For many years now, the war invalids from Ha Tinh, despite having gone through many bombs and bullets of war and hardships in peacetime, have never stopped remembering their comrades and have constantly contributed their efforts to "continue writing the story of peace ".

Put down the pen and join the army

In July 1971, when the country was still divided into two parts, the North and the South, the resistance war against the US, to save the country of our army and people entered a tense phase, the need to support the battlefield in the South became more and more urgent, Vuong Kha Son decided to drop out of school to follow the call of the Fatherland. The skinny young man weighing less than 47kg was not strong enough to "break the buffalo horn", but with the determination to contribute to the cause of protecting the country, the young man joined the army. The 4-year period, from 1971-1975 may not be long for many people, but for the soldiers, those who held guns to fight, it was a longer period than ever.

The country was unified, returning to the motherland, living in peace was a happiness that no pen could describe, despite the body being tormented by the wounds of two serious injuries on the day of his return. He continued his unfinished dream of standing on the podium, becoming a person who ignited the future. He made efforts to complete the general education program and passed the entrance exam to Vinh Pedagogical University, majoring in Literature. After graduating with an excellent degree, although many agencies and units invited him to work at the same time, he refused all of them to ask to teach at a mountainous school near his home - Dong Loc High School.

After many years away from home and studying, he wanted to be close to his family, to have the conditions to take care of his elderly parents, his wife and four young children. His father - Mr. Vuong Kha Khoi, was a first-class disabled soldier, seriously injured in the resistance war against the French colonialists, with poor health, requiring constant care and support. Later, he died from the after-effects of his injuries and was recognized as a martyr. He also felt somewhat relieved when he took care of his father, staying by his side to fulfill his filial duty until the last moment of his life.

Veteran Wang Keshan interacts with students. Photo provided by the character

Born and raised in a family with a revolutionary tradition, with his father and uncle being martyrs, his grandmother being a heroic Vietnamese mother, and himself directly holding a gun to fight the enemy, more than anyone else, Mr. Son deeply understands the bombs and bullets of war and appreciates the value of peace.

Having loved literature and writing since his military days, he often recorded his long journeys in two diaries, which he named “Along the Road to War”. However, before the country was completely liberated, bombs and bullets turned his two diaries into ashes… So, he began to think about the plan that he had cherished in his heart for a long time, which was to write a book about his years of fighting, the sacrifices of his comrades, so that future generations could understand the sacrifices of mountains of bones and rivers of blood of many generations who came before.

In 2004, he began to reminisce and write the memoir “Memories of War”. At first, he thought simply, writing very concisely to show gratitude to his comrades, writing for his children and friends to read as he wished to recall a fiery but heroic time when the whole nation united to fight and defeat foreign invaders. That manuscript was quickly highly appreciated by Thanh Nien Publishing House, signed a publishing contract immediately after that, then released and included in the “Traditional Fueling Bookcase - Forever Twenty Years Old” and continuously reprinted up to the 5th time.

Mr. Son hopes that the book will help readers understand more about the sacrifices of the nation and the value of peace today. For him, the stories in the memoir are also his way of "continuing the story of peace" in his own way. That explains why he used all the royalties he received to set up a private fund to help friends and comrades in difficulty.

Orders from the heart of a soldier

In 2013, Mr. Vuong Kha Son retired under the regime. Seeing his children settled down, he was reassured with the long-standing concern of finding ways to connect with his comrades across the country. Whenever he heard news of a place where his comrades fought, he would travel to visit, share, and encourage them. He realized that many of his comrades were still in very difficult circumstances: some were no longer healthy, some had lost all their papers, could not get a regime, and so suffered from constant illness, some gave birth to mentally disabled children due to Agent Orange poisoning... Knowing that his strength was limited, he mobilized friends, relatives, and the community to join hands to support. From then on, he traveled everywhere to find and help his comrades.

Mr. Son shared about the case of Mr. Chu Van Luong (Thanh Chuong, Nghe An ) - who passed away: "When I knew and visited this comrade, I learned about his pitiful situation when all his military records and injury certificates were swept away by the flood, so he could not apply for the wounded and sick soldier regime. When the wounds recurred, he had no choice but to endure the situation, not knowing who to turn to for help."

Knowing his friend’s situation, Mr. Son saved up money and bought a plane ticket to go with his friend to the old units to find the files. But after 50 years, even though the two of them traveled to the old units in the Southeast to ask for information for nearly a month, there were no good results… Seeing such situations, Mr. Son wanted to help more of his comrades. Many generous donors trusted and accompanied him. Currently, in addition to supporting veterans, he is also willing to support people in difficult circumstances.

Mr. Vuong Kha Son gives gifts to people in difficult circumstances. Photo provided by the character

Looking at the old veteran riding his old motorbike to visit and give gifts to his comrades, I know that his "peace story" is still being written in the simplest and most meaningful way.

A friend of mine wondered: “Your family is not well off, and your wife is sick all year round. If you only rely on your pension to cover the expenses for both of you, where will you get the time and money to do those things?” He just smiled and said softly: “For me, being alive to return to my family is already a blessing, happier than many of my comrades. There is no difficulty that can make it difficult for a soldier who is living on behalf of those who have sacrificed. Moreover, I am still able to go to school, have a stable job, and have an income that is more stable than my unfortunate comrades who are no longer able to work or have lost all their documents. I cannot live peacefully knowing that my comrades are still facing many difficulties. I consider what I am doing for my comrades as an order from the heart of a soldier. As long as my heart is still beating, those orders will always be carried out.”

KIM SON

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/cuu-chien-binh-viet-tiep-cau-chuyen-hoa-binh-839336