Born into a family with a rich revolutionary tradition in Binh Son district (Quang Ngai province), Le Van An dreamed of becoming a soldier of Uncle Ho's army from a young age. In 2004, An enlisted and then applied to the intermediate level program at the Military Technical Officer School (Vinhempich). After a period of diligent study and training, Le Van An graduated with honors and was assigned by his superiors to work at the Staff Department of Brigade 573, where he was responsible for repairing various types of weapons, equipment, and technical vehicles.

With a thirst for knowledge and an unwavering spirit, An, along with his teammates, researched and developed many practical technical innovations and improvements that were applied to training, combat readiness, and ensuring the well-being of the soldiers. Sharing with us, An said: “I noticed that some weapons and technical equipment in the unit had been in use for many years, were old, and had been affected by the harsh weather in Central Vietnam… so they were inevitably deteriorating, especially in terms of their technical performance… Therefore, I boldly reported and proposed the idea to my superiors to allow research and improvement of some equipment to contribute to enhancing the unit's mission effectiveness.”

Captain Le Van An, a military officer, presented his "DK-573 Disinfection Robot" initiative to the Innovation Evaluation Council of Brigade 573 (Military Region 5).

To realize those ideas, Captain Le Van An has developed many technical innovations and improvements that have been applied in practice within his unit, earning praise and commendation from the Minister of National Defense , the Head of the General Political Department of the Vietnam People's Army, and the Command of Military Region 5. Notably, Le Van An is the "father" of three initiatives that won top prizes at the 19th, 20th, and 23rd "Youth Innovation Award in the Army." This achievement contributed to the Brigade 573's continuous achievement of the title of "Outstanding Soldier at the grassroots level" and "Outstanding Soldier of the entire army" in 2022.

When the Covid-19 pandemic intensified, to contain and control outbreaks, medical staff, chemical warfare troops, and other personnel had to spray disinfectant using various manual methods and equipment, forcing them to directly enter affected areas with a high risk of infection. Faced with this reality, and with the desire to create a robot that could completely replace humans in disinfection tasks, capable of operating in confined spaces, especially in hospitals and quarantine areas, Le Van An meticulously researched, manufactured, and successfully applied the "DK-573 Disinfection Robot," meeting the above requirements and receiving high praise from superiors at all levels and relevant agencies.

Speaking about his contributions, Le Van An humbly said: "If each person prioritizes responsibility for the unit and the common task, they will naturally strive to contribute and ignite a passion for creativity. The results achieved will be a great source of motivation for me to continue to innovate and successfully complete all assigned tasks in the future."

Text and photos: TAN TU - HUY TUAN