Sacred Truong Bon
Just over a year after the 40th anniversary of the Truông Bồn victory, the promise of the Party Committee and people of Nghe An to the young volunteers who sacrificed their lives at Truông Bồn has been fulfilled: the project to preserve and restore the Truông Bồn historical site has commenced. In just a few more years, a historical and cultural site will be completed here, befitting the stature, noble sacrifice, and heroism of the young volunteer martyrs.
(Baonghean)Just over a year after the 40th anniversary of the Truông Bồn victory, the promise of the Party Committee and people of Nghe An to the young volunteers who sacrificed their lives at Truông Bồn has been fulfilled: the project to preserve and restore the Truông Bồn historical site has commenced. In just a few more years, a historical and cultural site will be completed here, befitting the stature, noble sacrifice, and heroism of the young volunteer martyrs.
The emotions of the people of My Son and the numerous delegates attending were easily discernible as, from early morning, hundreds of people gathered at the martyrs' burial ground to await the groundbreaking ceremony for the project to preserve and restore the Truong Bon historical site. This was a long-awaited dream of the local people, and also the aspiration of many comrades and fellow soldiers for a final resting place for the 13 fallen Youth Volunteers.
 |
Here, more than 40 years ago, at the "battleground" of Truong Bon, thousands of Nghe An's Youth Volunteers acted as "living markers" to clear and fill bomb craters, ensuring the passage of the liberation army's convoy. Also here, on the night of October 30th and the morning of October 31st, 1968, to ensure the safe passage of the military convoy crossing Truong Bon, 13 out of 14 soldiers of Company 317 sacrificed their lives. Of these, 6 martyrs' bodies remain intact, while 7 others were buried in the soil of their homeland and reinterred in a common grave. Even more heartbreaking, this was the final, fierce bombing raid before the US imperialists ceased bombing North Vietnam to sit down for negotiations. And among the martyrs who died, four had completed their discharge procedures and received acceptance letters to vocational high school, two were planning to return home for their weddings, and one had been married for less than a month...
Sitting among the delegates, Ms. Nguyen Thi Duan (Vinh Thanh - Yen Thanh), the sister-in-law of martyr Tran Van Hap, who for over 40 years has been honoring her brother-in-law in place of her parents and husband, couldn't help but feel sorrowful. Looking at the flags and flowers filling the sky, seeing her brother-in-law's comrades greeting each other warmly, she couldn't help but feel sad remembering him, missing him, and feeling sorry for her sister-in-law, who died just 19 days after her wedding. Just this morning, before being driven to My Son by her nephew for the groundbreaking ceremony, she stood before the portraits of her brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and husband to speak about this momentous event. With a heart full of anticipation, she prayed: "May the sacred souls of these heroes come and witness this moving moment..."
Also from Yen Thanh, Uncle Nguyen Tam Con - the eldest brother of Company 317 - arrived at My Son at dawn. Witnessing the groundbreaking ceremony, his mind suddenly replayed the last day of the soldiers at Truong Bon: for some reason, Hap couldn't sleep the night before his sacrifice. All night on duty, he kept fiddling with his pipe, tossing and turning, talking about his parents and his newlywed wife. Perhaps he had a premonition?! After pondering the question, he focused his attention on the rendering of the future memorial complex, which promises to be an attractive historical and cultural tourist destination, a "red address" for educating the younger generation about patriotism. According to the project plan, to be implemented over 5 years, upon completion it will include the central area at Kì Lợn slope, the victory monument at U Bò slope, and the area of Hamlet 9 in Mỹ Sơn commune with a memorial, tombs, statues, reliefs... and the reconstruction of the resting and living quarters of the soldiers, a bomb disposal vehicle garage, a kitchen, a dining hall, and bomb shelters...
 |
With a total investment of nearly 175 billion VND, the Truông Bồn historical site preservation and restoration project is the most historically significant project. From the initial concept to the implementation process, the role of businesses and philanthropists has been immense. Expressing boundless gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives, Ms. Thái Thị Hương, General Director of Bắc Á Joint Stock Bank, shared her feelings about the noble sacrifice of the Youth Volunteer soldiers and hoped for more support from organizations and individuals to ensure the project is completed on schedule. Ms. Hương's expectations reflect the aspirations of the Party Committee, government, and people of Nghệ An province for a project of significant historical, humanitarian, and educational value.
Ha - Ly
