In her small house, Ms. Dinh Ly An warmly welcomed us, then took out a stack of her father's personnel files, medals, and photographs, carefully preserved in plastic bags, for us to see. Each time she looked at these mementos of her father, she became emotional.
Ms. Dinh Ly An introduces her father's mementos to everyone. Photo: NAM
According to his personnel records, pilot Dinh Van Duoi was born in 1936 in Xu Nua village, Bac commune, An Khe district, Gia Lai - Kon Tum province (now Kong Bo La commune, Kbang district, Gia Lai province). In 1947, he joined the revolution as a liaison officer, assisting the villagers in supplying food to the soldiers stationed in the forest. In 1950, at the age of 14, young Dinh Van Duoi requested permission from his superiors to join the Bac commune guerrilla team.
In early 1952, Mr. Duoi was arrested by the French on suspicion of participating in the revolution, and because two of his cousins (sons of his paternal uncle) were fighting in the resistance. Despite being tortured, Mr. Duoi refused to reveal that he was a guerrilla fighter. Out of compassion, the villagers contributed buffaloes, pigs, chickens, and 50 Indochinese francs to help him get out of prison. Upon returning home, he encouraged his family and villagers to migrate to the free zone. On September 20, 1953, he volunteered to join the main army and was assigned to Company 88, Regiment 96.
The ID card issued by the Air Force Department to pilot Dinh Van Duoi. Photo: NAM
In 1954, Mr. Duoi was transferred by his superiors to various units within the 120th Regiment. In every unit, he strived to excellently fulfill his assigned duties. On September 20, 1959, he had the honor of joining the Party. In 1961, he was transferred to the North to study at the Aviation School (910th Regiment) with the rank of corporal. On October 1, 1961, the Director of the Air Force Department decided to promote Mr. Dinh Van Duoi to sergeant (at that time he was in the Mechanized Company, 919th Regiment).
The 919th Regiment (established on May 1, 1959) was the first air force regiment of the Vietnam People's Army (now the 919th Flight Group). Since its establishment, the 919th Flight Group has achieved many glorious victories. And Mr. Duoi, a Bahnar man, has left his mark in the glorious history of the unit.
According to our research from the 919 Flight Group's Tradition Room at the Air Defense-Air Force Museum, Mr. Dinh Van Duoi was the first and possibly the only Bahnar ethnic pilot to join the heroic 919 Flight Group.
From left to right: Pilots Dinh Van Duoi, Tran Hanh, and Nguyen Van Bay posing for a commemorative photo (Ms. Hyeo confirmed). Photo: NAM
Ms. Rơ Chăm H'Yéo, Head of the Provincial Association of Elderly People's Representatives, said: In 2012 (when she was the Vice President of the Provincial Veterans Association), during a business trip to Hanoi , she was taken by Lieutenant General Trần Hanh (then President of the Vietnam Veterans Association) to visit the Traditional Room of Flight Group 919.
“Commander Hanh pointed to a photo and introduced everyone: ‘This is me, this is Mr. Coc, and this is Mr. Duc, he seems to be from the same hometown as you,’” Mrs. H’Yéo recalled.
Upon reviewing the files and documents of pilot Dinh Van Duoi, we found that he had many names and aliases, and Duc was one of them. Ms. Dinh Ly An explained: “My father told me that when he first went to the North to study, his Vietnamese wasn't very clear, and the name Duoi was difficult to pronounce, so his superiors and comrades decided to call him Duc for easier remembrance. Therefore, some of his documents bear the name Duc. In addition, when assigned to combat missions, he also had the alias Dai.”
A page from the flight crew's logbook documenting their participation in the " Dien Bien Phu in the Air" campaign. Photo: NAM
In a notebook gifted to him by Soviet experts, pilot Dinh Van Duoi meticulously recorded his experiences from the air defense training course, air battles both domestically and in Laos, reconnaissance flights, geological surveys, and even the time he was shot down by enemy aircraft and forced to make an emergency landing... These pages, like a slow-motion film, are a memoir of his military career.
Specifically, in 1962, pilot Dinh Van Duoi and his comrades on aircraft number 635C fought in Northern Laos. In 1963-1964, he and his Soviet comrades flew geological surveys in the northern provinces (aircraft number 644A). In 1966, he participated in a suicide squadron that attacked the US Seventh Fleet in the Pacific Ocean on aircraft number 636-637B. In 1967, he and his comrades flew from Da Nang (aircraft number 634C) and were shot down by enemy aircraft in Vinh (Nghe An). In 1969, he participated in a squadron that directly attacked the command bunker of the rebel general Vang Pao (Laos).
Particularly noteworthy is the 1972 victory when Mr. Dinh Van Duoi, along with his two comrades, Vu Hong Quyet and Phan Ky Xuan, aboard aircraft number 635C, fought against enemy aircraft during the 12-day and 12-night "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" campaign over Hanoi. From 1973 to 1975, he and his comrades piloted aircraft number 639C in combat in Lower Laos and the Plain of Jars (Xieng Khouang). In March 1975, his crew received orders to return to Vietnam to participate in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign.
After the reunification of the country, in 1979, Mr. Dinh Van Duoi was sent to study at the School of Prosecutors in Ho Chi Minh City (intermediate level). Afterward, he served as Deputy Chief Prosecutor, then Chief Prosecutor of the People's Procuracy of Gia Lai-Kon Tum province (now Gia Lai province) until his retirement in 1997.
Mr. Dinh Van Duoi (second from the left), former Chief Prosecutor of Gia Lai Province People's Procuracy. Photo: NAM
During his time stationed in the North, Mr. Duoi met Ms. H'Mol (a Bahnar woman), who was then a student at the Southern Ethnic Cadre School, and they later married. They had two daughters and adopted a daughter of a fellow soldier (the eldest in the family). All three of his daughters are successful; his eldest daughter has retired, while the other two are still working.
For his contributions to the country, pilot Dinh Van Duoi was awarded the Glorious Soldier Order, Second and Third Class, by President Ho Chi Minh; the Glorious Soldier Order, First and Third Class, by President Ton Duc Thang; and the Resistance Order, First Class, by Chairman of the State Council Truong Chinh. In addition, he received numerous commendations and certificates of merit from the Air Force and the units where he served.
In 2002, pilot Dinh Van Duoi passed away due to a serious illness. Although he is gone, his name and achievements remain in history and are a source of pride for the Bahnar people. We have obtained permission from Ms. Dinh Ly An to collect his memorabilia to display at the Provincial Museum, aiming to introduce to the public an outstanding pilot of the Bahnar people in particular, and of the indomitable people of Gia Lai and the Central Highlands in general.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/chuyen-ve-phi-cong-nguoi-bahnar-dinh-van-duoi-post329740.html
Comment (0)