Standing firm on the sacred frontier of the Fatherland
(Baonghean) - When talking about border guards, one cannot help but recall the lines of poetry from a childhood lesson: "The border policeman / Crouchs on horseback / The horse gallops as fast as lightning / The whole forest is swept by wind..." (Phan Thi Thanh Nhan). That beautiful picture has stayed with me throughout my childhood...
Then, my life as a journalist led me to places where mountains rise high and waterfalls cascade down, to the headwaters of rivers flowing into my homeland, where I encountered that familiar green uniform on chilly nights and days when the hot, dry winds of Laos scorched my hair. At small, precarious border posts clinging to the slopes, I sat on a simple bed, silently gazing at the single pillow, the single dark green blanket, and the small chest that held a world of longing: photographs, letters from home… One soldier told me that he hadn't been home for Tet (Lunar New Year) for many years, missing home terribly, but his love for his comrades kept him going. He was celebrating Tet right on the border, during his patrol. His only wish was to hear the singing voice of a young woman…
Night classes for children in Huoi Son village, Tuong Duong district, organized by officers of Border Guard Post 551. Photo: Hai Thuong
I also once rode on an old Red Cross vehicle belonging to the Cultural Propaganda Team of the Nghe An Border Guard to visit the people and soldiers in remote areas. I witnessed the cultural soldiers singing loudly on a simple stage made of hastily assembled wooden planks, their legs aching from climbing steep slopes day after day. After the performance, one woman, missing her young children, secretly hid her bitter tears in the forest at night...
Beyond the heroic and romantic image of soldiers crouching on horseback amidst a wind-swept forest, the border guard in my mind now is more realistic, relatable, and far more beautiful. It's the faint outline of a face bent over a book for children in the highlands. It's the warmth of hands helping villagers plant rice, passion fruit, and abundant green squash. It's the caring inquiries when examining and treating the sick in disadvantaged areas. It's the tireless footsteps on the border roads, and the choked emotion rising in their chests as they silently salute the national anthem before the national flag at the border marker. How much quiet sacrifice lies behind that simple green uniform...
An elderly villager from the highlands sent a message to a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper: "Our village is very different now, thanks to the border guards." Over the years, 53 Party members who are border guards have joined Party branches in villages and hamlets in strategically important areas, and 23 others have become secretaries and deputy secretaries of Party committees in border and disadvantaged areas. The villagers always speak of these beloved "sons" with respect and pride. These include Senior Lieutenant Phan Van Thang in Dien Hai commune, Dien Chau district; Major Dam Thien Thuong in Tri Le highlands; Lieutenant Colonel Que Van Su in Thong Thu (Que Phong); Lieutenant Colonel Ha Dinh Tin in Bac Ly; and Major Vu Van Hau in Ta Ca (Ky Son)...
As for me, I would like to borrow someone's words: "It's not just on the anniversary of the Border Guard's founding that the image of the border guard soldier is deeply etched in the hearts of the Vietnamese people; every month, every day, the image of the border guard soldier is deeply ingrained in their hearts. Whenever the country is not at peace, the border guard soldier stands firm on the front lines, building trust, pride, and boundless love and respect."
Nghe An Weekend
