Mr. Tong Phuoc Tho (left) enjoying a warm family moment. |
Mr. Tong Phuoc Tho (alias Tong Phuoc Khoi) was born in October 1953 in Trang hamlet, Phuoc Hung village, Loc Thuy commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien province (now Chan May - Lang Co commune, Hue city). This place was named Phuoc Hung village, Tan Loc commune, Phu Loc district by the revolution.
Before 1975, Phuoc Hung village was a gateway for the revolution and a strategic corridor from Mount Ram to Loc Vinh commune and five communes in Zone 3 across the Cau Hai lagoon, belonging to Vinh Loc district (now Vinh Loc commune). At that time, the US-backed South Vietnamese regime likened this village to a "mixed rice and bean" area, meaning it was controlled by the enemy during the day and by the revolution at night.
Born into a poor peasant family with a revolutionary tradition (his father and mother were awarded the First Class Anti-American Resistance Medal by the State), at the age of 14-15, he was exposed to revolutionary forces from the mountains of Rẫm. He quickly embraced the revolutionary cause and was tested by the organization, assigned tasks as a secret guerrilla, such as gathering intelligence on the puppet army, government, police, and notorious thugs in the village and hamlet. Despite his young age, he demonstrated unwavering resolve and successfully completed all assigned tasks.
In accordance with his wish to leave his family to serve the revolution in his local area, from July 1967 to May 1968, Mr. Tho was withdrawn to the forest by the Phu Loc District Military Command and assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Team (equivalent to Company 3) for military training and combat readiness. He directly participated in the Tet Offensive of 1968 in Phu Loc District. From May 1968 to August 1969, Mr. Tho was assigned by the district to be the Head of the Phu Loc District Liaison Station. With many achievements in his work and combat, he was admitted to the Party at the age of 16.
During a mission to deliver an urgent message from the Phu Loc District Party Committee to the Tan Loc Party Branch (at that time, Tan Loc commune was divided into two sections: the upper section included Thuy Yen, Thuy Cam, Ba To, Xom Dap, Xom Cho, and An Bang villages; the lower section included Phu Xuyen, Phu Cuong, Xom Cho, and Phuoc Hung villages), while preparing to cross the railway tracks (where a train had overturned), they were discovered by the enemy, who opened fire on their team (a three-person team). Mr. Tho and his two comrades organized a counter-ambush. In that battle, two of his comrades were killed, and Mr. Tho was seriously wounded in his left leg and abdomen.
At that time, if Mr. Tho had returned to his starting point, he would not have completed his mission. And if he had crawled across the road up Mount Ram, he might have been shot dead by the enemy. But because of his mission, Mr. Tho still risked crossing the Bu Lu River to deliver the official document to the Tan Loc Commune Party Committee.
“At that time, while waiting for the enemy's flares to go out, I tried to crawl across the railway tracks and the highway to the edge of Trang hamlet (about 200m from my house). Then I received a signal indicating an enemy ambush in the hamlet. If I went inside, I would be captured or shot dead, so I tried to crawl to the edge of the Bu Lu river, put my document bag on my head, and submerged my whole body in the water to erase any traces,” Mr. Tho recalled.
After swimming across three rivers to reach the Rẫm mountain range, exhausted from hunger, thirst, and significant blood loss, as dawn approached, Mr. Thọ hid in a clump of trees by the riverbank to gather information. He discovered that American soldiers were stationed on the other side of the river, so he decided to stay by the river for another day, waiting for nightfall to swim across and contact Mr. Diệm, the Party Secretary of Tân Lộc commune. By the time he completed his mission, he was completely exhausted and was taken to a surgical station for recovery and wound dressing.
During this time, Mr. Tho was awarded the title of outstanding soldier at the district level and was officially transferred to the Party on July 1, 1970. After peace was restored, for his contributions, veteran Tong Phuoc Tho was awarded the Third Class Resistance Medal against the American War.
"Compared to the contributions and sacrifices of my comrades, of those who fell for the independence and freedom of the nation, this is just a very small story. But for me personally, being able to join the Party at a very young age and contribute a small part to the revolution is something that makes me proud," Mr. Tong Phuoc Tho shared.
Text and photos: HAN DANG
Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/chuyen-cong-van-hoa-toc-156198.html
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