Island soldier's wife

(Baonghean) -“Here is Truong Sa, there is Hoang Sa. Thousands of storms and tempests have been overcome, overcome...” - I would like to borrow the lyrics from the song “Faraway Island” by musician The Song to depict the image of a Navy soldier. And behind them is the rear, where the island soldiers’ wives are working hard, overcoming all difficulties in life so that they can firmly hold their guns to guard the sacred sea and sky of the Fatherland…

The happiness of mother and child Bui Thi Yen.

Although they were classmates in high school, it was only when Yen entered the School of Pharmacy in Hai Duong and Van Minh Tai was a student at the Army University 1 that they noticed each other, and love came by chance, gently and persistently through letters. In 2001, he graduated and was assigned to Naval Region 4 (Cam Ranh - Khanh Hoa). Knowing that being a soldier's wife would mean many emotional disadvantages, little time to take care of his wife and children, and his parents in Long Thanh were also old, but overcoming all the difficulties ahead, in 2006, he returned home on leave and a simple wedding took place warmly with the presence of his comrades, friends and relatives from both sides. That time he had more than a month off - also the longest leave he had ever had. Because in the following years, Mr. Tai continued to be mobilized to Tien Nu and Sinh Ton islands and currently he is commanding training on Son Ca island in Truong Sa archipelago, Khanh Hoa province.

She said that before marrying him, she had thought about being away from her husband forever, but that was only in her mind. Only when she gave birth, raised the child alone, and made decisions that were supposed to be his - did she realize and realize that she needed to be stronger and more decisive, to be a solid support for him, the children, and her elderly parents. She made a very specific plan for herself: from taking care of the children, taking them to school, visiting her grandparents to shopping and repairing the house. Even though he lived far away, every time she had the intention to do something, she called the island to ask for his opinion, and only did it if he agreed.

It is impossible to tell all the difficulties and hardships of Ms. Yen when raising two small children alone. The worst is when her children are sick, she doesn't know who to call, her grandparents are old and weak, she can only hug her children and cry. However, when he calls to ask about them, she still says that mother and children are well, she hopes he is healthy, holding his gun firmly to protect the homeland's sea and islands. Even at this time, when China illegally placed a drilling rig in the Truong Sa archipelago, she is very worried, every noon and every evening she turns on the news to hear about the situation. During this time, during the training season, Mr. Tai also rarely calls home, but every time he calls, he tells her to rest assured, the sea and islands are still ours, the whole country, the whole world is looking towards Truong Sa, there is nothing to worry about, the brothers out here are determined to preserve and protect them to the end.

Knowing that her husband was on the island and was cared for by the Party, the State, and the people, she was very happy. Every time he was on leave, even though it was for a very short time, it was the happiest time for her. Because she could show off her housework skills, cooking the dishes he liked, the important thing was that the food she cooked was praised by people, although such compliments were very ordinary for many women, but for the wife of an island soldier, they were rare words of encouragement, many times more valuable than other gifts. As for him, he took the opportunity to fix broken electric wires or broken electric fans for his mother and children. He was a man of few words, just silently worked and never complained to his wife about this or that.

Seeing that there were guests coming to visit, her mother, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lien, ran over. In her conversation with us, she confided: When Yen got married, she told her that when she decided to marry a soldier, she had to know how to sacrifice, and that being a soldier's wife, she had to know how to accept hardships. Fortunately, Tai lives far away, but in his free time, he calls home to ask about his wife and children, talks to his parents, and asks his parents to take care of his wife and children, so we feel at ease. Seeing that the children are often sick and their son-in-law lives far away, Yen's parents decided to give her and her husband a piece of land in the garden, support the couple to build a house, and open a small pharmacy at the end of the alley for Yen. This is also convenient for Yen and her grandparents. Since moving in with her grandparents, Tai feels more secure when traveling far away. Quynh Chi and Minh Tri don't bother their mother much.

When mentioning her two children, Yen's eyes lit up with happiness. No matter how hard it was, she could endure it because she had her children. Saying goodbye to Yen and her children in the sunset, the sunset reminded her of reunion after a day of work. Even though she had gone far away, she could still see her and her children waving at the end of the alley, carrying with her a lingering feeling: hoping for the day soon when she could go to the island to visit her husband and her husband's comrades.

The lyrics of the song “Not far away Truong Sa, not far away Truong Sa, still close to me because Truong Sa is always with me, still close to me because Truong Sa is always with me...” sound so poignant and proud. Island soldiers like Mr. Tai still hold their guns firmly day and night because behind them there is a loyal rear.

Thanh Thuy