During the days of sudden floodwaters, everyone had moments of worry for their families. However, at the Border Guard stations of Dak Lak province, many officers and soldiers only had time to hear the voices of their loved ones through intermittent phone calls before rushing to rescue, provide supplies, and bring people to safety. They knew that their houses were also flooded, and their properties were being lost, but their mission in difficult times did not allow for even a minute of delay.

Putting aside family worries, Captain Le Minh Dai and his teammates focused on supporting people in flooded areas.

The story of Captain Le Minh Dai, a reporter at the General Staff Department, Dak Lak Border Guard Command, is one of those great losses. His family rented a space to sell palm seeds in Hoa Thinh commune. On the morning of November 18, 27 tons of palm seeds from Indonesia had just been imported. But by the afternoon, the floodwaters suddenly came, sweeping away 17 tons of goods, leaving 10 tons submerged in mud, along with all the machinery and equipment severely damaged. More than 750 million VND, the money saved for many years, was suddenly swept away by the muddy water.

First Lieutenant Nguyen Van Tu put aside personal matters to help flood victims with his teammates.

At home, his wife struggled in vain, amid the rising water, luckily a neighbor took her to shelter in time. As for Mr. Dai - the husband and father of the family - he could not be there. Information about his family only reached him through a few intermittent phone calls. He was worried, as everyone was. But right from the first reinforcement, he was present in Hoa Hiep ward, supporting people in evacuation, transporting relief goods, rebuilding collapsed walls, delivering packages of noodles and cans of water to isolated households. Only when the people were temporarily stable did he rush home to look at the devastation and then return to his unit that same afternoon.

Colonel Do Quang Tham, Political Commissar of the Dak Lak Provincial Border Guard Command (second from left) visited and encouraged the families of soldiers affected by floods.

The story of Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Tu, Head of the Staff - Administration Team, also made his teammates choke up. His family lives with his parents in Hoa Xuan commune. The recent flood came so quickly that in just a moment, the water rose to the roof, sweeping away almost all of his property, rice, livestock, farming tools, machinery...

Communication with his family was almost completely cut off. The signal was weak, and the phone was sometimes picked up and sometimes lost. In the pouring rain, Mr. Tu stood in the yard of the unit, his eyes red every time the phone said he could not contact him. Only when the neighbors informed him that his wife, children and parents had been taken to a safe shelter, did he breathe a sigh of relief. But the house - the result of many years of savings - had disappeared in the floodwaters.

Colonel Nguyen Cong Tuan, Deputy Commander of the Dak Lak Provincial Border Guard Command, encouraged and presented gifts to the family of Captain Le Minh Dai.

As soon as the water receded, the unit commander allowed him to return home. He returned, standing silently in front of the house, which was only the skeleton of the house. The mud was knee-deep, and his belongings were scattered among the thick layer of dirt. He bent down to pick up each remaining item, his hands shaking.

Anh Tu only had time to help his family clean up a bit before returning to his unit. “People still need me, the neighbors at home are there to support me…” - his comrades recounted the moment he said before getting in the car, his voice choked but still determined.

The stories of loss are not just about one individual but span across many units, stations, and work teams. More than thirty military families suffered heavy losses, many cases that have not yet been counted. But what touched the comrades was that no matter how worried they were, they remained steadfast on the front line, no one asked to withdraw, no one asked for a temporary leave.

Because they understand these feelings, in recent days, along with visiting and encouraging the people in the flooded areas, the unit commanders also took the time to visit some families of soldiers who suffered losses. In each house, there is still the smell of mud, in the eyes still filled with tears after many days of hard work, the tight handshakes, the sincere inquiries for each family have given them the strength to overcome this difficult period so that their husbands, children and brothers can continue to carry out their duties with peace of mind.

Not only visiting, right after the flood victims gradually stabilized, the Provincial Border Guard Command has resolved leave, enlisted soldiers whose families suffered losses to support their families, and at the same time, the units also deployed forces to help the families of soldiers and relatives clean up their houses, collect remaining assets, and support the rebuilding of temporary shelters. In many neighborhoods, the image of border guards cleaning mud in their comrades' houses and then turning to support their neighbors has become a familiar, beautiful and warm image in difficult days.

For them, their comrades’ families are also their own families. Each house still in disarray after the flood, each item still submerged in mud, is rebuilt by the brothers’ efforts. And when this comrade’s family is temporarily stable, they continue to support another comrade’s family, and finally return to help the people - the place that still needs the soldiers’ hands.

As of the afternoon of November 25, the entire Dak Lak Border Guard force had 39 cases of military families and 90 cases of military relatives' families suffering losses, with a total estimated value of more than 20 billion VND. These figures not only speak of material losses, but also demonstrate the silent sacrifices of soldiers who put aside their family's personal worries to stay with the people in the most difficult times.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/cau-chuyen-nguoi-linh-bien-phong-tham-lang-giua-bun-lu-1014138