The hearts of soldiers in Nghe An returning from the war

Heavy heart for teammates

Having passed the age of 70, the consequences of war in recent years have almost exhausted the strength of Mr. Tu Viet Thu (born in 1948) in Trung Phuc Cuong commune (Nam Dan). "With an 81% disability, being able to return to his family and live to this day is a blessing. How many comrades are lying on the edge of the forest, on the cliffs..." - Mr. Thu said sadly. And, when mentioningteammate, the veteran suddenly had tears in his eyes, his old eyes seemed to be filled with tears.

Despite his declining health due to a high rate of injuries, Mr. Tu Viet Thu, Trung Phuc Cuong commune (Nam Dan) has twice gone to the battlefield to find his comrades. Photo: Cong Kien

At the age of 20, Mr. Thu and his comrades crossed the 17th parallel to fight on the Quang - Da front against the Americans. The war became increasingly fierce, the young soldier had to witness his comrades sacrifice every day and many times he had to bury the fallen with his own hands. Returning to normal life, the soldier could not stop missing his comrades who were lying on the forest walls and streams.

He wanted to do something to make his heart at peace, to be worthy of the sacrifice of his comrades. With that wish, from Nam Cuong, Mr. Thu went to Nam Trung commune (now merged into Trung Phuc Cuong) to meet the parents of Nguyen Van Phuong - a friend who joined the army on the same day, and was in the same unit.sacrificeand buried by his own hands to provide information.

But it was not until decades later that the family of martyr Phuong and Mr. Thu were able to arrange a trip to Phuoc Lanh commune, Tien Phuoc district (Quang Nam) to find the grave. It was a difficult and arduous trip, traveling by car, motorbike and even on foot. After nearly a day of searching for every trace, mobilizing connections, and receiving help from the local government and people, the grave was finally found.

Mr. Nguyen Tat Trien in Trung Do ward (Vinh city) has many times gone to the Quang Tri battlefield to find his comrades' graves. Photo: Cong Kien

After the tripfind martyrs graveNguyen Van Phuong and Mr. Tu Viet Thu made two more trips to the old Quang-Da front, following the Thu Bon River to find their comrades' graves. And during those two trips, Mr. Thu found two graves of comrades and fellow countrymen who had fallen more than 40 years ago. That was martyr Nguyen Van Loc (Hung Binh Ward - Vinh City) and helped his family bring his remains back to his hometown for burial.

As for martyr Huynh Van Lang, who was from Nghia Dan district, Mr. Thu still has not found his relatives. Several years ago, Mr. Thu made many efforts to go to the red soil area of ​​Phu Quy to search but still had no news about martyr Lang's relatives. Therefore, he is still worried and anxious because the work has not been completed.

Veteran Nguyen Xuan Cam, Dien Cat commune (Dien Chau) in front of the altar of his comrades. Photo: Cong Kien

Like Mr. Thu, Nguyen Xuan Cam (born in 1951) in Hamlet 1, Dien Cat Commune (Dien Chau) has also twice entered the old battlefield in the mountains and forests of Quang Tri to find the graves of his comrades and teammates. The first was martyr Vo Van Tung (died in 1970), a classmate, from the same hometown of Dien Cat, enlisted on the same day and fought in the same company. And it was also Mr. Cam who buried martyr Tung when he was killed by a bomb fragment. Next was the grave of martyr Le Van Mao, from the same commune, a few years older, who was moved back to his hometown with his relatives.

Veterans of Nghe An province burn incense for their comrades at the Quang Tri Provincial Cemetery. Photo: Tran Duy Ngoan

And, there are many, many soldiers who were loyal to their comrades and sacrificed their lives, such as Mr. Tu Viet Thu, Nguyen Xuan Cam...

Pioneer in building homeland

In recent years, Nghe An has promoted the movement.new rural construction, civilized urban areas, the face of the homeland has really changed and improved. This is the result of the efforts of local authorities and people at all levels, in which veterans are always the pioneers, leading by example, especially the movement of donating land to open roads. From cities to plains or mountainous areas, many veterans are ready to knock down and move fences deep into the garden to donate land and trees to build roads.

Veteran Tran Van Phap (third from right), hamlet 12, Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong) voluntarily donated land, demolished a solid fence to open a rural road. Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Luong Cong Chinh in Kim Nghia hamlet, Nghi An commune (Vinh city) voluntarily donated nearly 200 square meters of residential land (worth about 600 million VND) to open a road. His family also donated 5 million VND and mobilized friends to donate 75 million VND to build a cultural house in the hamlet. Following Mr. Chinh's example, people in Kim Nghia hamlet, some more than others, have also voluntarily donated land to have a standard road.

“As a soldier who experienced the war against America, witnessing many sacrifices and losses in exchange for a peaceful life, my contribution today is really small. I always keep in mind that in any situation, I must promote my qualities.Uncle Ho's soldier" - Mr. Chinh shared.

Veteran Tran Huu Luc (2nd from left), hamlet 12, Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong) voluntarily donated land, demolished a solid fence to open a rural road. Photo: Cong Kien

Also a former soldier, when the commune expanded the road in front of her house, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lieu in Dai Dong commune (Thanh Chuong) mobilized her family and relatives to relocate.churchThey donated land to the commune to build roads.

At first, not everyone agreed easily, because moving the family church was not a simple matter, involving both financial and spiritual issues. But with perseverance and ingenuity, Ms. Lieu convinced her relatives to agree to the relocation so that the road could be completed soon, contributing to building the commune to meet new rural standards.

Veteran Nguyen The Ky (left), Thuan Phu hamlet, Thuan Son commune (Do Luong) has made many contributions to building hamlet cultural houses and rural roads in the locality. Photo: Cong Kien

And there are many examples of soldiers returning home, sacrificing their family's property, contributing to the construction of the new countryside. They are Mr. Cao Tien Dung in Dong Van commune (Tan Ky) who donated 1,500 m2 of land, Mr. Tran Van Hoa in Linh Son commune (Anh Son) who donated 756 m2, Mr. Vi Van Thanh in Muong Noc commune (Que Phong) who donated 500 m2, Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuc in Quynh Lien commune (Hoang Mai town) who donated 612 m2... Thanks to that, the rural roads were expanded and arranged in a straight line, both convenient for travel and ensuring aesthetics.

“When soldiers completed their missions and returned to civilian life, many returned to the old battlefield to find their comrades’ graves with deep sympathy and gratitude. And many were pioneers in movements, especially the new rural construction movement. In 2020, veterans in the province undertook 364 projects (worth over 11 billion VND), participated in 55,000 working days, donated more than 114,000 m2 of land and artifacts worth 6.25 billion VND...”.

Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Tran - Vice President of Nghe An Province Veterans Association