Steadfast as Phuxailaileng mountain

(Baonghean) -Turning the pages of the 40-year history of the establishment and growth of the Economic - Defense Group 4, Colonel Vi Van Dinh, former Head of the Economic - Defense Group 4, who has retired, stopped for a long time in front of a photo capturing the moment when the people and soldiers joined forces to pull a large truck over a muddy slope. With teary eyes and an emotional voice, he told me: Back then, when we first set foot on this land at the foot of Phuxailaileng Mountain with so many hardships and difficulties, if it weren't for the help of the ethnic people of Ky Son district, it would have been very difficult for us to complete our mission.

In 2002, welcoming us from Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh) to march, right at the temporary residence of the Delegation in Hom village, Huu Kiem commune, the ethnic people of Ky Son district organized a wine festival to welcome the troops. When the Delegation moved to the four communes of Nam Can, Na Ngoi, Muong Ai, Muong Tip to carry out the task of building the Ky Son Economic - Defense Zone, wherever they encountered muddy slopes, the villagers helped the troops push the carts, wherever there was no road, the people helped the troops clear the road. And when the Group chose the land in Phu Kha 2 village to settle down permanently, the Mong people here gave up their forest land and farmland to the army. Seeing that the army did not have houses yet, the Mong people in Phu Kha 1 and Phu Kha 2 villages told each other to go up Phuxailaileng mountain to get wood and palm leaves to help the army build houses... The hearts and feelings of the ethnic people of Ky Son district, the officers and soldiers of Economic - Defense Group 4 will forever be engraved in our hearts and we always promise ourselves to do everything for the people.

Not long after settling down at the foot of Phuxailaileng mountain, a fire broke out in Ai Khe village, Muong Ai commune, on the high mountain of the Mong people. 30 houses of the villagers were burned down by the "fire god". At that time, the project to support the construction of stable housing for the villagers had not arrived yet. The officers and soldiers of the Economic - National Defense Group 4 mobilized Mr. Lau Va Chu to take the lead in moving his residence from the high mountain to near the main road, and at the same time contributed their salary and labor to help Mr. Chu rebuild a new house. The new house in the new land of Mr. Lau Va Chu was built, the Mong people in Ai Khe village believed the soldiers' words, followed the "Army Group 4" to establish Huoi Khe village, settling down and making a living until now.

The people in the Ky Son Economic - Defense Zone do not have houses, the houses are not enough to protect them from the sun and rain, "The Army Group 4" finds a way to take care of them. The people in the Ky Son Economic - Defense Zone still have frugal meals, "The Army Group 4" finds a way to help. Every day, despite being very busy with work, from the group leader to each officer, employee, and soldier of the Group still take time to visit each family to see their meals. The times he visited and witnessed the very frugal meals of Mr. Mua Ba Phuong's family in Phu Kha 2 village, Colonel Vi Hieu, Head of the Economic - Defense Group 4, could not hold back his tears.

Although Mua Ba Phuong's family grew a lot of cassava and ginger according to the project of the Union, because of the large number of children, their life still could not escape poverty. Colonel Vi Hieu discussed with the officers and soldiers and came to an agreement to let Mr. Mua Ba Phuong choose two female buffaloes for breeding, then the Union would pay for them and let the family raise them until they gave birth to calves, and when the calves grew up healthy, they would transfer the mother buffaloes to other poor families. Colonel Vi Hieu also personally took Mr. Mua Ba Phuong to Trung Luong village (Duc Tho, Ha Tinh) to learn blacksmithing and cast iron casting so that the family could have more work during the off-season.

Medical soldiers of Military Economic Group 4 went to the village to examine and treat patients.

For the soldiers in white shirts at the combined military-civilian infirmary of the Economic - National Defense Group 4, their love for the people is shown in the spirit of always coming to examine and treat the villagers. Despite the small number of soldiers, despite the number of people and soldiers being treated at the infirmary always having full beds, despite the difficult roads, they still take turns going to the villagers in the most remote and difficult areas. One time in the middle of the night, they received news in Quac 1 village that a 3-month-old Mong baby had been bitten by ants (because the mother had hung her baby in a sling on a tree branch while working in the fields). According to the person who reported the news, the baby had died and the family was preparing for the burial... Without hesitation, Senior Lieutenant Tran Ngoc Tai, the head of the infirmary, commanded a team of doctors and emergency doctors to walk through the forest, racing against time, through the dark night to save the baby. When they arrived, the baby was clinically dead…However, with all the heart of a doctor, they still tried their best to save the baby and the baby was saved.

The love for the people of the officers and soldiers of Economic - Defense Group 4 is also shown in their bravery in rescuing people in times of trouble. Every time there are floods, dangerous places due to landslides and rapid floodwaters, "Group 4 soldiers" are present to help people cross safely. During the fierce flood in 2009, when crossing the spillway in Nam Can commune, Tran Van Hai and his wife Nguyen Thi Thuy (Thuy was pregnant with her first child at that time) were swept away by the water. Lieutenant Vu Dinh Tan, who was on duty that day, regardless of the danger, quickly jumped into the floodwaters to save both husband and wife.

Each officer and soldier of the Economic - Defense Group 4 always has a heart for the people, not only when they carry out their duties at the foot of Phuxailaileng Mountain but also when they have to leave their units to study and work. Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Ngoc Que, Deputy Head of the Economic - Defense Group 4, during his study days at the Army Academy, borrowed a relative's house and brought the officers of the Group there to stay to learn how to grow cold-climate plants and vegetables from Da Lat and bring them back to apply on the land at the foot of Phuxailaileng Mountain. The lily growing model has been successful, now they are waiting for the artichoke blooming season to verify and replicate, opening up more ways to escape poverty for the local people...

Cadres of Economic and Military Zone 4 buy dong rieng for villagers.

The road ahead for the soldiers of Economic - Defense Group 4 is still full of thorns, when they are entrusted with the heavy responsibility of building the area of ​​4 communes Tri Le, Hanh Dich, Nam Giai, Thong Thu in Que Phong district to become a bright spot in terms of Economy - Defense in the Western region of Nghe An. But no matter how difficult it is, with the spirit of serving the people, and being supported by the people, they will be as steadfast as Phuxailaileng mountain to overcome all difficulties and challenges.

Lake Linh