A good place attracts good people.

The 6th Artillery Brigade is stationed in the Mekong Delta, a region once home to many bird species, where orchards, canal banks, and rice paddies served as familiar habitats. In recent years, along with economic development, ponds and lakes have been filled in in many areas, the tree-lined banks along canals have become sparser, and bird trapping has increased, resulting in fewer wild birds than before.

Soldiers of the 6th Artillery Brigade, 9th Military Region, tend to flowerbeds, maintain a green, clean, and beautiful environment, and protect flocks of birds.

Colonel Luong Van Ton recounted that a few years ago, he once saw a wounded bird fluttering in the unit's yard. The soldiers guessed it had been shot or caught in a trap somewhere outside, trying to fly into the trees within the Brigade's barracks for shelter. It was exhausted by the time it reached the base of a tree. The small bird huddled among the dry leaves, one wing drooping, and it recoiled even more as people approached.

"A good place attracts birds. Since the birds have come here, we must preserve that peace and tranquility," the Brigade Commander pondered.

From that story, the Party Committee and the Brigade's command clearly defined their determination to protect the bird population while simultaneously building a green, clean, and beautiful environment and a cultured lifestyle within the unit. Initially, the Brigade reviewed and selected locations with many tall trees and little human traffic to create a "core zone" to attract birds, gradually expanding the scope to the entire corps. Trees with existing nests were marked so that during landscape maintenance, soldiers only removed dry and broken branches, preserving the branches with nests. In areas where birds breed, the unit limited activities that caused loud noises to avoid driving them away or disrupting their nests.

The areas designated for trees are assigned to specific agencies and units. All personnel are educated and their awareness and sense of responsibility for environmental protection and the preservation of wild birds are enhanced. Absolutely no hunting or trapping of birds is permitted within the unit. After each major storm, the unit searches for fallen nests, placing them back on lower branches or moving them to safe locations. The brigade also encourages local residents around the troop's base to refrain from hunting and trapping birds. Some initially only heard about it, but after seeing more and more birds return, they gradually understood and supported the soldiers' efforts.

Save the fruit for the birds.

Colonel Hoang Tuyen Phong, Political Commissar of the Brigade, always urged agencies and units to transform the policy of protecting bird populations into creative, concrete, and effective actions. The education of soldiers must be in-depth, touching upon the love for all living things in the depths of everyone's consciousness. Many new and highly engaging forms of education have been implemented. One comrade even composed memorable and easily understandable poems written in bamboo pen, which were disseminated throughout the Brigade.

In front of the guesthouse where we were staying were several lush, green mango trees, but only a few ripe fruits remained at the top. I was about to pick some, but the Brigade Commander stopped me: "No, that's for the birds..."

A corner of the green, clean, and beautiful barracks of the 6th Artillery Brigade, 9th Military Region. Photo: VAN DOAN

Responding to the directives of the Party Committee and the Brigade Command, many branches within the Youth Union implemented a very interesting initiative: "leaving some for the birds." During each fruit harvest, the soldiers only picked just enough, leaving a portion in places where birds usually fly. Initially, it was just a few mangoes high up, but later, it extended to all kinds of fruit trees.

Private Nguyen Minh Tien, a soldier in the Staff Department, recounted that when he first joined the Brigade, he was surprised by the abundance of birds and their tame nature. There was a time when a flock of starlings disappeared for several days, leaving the soldiers feeling sad and worried; no one in the platoon wanted to laugh or joke.

"It seems like the birds sensed our affection too. When we set aside some mangoes, they even brought their friends over, singing loudly throughout the area," Tien said.

Watching the soldiers stroll leisurely under the trees after training, listening to the cheerful chirping of birds in the afternoon sun, amidst the cool breeze blowing in from the Hau River, we suddenly understood more deeply the value of the clear sounds that resound every day in the sky above the 6th Artillery Brigade. These birdsongs lessen the usual solemnity of a combat-ready unit, bringing the soldiers a sense of closeness and relaxation after hours of duty. It is also the clearest sign of a safe living environment, where greenery is preserved, life is cherished, and each officer and soldier acts more responsibly towards the space they are connected to.

Through small actions in protecting bird populations, the Brigade has added a simple beauty to the environmental landscape, while also contributing a bright spot in the awareness of nature conservation and the preservation of the local ecosystem.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/con-chim-co-to-co-bay-ai-oi-dung-bay-de-day-dat-lanh-1042415