20-year-old hero uses teeth to connect communication lines on Thach Han River

(Dan Tri) - Amidst the rain of bombs and bullets, Mr. Thoang bravely swam out to the Thach Han River, using his teeth to connect the communication line to maintain the information flow for his comrades fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel.

In April, when the whole country was looking forward to celebrating the 49th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day, memories of the 81-day and night battle to protect Quang Tri Citadel flooded back into the mind of Lieutenant Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Mai Ngoc Thoang.

Hero Mai Ngoc Thoang was born in the Muong countryside, Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa province. He is 71 years old this year but he is still quite agile and clear-headed. Every time he talks about the 81-day and night battle in Quang Tri Citadel, his eyes light up, recalling the heroic memories of the times he overcame "rains of bombs and bullets" to establish communication lines on the battlefield. "That was an unforgettable war. Until now, I still remember the battles and the times I fought with my comrades on the battlefield. Even in my dreams, the image of that fierce and fierce battle still appears frequently," said Mr. Thoang. Recalling the memory of the historic battle, Mr. Thoang said that in 1972, he and the soldiers in the 18th Signal Company, Regiment 48, Division 320B (later Division 390, Corps 1) were mobilized to participate in the campaign to liberate Quang Tri town. After many fierce battles with the enemy, on May 1, 1972, the entire Quang Tri town was liberated. At that time, our army took advantage of the victory to advance with the intention of liberating Thua Thien Hue. At the same time, the US - puppet army decided to mobilize all their forces to launch a counterattack in order to recapture Quang Tri town to put pressure on us at the Paris Conference.

During the recapture of Quang Tri town, the enemy set the goal of retaking Quang Tri Citadel at all costs before the 4-Party Conference officially opened in Paris to discuss issues on the Agreement to End the War and Restore Peace in Vietnam. The enemy mobilized all of its main forces, artillery, firepower, infantry, aircraft and modern, sophisticated weapons, launched the Lam Son 72 campaign, continuously bombing and shelling the Citadel. During 81 days and nights (from June 28 to September 16, 1972), hundreds of tons of bombs were continuously poured into the Citadel. Facing the fierce bombardment of the enemy, amidst countless dangers and hardships, the main regiments of the 320B Division focused all their efforts on defense. Of which, Regiment 48 (nicknamed Quang Son Regiment) was one of the regiments assigned to guard the Quang Tri Citadel. "At that time, Quang Tri Citadel became a bomb and ammunition bag, thousands of our soldiers sacrificed. It can be said that the destructive power of the battle was equivalent to 7 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima (Japan), the battle was so fierce that even steel melted. But with the determination "Quang Son still exists, Quang Tri still exists", with love for the nation, all for the country, our army with limited forces and weapons still fought bravely and steadfastly to successfully defend the Citadel", the hero recalled the fierce moments of the battle.

Mr. Thoang said that during the historic 81-day and night battle, his unit played a very important role in ensuring the communication lines serving the battle. At the time of the battle, Mr. Thoang was the Squad Leader of the Wired Communication Squad. Faced with the enemy's terrible destructive power, he and his teammates repeatedly overcame "rains of bombs and bullets" to ensure the lines for the command center to direct the battle to the regiments and units. "There were battles that lasted for 48 hours. At times like that, information played an extremely important role, it was the lifeblood of the commander, losing information meant losing the commander. Therefore, when the battle was at its fiercest, it was also the time when communication soldiers like us had to rush to the battlefield to ensure the lines were open," Mr. Thoang said. According to Mr. Thoang, during the battle to protect the ancient citadel, the information network was densely arranged, from underground lines to the Thach Han riverbed, all were set up to ensure smooth information transmission. Many of his unit's information soldiers heroically sacrificed their lives and remained on the battlefield.

Sharing about memorable memories, Mr. Thoang said that in mid-August 1972, the war was at its fiercest. At this time, the Thach Han River played a key role in logistics and troop supplies. It was also here that the enemy continuously dropped bombs to block our way. During an enemy bombing raid on the Thach Han River, the communication line was broken, the command post's combat direction was interrupted, Mr. Thoang's squad was assigned the task of connecting the line on the river. However, under the fierce bombardment of the enemy, 3 soldiers of Mr. Thoang's unit were all killed while trying to connect the line. In the critical situation, Mr. Thoang and his comrade Quach Manh Nhac (from the same hometown of Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa) volunteered to take on the task. "Comrade Nhac stood on the shore and took charge of filming, while I swam to the middle of the river to connect the wire. When we reached the middle of the river, due to the strong current, I held both ends of the wire and used my teeth to bite it so that it would not fall into the water. This line was maintained for about 30 minutes.

There were times when Mr. Nhac turned the machine, the electric current emitted caused me so much pain that my nerves were paralyzed, and I fainted. After being brought ashore, I realized that I had successfully maintained the information flow for General Vo Nguyen Giap to direct and encourage my comrades on the battlefield," Mr. Thoang recalled. Mr. Thoang's brave and courageous actions contributed to our army's victory in the 81-day and night battle to protect Quang Tri Citadel. In 1973, he was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State when he was only 20 years old. Flipping through the diary entries and looking back at the precious souvenirs of the fiery time, Mr. Thoang said that over the past 50 years, the memories of his old comrades are still intact in his mind. The information hero always longs to meet the old soldiers at Quang Tri Citadel to reminisce about the most unforgettable memories of his life. The hero shared that after the victory at Quang Tri Citadel, he and the soldiers of his unit continued to be mobilized to fight on the southern battlefield. Until the country was completely liberated, he returned to work. in the Political Department of Division 390 (1st Corps), then got married.

Currently, hero Mai Ngoc Thoang and his family live in Quarter 12, Ngoc Trao Ward, Bim Son Town, Thanh Hoa Province. After returning to his hometown, promoting the hard-working and diligent spirit of Uncle Ho's soldiers, he has always been active in economic and social activities, and in leading the locality to contribute to the development of his homeland and the country. From 1993 to 1999, he was elected by the local people as Head of Quarter 12; in 1999, he became Vice Chairman of the People's Council of Ngoc Trao Ward. From 2000 to 2010, he held the position of Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Ngoc Trao Ward, Bim Son Town. Continuing the family's revolutionary tradition, Mr. Thoang's second daughter is also working in the army, while his eldest daughter is a teacher at a high school in Thach Thanh District.

Mr. Le Hong Phong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ngoc Trao Ward, Bim Son Town, said that Hero Mai Ngoc Thoang is a shining example and an excellent party member for younger generations to follow. "During his leadership from the ward to the Ngoc Trao Ward Party Committee, no matter what position he held, he always tried his best to fulfill his assigned tasks. Not only that, at the ward Party cell, Mr. Thoang was always exemplary, receiving high trust from the masses, helping the Party cell to develop more and more strongly, contributing to the construction of his homeland and the country," Mr. Phong shared. In 2022, Mr. Thoang was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee for his achievements in the work of "Repaying gratitude"; in 2020, the Minister - Chairman of the Ethnic Minorities Committee awarded a Certificate of Merit for his outstanding achievements in carrying out ethnic work in the period 2010-2020; In 2019, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit for his outstanding achievements in contributing to economic development and protecting border security during the period of integration and development...

Content: Thanh Tung

Design: Thuy Tien

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/anh-hung-tuoi-20-dung-rang-noi-day-lien-lac-tren-song-thach-han-20240426160915758.htm