I met Corporal Nguyen Quang Truong the very first moments I set foot on Sinh Ton Island. The sea breeze rose and then calmed, brushing against the shoulders of the young soldier on guard duty, keeping watch and directing traffic. The red armband with the words "Military Control" on his arm made him appear more mature and serious. The young soldier had a sturdy build, sun-tanned skin, and a stern gaze always fixed on the sea. Every time someone passed by, he would raise his hand in greeting, then point the way straight in. Each gesture was decisive, yet his face still retained the gentle look of a twenty-year-old.

Corporal Nguyen Quang Truong is on duty on Sinh Ton Island.

I approached him to strike up a conversation, and Corporal Nguyen Quang Truong confided in me. He's from Quang Ninh province, and grew up in a military family, so after finishing 12th grade, he volunteered to enlist. Truong said that when he first arrived on the island, he missed home a lot, and it took him a few weeks to get used to life at sea. Now he's used to the sound of the waves, the guard duty, and even the training sessions and farming activities on the island.

Truong recounted that life on the island was more difficult than on the mainland, especially regarding fresh water, but after staying there for a while, he got used to it. "Sometimes I just wish time would pass quickly so I could go home," Truong said with a gentle smile. But it was the encouragement of his commander and the closeness of his comrades that helped him regain his balance and continue to confidently complete his mission.

In the scorching midday summer sun, our conversation ended in the shade of a mangrove tree. Before parting ways, Truong asked me to take a picture to send to his mother. He stood at attention amidst the sunny, windy sky, with the green of the island and the sea behind him, raising his hand in a solemn salute. As I pressed the shutter, I suddenly noticed in his still very young face the maturity of a naval soldier.

Another photo I took of Truong shows him wearing a white navy uniform, standing guard beside a sovereignty marker. In the distinctive white navy uniform, his face looked innocent and scholarly, befitting his age. He approached me and whispered, "Please send this photo to my mother too." I nodded and joked, "You're the luckiest person on this trip!"

Upon returning to the mainland, I kept my promise and sent those photos to Truong's mother, Mrs. Do Thai Hoa. After seeing the photos I took of Truong on Sinh Ton Island, his mother back home messaged me with deep emotion. She said that every time she saw her son in the photos, she felt immense love and pity, but as a mother, she was very proud that her son had grown up.

Every time he called home, Truong would talk about life and his comrades on the island. In his stories, the once shy and studious young man had learned to think of his comrades and consider the unit as a big family. He enthusiastically spoke about his squad leader, Linh, who always took on the difficult and dangerous tasks himself. Out at sea, food supplies still needed to be resupplied from the mainland. Whenever there were big waves and strong winds, transporting goods from the ship to the canoe and onto the island was a major problem. Squad leader Linh, with his experience and compassion, always took on that difficult task to ease the burden on the younger, less experienced soldiers.

The mother also expressed regret, saying that if there were a photo of the two brothers, Corporal Nguyen Quang Truong and Tong Dinh Hoang, together on Sinh Ton Island, it would be a wonderful gift for the family. I remained silent because Truong didn't say, and probably didn't have time to tell me, about that detail.

Through his mother's story, I understood more about why Truong had such a steadfast gaze when standing at the forefront of the waves that day. Behind that young soldier was an entire family, generations dedicated to the military, a silent belief and pride sent to the distant island. And in that sun-drenched, windswept Truong Sa, Truong's youth was growing stronger every day, as resilient as the rows of trees standing before the sea.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/phong-su/buc-anh-gui-me-tu-dao-sinh-ton-1041148