[Photo] Regiment 271, Tri Thien Military Region: 50 years of return

NDO - In the stories, between hugs, we heard the echo of a veteran from the crowd "I searched for him but couldn't find him anywhere. We had an appointment to meet again before but he must have died..."

In the atmosphere of the reunion after 50 long years since the moment of fighting side by side, the comrades and teammates of Regiment 271 of Tri Thien Military Region could not hide their emotions when seeing each other again.

Some are still alive, some are gone. Promises to meet and visit each other when we are old, when the country is at peace and there is no more gunfire, sometimes turn out to be broken promises.

The photo was out of focus because it was taken in a hurry during the moment when the soldiers' eyes were blurred and wet when they met again.

Regiment 271 was established on August 12, 1971 in Nam Dan, Nghe An . 50 years ago, this was the main regiment of the Tri Thien Military Region, with the mission of fighting, building, protecting the North, and being ready to mobilize and fight on the southern battlefield.

As the person responsible for "shift management" for the meeting day of his comrades, Mr. Duong Minh Dam, Head of the Liaison Committee of Regiment 271 of Tri Thien Military Region, kept hugging his briefcase tightly.

Partly because of the nervousness before speaking, partly because of the emotion of standing before brothers who have been through life and death together after half a century.

On the opening podium, the Head of the Liaison Committee of Regiment 271 of the Tri Thien Military Region emotionally recalled: “At exactly 12 noon on March 26, 1975, the half-red, half-blue flag of the Liberation Front fluttered on the Phu Van Lau flagpole of our completely liberated Hue city .”

Returning to this day 50 years ago, on March 26, 1975, the unit attacked Hamlet 5, where the Command Headquarters of the notorious 1st Corps, Military Region 1 was located. Then, the unit attacked An Cuu Radio Station, Phu Bai Airport, and together with other units, pursued the enemy to Thuan An and Tu Hien seaports, liberating districts in Hue city.

Participating in the 81-day and night campaign to protect Quang Tri Citadel in 1972, especially in the rainy season of 1974, the entire 271st Regiment was responsible for more than 150 checkpoints from Quang Tri to the Thua Thien Hue mine.

"It can be said that every day we went to the battlefield to fight directly with the enemy. During nearly 4 years of fighting on the heroic land of Quang Tri - Thua Thien Hue, the unit fought hundreds of big and small battles," Mr. Dam recalled old memories from the podium.

Memories of the bloody past flooded back, the soldiers of the past clapped their hands and turned to tell stories to each other. Laughter and whispers echoed in the hall, as a certain moment of the past flashed before their eyes.

They remember the battles, with key points like Bong Mountain and Nghe Mountain, where they fought 5-6 battles a day with the enemy.

Or in the campaign to liberate Hue city, the entire regiment was a wing, the main spearhead from the unit's key points, penetrating deep and attacking simultaneously the enemy's targets and bases.

With courage and iron will, officers and soldiers of Regiment 271 achieved many feats, contributing significantly to the glorious victory of liberating Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue (now Hue city).

This was also the springboard for the whole country to carry out the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising to win victory, unifying the country, "North and South reunited as one family".

Having fought in the Citadel in 1972, although half a century has passed, veteran Ton Duc Dao cannot forget the days of fighting, especially during the 81 days and nights of the "fiery summer" of 1972.

"At that time, many officers and soldiers sacrificed, the pain and loss was unimaginable. At that time, the US and puppet regime attacked 150-250 times, continuously dropping bombs and bullets on this small piece of land," Mr. Dao recalled.

Over 81 days and nights, the small Quang Tri citadel had to endure more than 300,000 tons of bombs and shells, equal to the destructive power of 7 atomic bombs that the US dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. At the same time, the US puppet army also sent two infantry divisions including tanks and armored vehicles along with the air force to participate.

Everyone told each other to sing a few "Uncle Ho" songs for fun, then listened to the female artists sing the very beautiful "Planting Trees and Remembering People" song by Nghe-Tinh. The sound of the song echoed, causing everyone on the other side of the battle line to stop firing, and they were so happy that they slapped their knees.

Mr. Le Van Thuong (Le Thuy district, Quang Binh) is a former Information Soldier.

Recalling the days of bombs and bullets, Mr. Le Van Thuong (Le Thuy district, Quang Binh), a former Information Soldier, shared with a hearty laugh: "Sometimes we were welcomed by a group of female artists. We all told each other to sing a few "Uncle Ho" songs for fun, then listened to the girls sing the song "Planting trees and remembering people" by Nghe-Tinh very well. The sound of the song echoed, causing the people on the other side of the battle line to stop their guns, and they were so happy that they slapped their knees."

The other side clapped their hands like that, our side thought there was a gun going off and jumped into the trench. Later we realized that they heard it so well that they clapped their hands, so our side "understood" that when clapping, hands must be raised to face level or above the head, not below. Then both sides sat among the grass and trees and listened to the singing.

Sticking together through the days of war, now in peacetime, female soldiers guide each other through the old days of age.

During the arduous years of the resistance war against the US, especially from 1973 to 1975, Regiment 271 fought bravely amidst rains of bombs and bullets, overcoming countless difficulties and challenges. The soldiers of the past have now put the sound of gunfire behind them to meet each other amid laughter.

"Are you an instant photographer? Take a picture for me" , "Take a picture of me with this guy, I don't know if we'll see each other again next year" or "Remember to send this to me, it's been so many years since we've seen each other, I thought this guy... was gone".

We met, had fun for a few short moments, then went our separate ways. Some returned to their hometowns, while others followed their children and grandchildren to live far away.

Although nowadays, the means of communication are always available, but for many veterans, people of history, perhaps they are not used to picking up the phone to call each other. The photo is still something that will go with the years so that every time they open it, they can still see the people who walked with them through the years of youth, storms and fires.

Coming to meet, having fun for a few short moments, then each person goes their separate ways. Some return to their hometowns, others follow their children and grandchildren to live far away. Perhaps just a few days are not enough for the stories between brothers, comrades who are bound together through life and death to be told.

“We are grateful and admire the contributions of the cadres and soldiers to the struggle for national liberation, who sacrificed their blood and bones for the country. Among them, many martyrs have not yet found their graves, many uncles and aunts have left part of their bodies on the battlefield. The Party Committee, Government, People and Armed Forces of Hue City would like to engrave in our hearts, express our gratitude and share the pain and loss with the comrades, heroic martyrs and veterans of Regiment 271”, Vice Chairman of Hue City People’s Committee Phan Quy Phuong respectfully shared.

The gratitude of the representative of Hue city is also the gratitude of today's young generation to the predecessors who have devoted everything to the homeland.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/anh-trung-doan-271-quan-khu-tri-thien-50-nam-ngay-tro-lai-post867487.html