50 years of reunification: Unforgettable memories of a veteran - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television Station

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- During the days when the whole country is looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), we had the opportunity to meet and talk with veteran Nguyen Duc Lap, residing in Chi Lang ward, Lang Son city - a liberation army soldier who directly participated in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

“The graves of unknown martyrs/Their blood and bones built the foundation of independence/The great victory of Spring, the lightning-fast campaign/Each cemetery, a glorious milestone/The soldiers met each other with great courage/All their lives, they did not care about titles/They lived their whole lives with love for their country/Their medals were worn by their comrades”.

Those were the choked-up verses that Mr. Lap read during the meeting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) organized by the People's Committee of Chi Lang ward in mid-April.

Mr. Lap tells revolutionary stories to his grandson.

         Mr. Lap was born in 1955, at the age of 17, when he saw his friends of the same age joining the army to save the country, Mr. Lap longed to wear the green military uniform, but at that time, the young man only weighed 42kg. After 2 military examinations without meeting the quota, Mr. Lap decided to "cheat" to join the army. He recounted: Because I did not have enough weight, I secretly put on a few extra pounds of iron on my 2 calves, when I weighed myself, I was exactly 45kg, so I was enlisted in October 1973 when I was just 18 years old and was assigned to Battalion 4, Regiment 12, Division 3, Military Region 5.

         After a long period of training, in early 1975, Mr. Lap received orders to march to the South, to support the Southern battlefield which was extremely fierce at that time. With a burning spirit and deep hatred for the enemy, the young soldier joined his comrades, each carrying more than 30kg of military equipment, and marched towards the beloved South.

         Recalling the days of selfless fighting for the Fatherland, Mr. Lap emotionally recounted: I remember very clearly April 26, 1975, in the rubber forest, the unit commander informed General Vo Nguyen Giap of the secret order of the campaign named after Uncle Ho: Ho Chi Minh Campaign. At exactly 5:00 p.m. on the same day, our army opened fire to begin a major attack on Saigon, opening the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. From 5 directions: Northwest, Northeast, East, Southeast, West and Southwest, the troops penetrated deeply with tanks leading, smashing the enemy's outer defense areas, approaching Saigon. At that time, my battalion was assigned the task of attacking the Southeast direction of Saigon (belonging to Vung Tau). At exactly 10:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, Vung Tau was completely liberated.

         After liberating Vung Tau, Mr. Lap's unit sent an army to Con Dao to liberate Con Dao, while Mr. Lap stayed in Vung Tau and then heard the news of victory on the radio. Although he did not witness the moment when the liberation flag flew on the roof of the Independence Palace, the news of victory made the soldiers in their twenties like Mr. Lap burst with emotion because the wish for the day of reunification finally came true, the two regions of the North and South were reunited, and the soldiers would be able to return to their families.

Commemorative photo of Mr. Lap with friends after the liberation of Vung Tau on April 30, 1975

         In the midst of the war, soldiers like Mr. Lap had to endure many hardships and deprivations, sometimes having to share each handful of rice or a tiny piece of dry food. It was during those difficult years that there were beautiful stories of humanity, even towards the enemy. Mr. Lap recalled: Once, while receiving orders to shoot, we met a puppet officer fleeing on a motorbike, carrying a woman behind him. Seeing us, this person raised his hands in surrender, immediately our squad leader shouted orders not to shoot because they had surrendered and, most importantly, there was a woman with them. Because we all remembered Uncle Ho's advice to uphold the spirit of humanity.

The most profound memories of a glorious time, especially the time participating in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, were preserved by Mr. Lap, recorded in a memoir he hand-wrote in 1976. Watching Mr. Lap flip through each page of the memoir, with pages and pen strokes stained by time, but through each sentence containing many emotions, many dreams about the day the country was unified of the young soldier, we clearly felt the journey and aspirations of the liberation army soldier, from the first days of confusion when joining the army, diligently training until marching to the South and directly holding guns, contributing to the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975.

Talking about the reason for writing this memoir, Mr. Lap laughed and said: When I was young, I took the opportunity to write down what I could remember so that later I would have something to remember and also to let my children and grandchildren know that my father had fought so gloriously. Now that I am old, my memory is getting worse, so this diary is my "savings"!

After the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1976, Mr. Lap returned to the North and studied to become an officer at the Military School of Military Region 3 in Hai Duong . In the following years, Mr. Lap continued to participate in wars to protect the Fatherland. After many years of fighting with guns, Mr. Lap was awarded many noble medals such as: First Class Military Exploit Medal, First Class Glorious Soldier Medal, Second Class Resistance Medal...

In 1990, Mr. Lap was demobilized and returned to his locality. With the trust of voters and assigned organizations, from 2004 to 2015, Mr. Lap held positions such as: Vice Chairman, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chi Lang Ward, delegate of the People's Council of the Ward, and then retired according to the regime. During his working years, Mr. Lap always promoted the spirit of a soldier, upheld his responsibility, and completed all assigned tasks well, which was recognized and commended by all levels and sectors.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Dong, Chairman of the Veterans Association of Chi Lang Ward, shared: Mr. Nguyen Duc Lap is a member of the Veterans Association. He is always exemplary, strictly following the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and policies; actively participating in emulation movements, campaigns, and local regulations and has been commended and rewarded by the Veterans Association at all levels.

         The flames of war have died down, but the memories of fierce battles have been deeply engraved in the souls of veterans. Now, when the whole country is looking towards the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, those memories have become stories to educate the younger generation about patriotism, so that the next generation can promote the heroic and steadfast traditions of their predecessors, unite and strive to build their homeland and country to develop more and more.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/50-nam-non-song-noi-lien-mot-dai-ky-uc-khong-quen-cua-nguoi-cuu-binh-5045549.html