At the end of June, the Central region was as hot as fire. After a lunch with home-grown dishes, Lieutenant Colonel Phan Van Ho, Political Commissar of Phu My District Military Command, invited us to the front yard under the shade of trees to enjoy tea, admire the scenery and chat happily. Carrying a plate of golden, fragrant Hoa Loc mangoes to invite guests, Ho said: “Although there are only a few mango trees, every year, the soldiers still harvest tons of fruit. Green mangoes can be squeezed into salads, mixed with fish sauce and sugar. Ripe mangoes can be sliced, peeled and eaten immediately or blended into smoothies... Each season has its own dishes, officers and soldiers in the unit often enjoy delicious dishes from gardens, ponds, barns and trellises made by themselves. The unit is stationed on a strip of land famous for growing ornamental apricot trees in the Central region, so every time Tet comes and spring comes, the barracks are dyed gold and inlaid with gems by the brilliant apricot rays.”

Officers and staff of Phu My District Military Command take care of the unit's landscape.

To prove his words, Lieutenant Colonel Phan Van Ho led us for a walk under rows of areca palms, Indian laurel, purple-flowered lagerstroemia, red-budded fig trees, yellow apricot trees, and mango trees... which were cool and green, helping to dispel the hot, stuffy feeling of summer. On both sides of the road, billboards and slogans of all shapes and sizes were made from blocks of stone, the back side was naturally rough and uneven, while the front side was smoothed, polished, and covered with patterns, with the words: "Live, fight, work, and study following the example of great Uncle Ho"; "Discipline is the strength of the Army"; "Promoting tradition, dedicating talent, worthy of being Uncle Ho's soldiers"; "Unity, unity, great unity/ Success, success, great success"... creating a feeling of both closeness and solemnity. Thanks to the investment attention of superiors and localities, in 2021, Phu My District Military Command was the first unit in Military Region 5 to build a grandstand and stadium to organize military handover and reception ceremonies right in the barracks. After 4 months of construction, the spacious, fully-equipped two-story residential area of ​​the Standing Militia Platoon has now been basically completed.

In the nearly 2,000m² production and livestock area, as soon as they saw people, the crossbred pigs were bathing in the mud puddle hidden behind the banana bushes and suddenly ran over, grunting, demanding food. Picking a handful of cassava leaves and throwing them into the lake, Major Nguyen Van Quyen, Head of Logistics and Engineering (Phu My District Military Command) revealed: "There are a lot of grass carp down there. The other day I caught one weighing nearly 5kg, brought it to the kitchen, and cooked it in pickles, everyone praised it as delicious. The soil and climate of this area are not favorable for livestock and farming, but with creative methods, the soldiers have been very successful in "growing vegetables on rocks and raising fish on hills". At the end of this year, we will invest in expanding the production area according to the farm model...". Along with successfully completing political tasks, building units, increasing production, implementing the ethics of "When drinking water, remember the source", "When eating fruit, remember the person who planted the tree", with deep affection, responsibility and gratitude, the Phu My District Military Command, together with local Party Committees, authorities and relatives of families always care for, support, and take care of every meal and sleep for 8 Heroic Vietnamese Mothers living in the area. From the joint contributions of officers, employees of the unit and capital funds, two years ago, the Phu My District Military Command adopted and took care of Le Thi Hoa Phuong (residing in block 5, Bong Son ward, Hoai Nhon town, Binh Dinh province) whose father passed away due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Each "unhealed leaf" that is sheltered, helped, and continues to go to school is a great effort and love of the soldiers in the homeland of white sand and golden sunshine of Phu My... In the middle of a hot summer afternoon, stories about the spirit of overcoming difficulties and joining hands to build the unit; Stories about the beauty of gratitude and the close relationship between the army and the people of the Phu My District Military Command make everyone feel refreshed and impressed.

Article and photos: AN KHANG