They were both born in 1920. When President Ho Chi Minh signed the decree to establish the Air Defense - Air Force on October 22, 1963, comrade Phung The Tai was appointed Commander; comrade Dang Tinh was appointed Political Commissar.

Before that, there were many different opinions about the name of the Service. The officers of the Air Force Department and the Air Defense Command all wanted their unit's name to be put first. Even the Director of the Air Force Department Dang Tinh and the Air Defense Commander Phung The Tai were hesitant, so they decided to ask for the opinion of the Central Military Commission. The Central Military Commission discussed and agreed to present it to Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho decided to name it: Air Defense - Air Force Service, and at the same time called two comrades Phung The Tai and Dang Tinh to report on their work.

Political Commissar Dang Tinh. Photo courtesy

When everything was done, Uncle Ho said: "I don't side with Uncle Tai, but I leave the name of the Army Corps like that to make it easier to read. I put a hyphen in the middle, which means that the two forces are equally important" (Uncle Ho - Unforgettable Memories).

Our Uncle Ho was fair and impartial in everything. This gave comrades Phung The Tai, Dang Tinh and other military officers more will and confidence in victory.

During such conversations, Senior Lieutenant General Phung The Tai was very emotional every time he mentioned Political Commissar Dang Tinh. The two men had different personalities, even very different ones, but they always respected each other, trusted each other absolutely, and were united in their work.

There was a time when Political Commissar Dang Tinh was Comrade Phung The Tai's boss. That was when Comrade Dang Tinh was Political Commissar of the Red River Left Bank Front, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Resistance - Administrative Committee of Thai Binh Province (1949 - 1950). Next, Comrade Dang Tinh was Political Commissar, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Inter-Zone 3 Command (1951). At that time, Comrade Phung The Tai was Chief of Staff of the 320th Division operating in the Inter-Zone 3 provinces, and received the love and support of the army and people of Inter-Zone 3 with the Delta Division throughout the resistance war against the French colonialists.

Political Commissar Dang Tinh cuts the hair of a soldier driver. Photo: Archive

Political Commissar Dang Tinh's real name is Dang Van Ty, born in 1920, in Cu Khe commune, Thanh Oai district, Ha Dong ( Hanoi ). He joined the revolution in 1944 in the National Salvation Youth organization. He was one of the founders of the first Communist Party cell of Chi Linh district, Hai Duong province.

He joined the Party in 1945, then participated in the uprising to seize power in Bac Giang province. Mentioning Political Commissar Dang Tinh is mentioning the passionate youth, when he participated in activities in Chi Linh, especially building revolutionary bases in Chi Linh district and building armed forces in Dong Trieu war zone. Comrade Dang Tinh was the Captain of the Armed Propaganda Team and the Self-Defense Team fighting in Pha Lai before the August Revolution in 1945 at the age of twenty.

Very enthusiastic and always taking the lead in work, comrade Dang Tinh set a shining example for the team members to be ready to fight and sacrifice. In the context of the August Revolution in the Dong Trieu war zone and Chi Linh land, core cadres, including Dang Tinh, were trusted by the people and assigned to important positions.

The book "Hai Duong - Route 5 in the time of resistance" clearly stated: "After the August General Uprising in 1945, comrade Dang Tinh became Secretary of the Viet Minh District Committee, Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary People's Committee, Secretary of the Nam Sach District Party Committee. The first Hai Duong Party Congress elected him as an official member of the Executive Committee and Standing Committee. In February 1947, he was appointed as the provincial militia captain. During his tenure as the provincial party committee secretary and the provincial militia captain of Hai Duong, comrade Dang Tinh had many creative and resourceful leadership skills."

General Nguyen Chi Thanh visits the Air Defense - Air Force Service. From left to right: Political Commissar Dang Tinh, Deputy Political Commissar Nguyen Xuan Mau, Commander Phung The Tai, General Nguyen Chi Thanh. Photo: File

Taking on many important positions and responsibilities in Inter-zone 3, the Red River Left Bank Front, comrade Dang Tinh and his comrades and teammates achieved many outstanding feats. At that time, our army and the French army were always in a state of stalemate, intertwined, and restraining each other. The famous guerrilla bases in Thai Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, and Hai Phong competed day and night to fight the enemy, shoot snipers, lay mines, destroy outposts, burn fuel depots, creating the shaking "Thunder of Route 5", all thanks to comrade Dang Tinh.

Wherever Comrade Dang Tinh was, movements were established, operating strongly and effectively. Dang Tinh was a special person, always seething with the will to attack. In the book "Hai Duong - Route 5 in the time of resistance" it is clearly stated: "Comrade Dang Tinh left many very good impressions, very admired by the cadres of his time and present in Hai Duong, in terms of leadership, style, and ethics. Close-minded, proactive, talking with action, very resourceful are the first impressions when meeting with cadres. The virtues of determination, frankness, sincerity, closeness, and honesty were always clearly revealed when meeting with cadres. He often asked carefully, suggested to discuss any problems, helping the base and cadres to solve the work well".

From the above summary comments, it shows the hearts of comrades, teammates and people of Hai Duong, people of Inter-zone 3 acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of Political Commissar Dang Tinh. This further shows the maturity from practice of revolutionary cadres, soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army who always come from the people, fight and win for the people.

After a period of working with the army and people of Inter-zone 3, at the end of 1953, comrade Dang Tinh was transferred to be Deputy Director of the Militia Department, then in charge of the Operations Department under the General Staff.

Having worked closely in the area of ​​Inter-Zone 3, when carrying out newly assigned tasks, comrade Dang Tinh always worked with the leadership team to well direct the activities of a strategic unit, helping the General Staff make the right decisions on the battlefield and achieve feats of arms.

In June 1954, comrade Dang Tinh was a member of the Military Delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Geneva Conference. This was an important milestone marking the great victory of our people against the invading enemy. From a patriotic youth, from the leader of the Armed Propaganda Team and the Self-Defense Team in Pha Lai, going through various positions to the Geneva Conference forum was a great and miraculous step of maturity for comrade Dang Tinh. This was also an important foundation for him to continue to mature, making practical contributions to the army and the resistance war against American imperialism later on.

As Uncle Ho advised, if we want to defeat powerful invaders, our soldiers must constantly study and mature. Comrade Dang Tinh always kept that in mind in all his positions. In 1955, he was appointed as the first Director of the Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration. In 1959, when the Air Force Department was established, Comrade Dang Tinh was appointed as Director. These were not only important milestones for him personally, but also fundamental milestones in the formation and development, fighting and maturity of Vietnam Civil Aviation and the Vietnam Air Force.

In October 1963, when the Air Defense - Air Force was established, comrade Dang Tinh was appointed to the position of Political Commissar until 1971.

Back to the story when we talked with Senior Lieutenant General Phung The Tai, talking about Political Commissar Dang Tinh, General Phung was always emotional when telling stories related to the Political Commissar who once worked with him. The Air Defense - Air Force troops excellently implemented Uncle Ho's teachings in the Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air campaign, in which the two men made great contributions with their talent and intelligence.

Political Commissar Dang Tinh - a special son of Khuc Thuy - Cu Khe - Thanh Oai - Hanoi has been and will be a role model and a pillar of trust for his comrades, teammates, and every soldier.

Writer PHUNG VAN KHAI

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/tuong-linh-viet-nam/chinh-uy-dang-tinh-bai-1-tu-nguoi-doi-truong-tuyen-truyen-vu-trang-den-chinh-uy-quan-chung-phong-khong-khong-quan-829166