A memorable trip

36 years have passed since the first aid shipment to the island, Truong Sa is changing every day.

And there, Navy officers and soldiers steadfastly overcome all difficulties and hardships, accepting sacrifices to protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland.

At the end of May 1989, I was a captain, a lecturer at the Department of Tactics - Naval Officer School (now the Naval Academy), assigned to be the team leader, commanding more than 60 officers, lecturers and students of the school to board the transport ship of the Hong Ha group, General Department of Logistics, to transport goods to support Co Lin island in the "Campaign to protect the sovereignty of Truong Sa archipelago in 1989".

On the journey from Nha Trang to the Spratly Islands, we were frequently obstructed and provoked by Chinese warships and support vessels. However, our ship remained on course, so they did not dare to do anything more.

The author (saluting) and all officers on the missile frigate HQ-12 Ly Thai To burn incense, drop wreaths and offerings while passing through Gac Ma waters in November 2014. Photo: THANH DANG

The ship arrived at Da Lon Island first and dropped anchor at around 11:00 a.m. According to the plan, the ship would anchor at Da Lon Island until 5:00 a.m. the next morning before setting sail for Co Lin Island. After lunch, everyone went to sleep, leaving only one soldier on guard duty. I stood on the deck looking at the island and thought to myself, "I'm so guilty if I don't get to visit my brothers on the island." So I quietly put on my shirt, high-top canvas shoes, and a floppy hat and jumped into the sea. I knew that I was being undisciplined. In terms of organization and command, I was the highest commander of the transport team. But when on the ship, I had to obey the captain's command. If I wanted to go to the island, I had to report and get the captain's approval, because this was an island where we were not responsible for transporting goods. But I also knew for sure that if I reported to the captain, he would not let me go because it was unsafe. If a sudden storm comes up, I might be swept away or the ship would be forced to weigh anchor and I would be left on the island. Sudden storms in Truong Sa are a common occurrence.

I swam alone in the hot noon sun. From the boat to the island, I had to swim about 500 meters to reach the foot of the island, then continue wading on the bumpy island surface full of coral and sharp oysters. If I went barefoot, my feet would be ruined after just a few meters. That is why I had to wear high boots with thick rubber soles even though it was very difficult to swim. When wading, there were places where the water was only ankle-high, but in other places I had to continue swimming because the water was chest-deep, even over my head. I kept wading and swimming like that for about 600 - 700 meters to reach the island's 4-story bunker. When I entered, the islanders were very happy. The island's military force consisted of only 12 officers and soldiers, including 2 officers, the island chief and the political commissar.

The author, during the time from the ship to Nui Le island, discussed the plan to transport goods to the island in July 1989, after completing the trip to Co Lin.

After sitting and talking for a while, the island chief took me to visit the floors of the bunker. When I went down to the bottom floor that contained fresh water, I saw a soldier scooping water to boil for tea. I looked into the water tank and suddenly shivered. The entire surface of the water tank was covered with a thick layer of cockroaches. When scooping water, the butler had to push the cockroaches off the surface of the water like pushing duckweed off a field. I asked the island chief: "Why don't you catch all the cockroaches and leave them like that?" The island chief replied: "We can't catch them all, so we have to live with them."

Holding a cup of tea in hand, one can understand the hardship and deprivation of the soldiers. Later, in 1992, when we imported cockroach killer from abroad at the price of 100 USD/liter, the Truong Sa soldiers were able to escape this situation.

At around 4 p.m., I stood up and said to the island chief: "It's time for me to return to the ship. Goodbye everyone!". A soldier who was busy writing a letter turned around and said: "Chief! Can you wait for me a moment? I'm writing a letter to my girlfriend, it's almost done! When you get back to the mainland, please go to the post office and send it to me!". I said: "Okay! You guys write quickly! I'm afraid I'll be late, the guys on the ship will worry and wait for dinner."

The island chief heard that and immediately begged: "Why don't you stay here and have dinner with us and wait for the tide to rise so we can take you to the ship by boat?" I couldn't bear to refuse and stayed and had dinner with the guys. When they knew I was staying for dinner, the soldiers clapped their hands and turned back to continue writing letters.

Both the island chief and the deputy political island chief took the opportunity to write letters asking me to send them back to the mainland. A young soldier had just finished pasting the stamps before they had time to dry when he heard me say that and peeled them off. Another had pasted them on before and couldn't peel them off anymore, so he felt sorry. Some letters were probably sent to girlfriends, so they were sealed in envelopes to ensure "privacy". Most of the letters were sent to family or friends, so they were left as plain letters and clearly wrote the recipient's address at the end of the letter, and asked me to buy envelopes and stamps to send them when I returned to the mainland.

The author (standing row, 4th from right) takes a souvenir photo with officers and soldiers on Nui Le Island, July 1989

At around 8pm, I said goodbye to my brothers on the island and returned to the ship. I shook hands and hugged each of them as if saying goodbye to a family member. My eyes filled with tears as I looked at the young soldiers, tanned by the sun and wind.

The island chief and the deputy political island both got on the boat to take me to the ship. When the boat reached the side of the ship, I told the deputy logistics team to bring the four green squashes and four biggest cabbages to give to the brothers on the island. The island chief was touched and said: "You guys are just starting out, there's still a long time! Just leave them here in case the ship has to stay here for a long time." I encouraged him: "It's okay! I know the brothers on the island are lacking in green vegetables, so this gift is the most precious!"

We parted reluctantly. I watched the boat until it reached the foot of the island, beyond the reach of the ship's headlights, then turned back and climbed into the captain's cabin to report to him what I had done, but he was already asleep.

The next morning, our ship weighed anchor and headed straight for Co Lin Island. After completing the task of delivering goods to Co Lin Island in record time (4 days to deliver 400 tons of goods), we returned to the mainland.

After arriving on the mainland the previous afternoon, the next morning, I cycled to the central post office in Nha Trang City with the letters I brought back from Da Lon Island. I bought 21 envelopes and 37 stamps, wrote down the full address, carefully affixed the stamps, and put them in the mailbox for my brothers. Probably only a week later, the families and relatives of my brothers on Da Lon Island would receive their letters. Leaving the post office, I felt indescribably elated because I thought I had done something very meaningful, bringing the remote island closer to the mainland.

36 years have passed since the first time the supplies were sent to the island, Truong Sa is changing every day. Da Lon, Co Lin and the islands in Truong Sa have become solid bases at the front lines of the Fatherland. And there, the Navy officers and soldiers have steadfastly overcome all difficulties and hardships, accepting sacrifices to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland.

Invite readers to participate in 2 contests

At the award ceremony of the 4th "Inviolable National Sovereignty" writing contest and the 3rd "Sacred National Flag" photo contest, 2023-2024, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the implementation of the "Proud of the National Flag" program, taking place on July 2, 2024, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper launched the 5th "Inviolable National Sovereignty" writing contest and the 4th "Sacred National Flag" photo contest, 2024-2025.

The Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper invites readers who are Vietnamese citizens living in Vietnam and abroad, and foreigners living in Vietnam to participate in writing articles and sending photos to the contest. The deadline for launching, receiving articles and photos is from July 2, 2024 to May 31, 2025. Readers scan the QR code or visit https://nld.com.vn/phat-dong-cuoc-thi-viet-chu-quyen-quoc-gia-bat-kha-xam-pham-va-cuoc-thi-anh-thieng-lieng-co-to-quoc-196240701163723125.htm to see details about the conditions and rules of the two contests.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chuyen-di-dang-nho-196250215195817713.htm