Teacher from Nghe An returns after death notice

Comradeship, teacher-student relationship

In his house in Residential Group 4, Anh Son town,Anh Son district(Nghe An), Mr. Nguyen Van Loi (born 1945) reserved a solemn place to hang the "Golden Board of Honor". This board was awarded by the state to Mr. Nguyen Van Dung (Mr. Loi's father) and his wife several decades ago because their two sons, Nguyen Van Loc and Nguyen Van Loi, joined the army to fight against the US and save the country.

In his emotion, Mr. Loi suddenly choked up: “That day, when we heard that our brothers had died one after another on the battlefield in the South, my parents cried their eyes out, the pain and grief covered the whole family. But I was lucky to return, to become a support for my parents, a source of motivation for the family…”.

Born in Khai Son commune (Anh Son district), graduated from the Physics Department, Vinh Pedagogical University, young teacher Nguyen Van Loi taught at Tinh Gia High School (Thanh Hoa). He thought that he would forever be attached to white chalk, blackboard and innocent, life-loving students, but the war became more and more fierce, the young teacher volunteered to join the army, hoping to contribute to repelling the invaders.

At the end of 1971, on Highway 1A through Tinh Gia district, there was an emotional farewell, teachers and students saw off their teachers and students in their eighteens and twenties who were leaving for the Southern battlefield to fight the Americans. Hands were tightly held, smiles and tears intertwined, the waves were filled with love.

“Today, when I am 80 years old, and that farewell took place more than 50 years ago, my memory is still clear with every image and detail, everything is still intact, I cannot forget the loving eyes of the little students, of my friends and colleagues...”, Mr. Loi confided.

Entering the army, Nguyen Van Loi became a soldier of Division 325, the main fighting area in the Quang Tri battlefield. In this "fire land", he and his comrades participated in fierce battles, including the battleQuang Tri Citadel1972. Currently, he still keeps the article "Comradely love, teacher-student relationship" published in the People's Teacher newspaper, published on August 20, 1972.

The article tells about teacher Nguyen Van Loi who volunteered to join the army, did not have time to visit his family, only wrote a letter to inform his wife and then left. Entering the battlefield, he was added to the squad led by comrade Cao Van Hao. Hao was teacher Loi's student, enlisted 4 months before. Teacher and student met each other, both happy and surprised in their new relationship.

After many heart-to-heart talks, they decided to help each other train. Teacher Loi tried to follow the orders, practice techniques and tactics, and be worthy of being a soldier. And Squad Leader Hao had to be bold, serious in his behavior, and help wholeheartedly. From then on, they became close, working together to build a united squad.

Turn prison into revolutionary school

The turning point in the soldier's life took place on January 27, 1973 - the day the Paris Agreement was signed. That day, encountering the enemy at Cua Viet, the unit was assigned the task of preventing the enemy from expanding its territory, causing disadvantages for us after the agreement was signed. The battle was extremely fierce, the enemy used strong firepower to accelerate their advance, our troops fought back strongly and exhausted the enemy's strength.

The battle was unequal, so the unit suffered many losses. During a charge, soldier Nguyen Van Loi was shot and left lying on the sand. Waking up in the enemy hospital, he realized he had become a prisoner of war, and began a series of days of dealing with the enemy's plot to exploit information. The enemy transferred him to Da Nang prison, then Bien Hoa prison, then Can Tho prison, after seducing and threatening to torture him with whips, but he still did not say a word.

In exile, teacher Loi was assigned by the Party organization in prison to gather qualified comrades, secretly organize knowledge training, and teach culture to comrades and teammates. With experience, intelligence, and ingenuity, teacher Loi and his comrades turned the prison into a school.

On April 30, 1975, upon hearing the news that Saigon had been liberated, Mr. Nguyen Van Loi and more than 1,000 soldiers imprisoned in Can Tho prison rose up to break out of the prison and free themselves. Then, they joined in the joy of the reunification of the country and the reunion of the two regions.

After the busy days of post-war work, the soldier had time to write a letter to his family, recounting his journey of battle. It was nearly two months later that Mr. Loi received a reply letter from his wife, in which she said that the family had received a death notice in 1973. The news was like a thunderbolt, and the whole family was plunged into grief. His mother, Mrs. Hoang Thi Dung, was critically ill when she received the news that her son had died on the battlefield. The young wife lived with tears for two years, standing every night before her husband's altar, painfully remembering his loving eyes...

Leaving the army with a 61% disability, Mr. Loi continued to stick with chalk and blackboard, being an exemplary teacher for many generations of students in the midlands of Anh Son. When he retired and left the podium, his children had grown up and become successful, teacher Loi spent time traveling across the North and South to search for and connect with comrades and teammates who were imprisoned in Can Tho prison after the Paris Agreement.

After nearly 20 years of searching, Mr. Loi has in hand the addresses and phone numbers of nearly 500 of his fellow prisoners from the years he was imprisoned in Can Tho. Whenever he remembers them, he sits down to write letters or call to visit and exchange feelings.

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I just hope to have enough health to continue searching, connecting and meeting friends who shared the same prison experience. If I delay, the opportunity will gradually decrease, because most of us have passed the "rare" age.

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi