaders helped the mothers walk; Major General Nguyen Sy Hoi - Deputy Commander of Military Region 4 sat and rubbed the mothers' shoulders, arms and legs to relieve their fatigue... The speech read by comrade Le Xuan Dai - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee at the ceremony was the voice of the next generation who always longed for "Repaying gratitude, repaying kindness", filled with the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source"; proud and remembering the heroic history of the nation, grateful and reminding themselves to live a life worthy of the sacrifices of many previous generations: "Vietnam's history begins with mothers, life begins with mothers. We are always proud to have mothers - heroic Vietnamese mothers...".

During this awarding ceremony, 92-year-old Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Hien, in Xuan Lam commune, Nam Dan district, smiled, both nostalgically remembering the old days and warmly reminiscing about the gratitude of today. She said: “Today, I feel both sad and happy. Sad because I miss your brothers, happy because I feel honored, seeing you all together, chatting, and seeing many brothers, sisters, and grandchildren come to visit, encourage, and wish you good health!”… Yes, the lives of mothers have suffered a lot, I hope that more and more joy will come to mothers, adding to the everlasting gratitude and the nation’s morality of drinking water and remembering its source.

Thanh Son - Mai Anh