Mourning the fallen soldier on the offshore platform.

(Baonghean.vn) - Losses and sacrifices are not limited to wartime; even in peacetime, when the guns are silent, soldiers on the DK1 offshore platform still fall into the embrace of Mother Sea. Senior Lieutenant Duong Van Bac, a professional radar operator, sacrificed his life at the DK1/11 (Tu Chinh 3) offshore platform while inspecting and reinforcing the platform's equipment, at the young age of just over 40. Bac's sacrifice once again illuminates the unwavering will to stay at sea, the spirit of responsibility, and the love for the nation's islands and seas.

The DK1/11 offshore platform stands small amidst the vast expanse of waves and storms.

Professional First Lieutenant Duong Van Bac (on the right) before departing for the DK1/11 offshore platform in November 2013.

Tears flowed on the day he came home.

At 6:00 AM on October 9th, the naval port of Squadron 812, Region 2 of the Navy, was filled with grief. A large number of officers and soldiers from Battalion DK1, Squadron 812, and Radar Regiment 251 stood silently on the pier, awaiting the return of the KN-812 vessel carrying the body of Lieutenant Duong Van Bac from the DK1/11 platform.

The body of a soldier carrying the national flag, embraced by his comrades.

We lined up on the pier, gazing out at the distant sea, where the KN-812 ship carrying the remains of our fallen comrade was slowly docking. Our hearts ached with grief and sorrow for our young comrade; we were speechless. Unable to hide his emotion at the sacrifice of his younger brother and comrade, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen The Dinh, with teary eyes, shared: “Comrade Bac was an exemplary and outstanding Party member of the unit. He was enthusiastic and energetic in everything he did, and always trusted and loved by his comrades. In every position he held, he always completed his tasks excellently. For many years, he was a model soldier of the unit.” Lieutenant Colonel Do Van Toan, Political Commissar of the 251st Radar Regiment and former political officer of the DK1 Battalion, said emotionally: “Bac was a very affectionate person; we always treated him like family. Despite his difficult family circumstances—his father passed away early, his elderly mother lives in the countryside, and his two children are still young—Comrade Bac always strived to complete his duties. If the unit didn't assign him a task, that was one thing, but if they did, he would complete it no matter how difficult it was.”

The KN-812 ship sounded its horn, dropped anchor, and we approached the edge of the pier. There was Bac's body. On the mast, his white military uniform, with its epaulets and proud rank insignia, was still intact. Bac's wife, Vuong Thi Tram, wept bitterly: "Bac, it's me. My three children and I have been waiting for you to come home," then she fainted. Their eldest son, a third-grade student, cried: "Dad Bac, where are you? Last week you spoke to me on the phone, you promised you'd come home, Dad." In the arms of his uncle, the two-year-old child also felt the pain of losing his father. He cried out, "Dad Bac, come home to me!"

The body of the fallen soldier was loaded onto a refrigerated vehicle to be taken back to his family for the funeral ceremony.

Overwhelmed with grief at the loss of her loved one, Duong Thi Hoa's sister choked back tears: "Bac was the ninth child in a family of ten siblings. When he first enlisted, Bac wrote to me asking, 'What does it mean to live beautifully, sister?' I told him, 'Living beautifully means living with ideals and dreams.' Bac also said, 'Living beautifully means not being indifferent to life.' When he went to study Radar Technology at Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City), he wrote to me: 'I have realized my ideal in life. It is a beautiful ideal of living for the Fatherland. I am a soldier, and living beautifully means holding my weapon firmly to protect my homeland, right, sister?' Now you are no longer here for me to call your name, Bac," Hoa said, her voice trembling.

Lieutenant Bac's wife, Ms. Vuong Thi Ha, fainted from grief upon seeing her husband's body.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh, the deputy principal of Phuoc Thang Primary School, said: “Last November, before he left for the offshore platform, he and his wife came to my house to visit. He even joked, ‘Sister, can I leave my wife on the mainland? I’ll be back next year.’ And yet…” Ms. Minh choked up, unable to speak further.

Sacrifice isn't just for wartime.

First Lieutenant Bac (far left) at the Party branch meeting at the Phuoc Nguyen 2 offshore platform.

At 3:30 PM on October 7, 2014, Senior Lieutenant Duong Van Bac and soldier Dao Van Diep were performing a task inspecting the obstacle system under the ship's deck. Due to high waves and strong winds, Bac slipped and fell into the sea and was submerged. Immediately afterwards, the DK1/11 platform issued a rescue alert and mobilized search forces. Later, Bac's body was recovered from the ship's deck, where he received on-site medical attention before being transferred to the living quarters. During this time, the platform's medical staff coordinated with military doctors from Region 2 and doctors from Military Hospital 175 on the mainland to provide intensive care. Despite the dedicated efforts of his comrades, he did not survive and passed away at 8:00 PM the same day.

Two young children (wearing blue and red shirts) receive their father's body on the pier.

This iron chest has accompanied the soldier from the North for over 15 years while stationed at the DK1 offshore platform.

Lieutenant Bac, originally from Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district, Nghe An province, enlisted in February 1995. After studying Radar at the Naval Technical College (Cat Lai, Ho Chi Minh City), Bac was assigned to DK1 and served on various offshore platforms for over 15 years. On November 12, 2013, Bac left for the DK1/11 platform and has not returned to the mainland to visit his wife and children since.

Currently, Lieutenant Bac is married to Vuong Thi Tram, who works as a clerk at Phuoc Thang Primary School in Vung Tau City (BR-VT). They have two young sons, the older one in third grade and the younger one only two years old. The family is facing many difficulties.

The altar dedicated to Lieutenant Bac at his private residence.

Following the sacrifice of Lieutenant Duong Van Bac, units of the 2nd Naval Region organized a fundraising campaign to help his family. The principal of Phuoc Thang Primary School sent a team of teachers to be present and comfort the family. The memorial service for Lieutenant Duong Van Bac was held at his home in Ward 12, Vung Tau City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

Since its establishment, the Economic-Scientific-Service Cluster (DK1) has had 8 officers and soldiers killed in action, of which the bodies of 2 have been recovered, while the bodies of 6 officers and soldiers remain at sea.

Mai Thang

(1086 30/4 Street, Ward 11, Vung Tau)