His story is a vivid testament to the qualities of a soldier of "Uncle Ho's Army" in everyday life...
MEMORIES OF THE BORDER BATTLEFIELD
In the house where he lived for over 20 years, his eyesight may have faded with age, but Uncle Nguyen Van Muoi's voice remains clear as he recounts his youth in the military.
Uncle Mười was born in 1963 in Vĩnh Phước hamlet, Sa Đéc ward. In 1979, while studying in the 10th grade at Sa Đéc High School, the country entered a period of general mobilization to defend the southwestern border against the brutal massacres by Pol Pot's forces in Ba Chúc ( An Giang ) and many other border areas.
“At that time, nobody thought about whether they were old enough or not. When the general mobilization order came, they were all going. I was only seventeen and a half years old then,” Uncle Mười recalled.
Back then, military recruitment was done by drawing lots. In a class of about 40 students (more than 20 of whom were male), there was only one ballot marked "yes".
Whoever picks that ballot gets to join the army. "I was the only one in my class who picked that one," Uncle Mười recounted, flashing a gentle and endearing smile.
After his time at Trung Vuong School, he was assigned to the 868th Division in Tien Giang, now the 8th Division. Initially, he was trained as an infantry soldier, then transferred to the communications branch. About a year later, he was transferred to the Military Medical branch, studying pharmacy and working in the pharmaceutical department of the 4th Division, Military Region 9.
In 1980, Uncle Mười and his unit went to Cambodia to protect the border area with Thailand, hunting down and preventing remnants of Pol Pot's forces from returning to the interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
According to my uncle's account, the years on the battlefield were extremely difficult. The rainy season was mainly for consolidating forces, while the dry season was when the fiercest battles took place.
In early 1982, during a dry season operation in the Kokong region (Cambodia), young soldier Nguyen Van Muoi was assigned the task of transporting medicine by military ship.
The vessel, originally a Thai fishing boat, was seized and repurposed to transport military supplies and weapons for the operation. As the ship moved near the Thai border at around 6-7 PM, the other side spotted the vessel, which resembled a Thai ship but was manned by Vietnamese soldiers, and opened fire first.
The clash happened unexpectedly. The ship tried to turn back towards the Cambodian shore but got stuck on rocks and was hit by gunfire. The soldiers were forced to leave the ship and wade ashore. Unbeknownst to them, Pol Pot's forces had already set up an ambush.
With limited forces and weapons, the group fought while simultaneously trying to retreat. Amidst the chaos, he and his comrades stumbled into a minefield planted by the enemy.
An explosion echoed through the border forest. The tremendous force of the mine caused him to lose both legs. His two comrades were also seriously injured; one was shot in the chest, and the other had a broken leg.
Fortunately, reinforcements from a nearby independent outpost arrived in time to take all three to the hospital for emergency treatment. That year, Uncle Nguyen Van Muoi was just 19 years old.
THE SOLDIER'S RESILIENCE
After treatment, in 1986, he returned to Sa Dec with his legs permanently lost on the battlefield. The first few days back home were incredibly difficult for the young wounded soldier.
"From being a healthy person, I've now lost both my legs, so I'm very sad," Uncle Mười confided.
However, he refused to become a burden to his family and society. After a few years of recuperation in Cao Lanh, he decided to go to Thu Duc to learn electronics, believing he needed a job to support himself.
After completing his vocational training, he returned to work on a contract basis at an electronics service facility in the Cau Sat area (Sa Dec ward). At that time, color televisions were still rare, and the electronics repair business was thriving, so the job provided him with additional income alongside his disability benefits.
Having dedicated nearly 30 years to repairing electronics, war veteran Nguyen Van Muoi still diligently works with his own hands to support himself.
"Disabled but not defeated" - this saying seems to perfectly capture the life of Mr. Nguyen Van Muoi. Now over 60 years old, his eyesight has deteriorated, preventing him from continuing his work repairing electronics.
Despite the lingering pain from his leg injuries, especially when the weather changes, he maintains an optimistic outlook on life.
Currently, Uncle Mười lives with his youngest brother's family in a house built with government support more than 20 years ago.
Speaking of the care and attention given to war invalids by the Party, the State, and local authorities, Uncle Mười was moved: "If it weren't for the State and local authorities' care, I would hardly have been able to get through to where I am today."
More than 40 years have passed since that student left school to enlist in the army following the general mobilization order, dedicating his youth to the Fatherland.
War may take away the legs of a young soldier, but it cannot take away the strength and unwavering will of a soldier of "Uncle Ho's Army" in the face of adversity.
NYMPH
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/chuyen-ve-thuong-binh-nguyen-van-muoi-a240487.html
Comment (0)