Society

Team of builders constructing military uniforms and other projects for the people in border areas.

Khanh Ly, Quynh An • July 19, 2024 10:24

Undeterred by difficult weather and terrain conditions, the construction team of soldiers from the Tam Quang Border Guard Post (Tuong Duong) is always ready to help local people and villages build houses and other supporting structures. This is a voluntary act, stemming from the affection and responsibility of these soldiers who always consider "the border as their homeland and the people of all ethnic groups as their brothers and sisters."

Houses of gratitudelove

Visiting the "happy home" being built by the "Soldiers' Uniform Construction Team" of the Tam Quang Border Guard Post for Vieng Van Thanh, a 3rd-grade student in Tung Huong village, we witnessed a bustling atmosphere of hard work despite the scorching summer heat of the highlands.

Sweat beaded on his sun-tanned face as Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen The Nam, a professional soldier and team leader from Ha Tinh province, worked quickly and cheerfully, holding bricks in one hand and trowel in the other, explaining: "The house is located on a steep slope, making material transportation quite difficult, so we had to divide it into many stages."

However, all the workers in the team recognized that helping the people was their responsibility, a "command from the heart" of the border guards, so they were determined to "overcome the sun and rain" to complete the project as soon as possible.

"

Vieng Van Thanh is an orphan living with his grandmother, Lo Thi Loi (71 years old), in a makeshift house made of bamboo and reeds. Through the 2024 Border March program, the Central Youth Union appealed for support to build a "happy house" for him, worth 80 million VND. The Tam Quang Border Guard Post has sent its construction team to contribute their efforts, helping to make Thanh's dream of a new home a reality. The house is expected to be completed and handed over to Thanh and his grandmother in less than two months.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Tan - Political Officer of Tam Quang Border Guard Station

Before Thanh, the "Team of Soldiers Building Houses" of Tam Quang Border Guard Post also provided labor to build a house of compassion for Phan Tu Tuong - an orphaned student in Son Ha village - using funds raised by his homeroom teacher through appeals and donations from benefactors.

According to the leaders of Tam Quang commune, in this border area, many families have received support from the "Soldiers' Uniform Construction Team" to build houses. A notable example is the sturdy house with blue trim belonging to Mrs. Vi Thi The (80 years old) in Tung Huong village.

Mrs. The is from a poor, single-parent household; her husband and children have both passed away, leaving only her two grandchildren. Previously, the three of them lived in a small, dilapidated house with wooden planks and a corrugated iron roof.

Sharing the difficulties with the local people, Tam Quang Border Guard Station raised 70 million VND and mobilized officers and soldiers to build a sturdy house including a kitchen area, providing Mrs. The with a stable place to live.

Mrs. The emotionally shared: "Thanks to the help of the construction team from the Tam Quang Border Guard Post in building a house to protect us from rain and sun, my grandchildren and I are very happy. Now that my two grandchildren have gone to work far away, I live alone, but the officers and soldiers of the Post regularly encourage and visit me, which makes me feel comforted and less lonely."

Similarly, the three-room wooden house with a tiled roof where the family of Mr. Vi Van Thuy, born in 1975, currently lives in Tung Huong village, was completed with the labor support of a construction team from the Tam Quang Border Guard Post.

Mr. Thuy, a former Border Guard soldier, is in difficult circumstances and currently lives alone as his wife and children work far away. His family has been saving up to build a house, but they have only completed the roofing; the surrounding walls are still missing due to lack of funds. Sympathizing with his situation, the Tam Quang Border Guard Post sent a team of construction workers to directly assist his family in completing the remaining work.

"Without the support of the construction team from Tam Quang Border Guard Station, I don't know when my family would have been able to complete our house," Mr. Thuy said gratefully.

Striking up a conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen The Nam, the team leader of the construction crew, while he was cleaning his tools after a long day's work, he shared: As soon as the Border Guard Post decided to establish the "military-uniformed construction crew" in 2020, many officers and soldiers volunteered to join.

The average team size is about 8-10 officers and soldiers, all of whom are skilled, talented in construction, and dedicated to serving the ethnic minority communities.

The purpose of establishing the construction crew was to help the people and villages build houses and public works. One person guided another, the skilled workers instructing the beginners, and gradually everyone became proficient. The youngest member of the construction crew is Captain Phan Văn Kiên, born in 1982, from Thanh Chương.

To facilitate the work of the construction team, the Tam Quang Border Guard Station has paid attention to and allocated funds to purchase machinery and tools such as trowels, scaffolding, concrete mixers, laser leveling machines, etc., to ensure the team operates as efficiently as possible.

Projects for the people

Visiting Tung Huong village in Tam Quang commune, we no longer saw villagers struggling to carry water back home for kilometers. This is thanks to the water reservoir built and donated by the Tam Quang Border Guard Post, with a capacity of about 30 cubic meters and worth 50 million VND.

This project is of particular significance to the local people because, due to the unique terrain, the residents of Tung Huong village face many difficulties in accessing clean water, especially during the dry season.

Understanding the difficulties, the Tam Quang Border Guard Post spent money to buy materials such as cement and steel; at the same time, they mobilized the efforts of the "military-built construction team" to cooperate with the local people in leveling the ground, extracting gravel and stones from the stream, and transporting them up the hill to build a "military-civilian water tank" to serve the daily needs of the entire village.

"

The Tam Quang Border Guard Post, especially its construction team, has assisted villages and residents in building many public works projects.

Village head of Tung Huong, La Van Hoanh

According to the head of Tung Huong village, La Van Hoanh: The village has 243 households and 1106 inhabitants. 205 of the villagers work away from home, leaving mostly elderly people, women, and children at home. Therefore, whenever a project needs to be implemented, the village management faces many difficulties in mobilizing manpower. Fortunately, thanks to the Tam Quang Border Guard Post, especially the construction team, they have supported the village and its people in building many public works serving production and daily life.

For example, they assisted in pouring 25 meters of stone embankment and 36 meters of rural road, paving the courtyard of the cultural center with concrete, building a water tank for the military and civilians; and constructing a 230-meter-long irrigation canal to ensure water for agricultural production for the people in the village. In addition, the construction team also provided labor to support the Tùng Hương village kindergarten in building a 300-meter fence…

Meanwhile, in Tan Huong village, the "team of construction workers in military uniforms" has also left many positive impressions on the village management and the people through their community service activities such as: building clean water facilities; supporting the renovation of the community cultural center. Recently, the team of construction workers in military uniforms also helped Tan Huong village pave 104 meters of rural road, serving the construction of advanced new rural areas…

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Tan, Political Officer of Tam Quang Border Guard Station: To date, the "team of construction workers building military uniforms" has supported and assisted the local government and people in the area with more than 3,000 man-days of labor in building 4 houses, 32 house foundations; 1 fence; 1 irrigation project; 1 clean water project; 2 cultural houses; and more than 200 meters of road.

The completed dormitory will provide stable accommodation for 40 junior high school students from the two border villages of Tung Huong and Tan Huong, allowing them to focus on their studies.

Ms. Kha Thi Hien, Chairwoman of the Tam Quang Commune People's Committee, said: "The practical projects and tasks of the 'team of soldiers building uniforms' in particular, and the Tam Quang Border Guard Station in general, have helped the people in the area stabilize their living conditions; supported villages in completing the criteria for new rural areas, contributing to strengthening the bond between the military and the people in the border region."