Colonel, writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet writes to repay the debt to those who have passed away.

The end of the long march

With a warm voice, Colonel and writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet recounts the life-and-death but heroic moments that he still remembers clearly, even though it was nearly 50 years ago...

At that time, Mr. Nguyet was a soldier driving tank 380, belonging to Company 4, Tank Brigade 203. The unit was assigned the mission of being the leading attack force of the Deep Thrust Corps of the 2nd Army Corps. All were organized very compactly, traveling on motor vehicles so that when the opportunity arose, they could "charge straight" into Saigon.

Tank 380 enters the Independence Palace, noon on April 30, 1975. Photo: Francoise Demulder

But unfortunately, during the reinforcement for the battle at Nuoc Trong base, on the morning of April 28, tank 380 was hit by a bullet, the turret was punctured, the 12.7mm gun was thrown away, a piece of debris fell and damaged the machine gun. Notably, 2 members of the crew, gunner 2 Nguyen Kim Duyet and tank commander Nguyen Dinh Luong were seriously injured, only Nguyen Khac Nguyet and gunner Truong Duc Tho were unharmed.

When returning to prepare for the afternoon battle, news came that Duyet had died, and Luong still had to continue treatment. Checking the vehicle, in addition to the two damaged guns, the turret was also stuck and could not rotate. Although that day, the soldiers had tapped and adjusted the K53 gun to make it work again, the crew was only 2 people, so maneuvering in combat was very difficult. So after April 28, vehicle 380 was pushed down to team 2, marching a few hundred meters away from the leading vehicle.

“Although there were only two of us left, we were still determined to follow the formation. I told Tho: Just load the armor-piercing bullet here, consider it a life-and-death bullet, only shoot when you encounter an enemy tank, leave the rest to me,” Colonel Nguyet recounted.

At 5:00 a.m. on April 30, our forces crossed the “fire fence” on Dong Nai bridge to enter Bien Hoa highway. At the gate of Thu Duc Military Academy, we encountered an enemy defense, but the Brigade Commander ordered us to ignore it and advance straight to Saigon. On the way, our troops encountered some weak enemy counterattacks. At the Saigon bridgehead, the most intense battle took place. The enemy took advantage of the terrain and fought back fiercely, causing us to lose several vehicles. However, when the liberation army shot and burned two tanks, the enemy fled.

“Crossing Saigon Bridge, our tanks entered the inner city, led by tank 866. Arriving at Thi Nghe Bridge, only a kilometer away from the Independence Palace, we encountered another defensive post. Tank 866 was hit by an enemy M41 shell in the turret, two soldiers were killed. Tanks 843 and 390 behind overtook us and reached the Independence Palace gate first. And the story that followed is as we know,” Colonel Nguyet recalled.

According to Colonel Nguyet, two vehicles 843 and 390 crossed the Saigon bridge together but the two vehicles went on two different routes. Vehicle 843 went from the Zoo to the Independence Palace, while vehicle 390 went on Red Cross Road (now Xo Viet Nghe Tinh).

“Back then, no one knew anything about the city. We were only given instructions in advance: “Cross Thi Nghe Bridge, turn left at the seventh intersection.” We all had to memorize it,” said Mr. Nguyet.

Following cars 843 and 390, a series of other cars, including car 380, also entered the yard of the Independence Palace. But the rule was that drivers were not allowed to leave their cars under any circumstances, so the young soldier did not dare to enter the Palace.

“We stood outside the yard, hugging each other and jumping up and down in happiness and pride. After 30 years of war, we were finally here, the joy and pride were indescribable. But a few minutes later, when we got back into the car, another feeling invaded my heart. Only then did I notice the terrible smell of blood in the engine compartment. The battle had started on April 28, and the blood stains were still everywhere and I had not had time to clean them up…

I suddenly felt moved to tears remembering my fallen comrades. They shed blood and fell without being able to be present on such a joyous day. I thought for a moment that the resistance war was truly a very long march and the road to the Independence Palace was the last kilometer. With that in mind, I took out my notebook and quickly wrote down some poetic ideas:

When the tank stopped in front of the Independence Palace.

I was surprised - is this real or a dream?

The last kilometer - the long journey.

Are you here? My eyes suddenly filled with tears.

Colonel, writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet and tank 380.

Tanker tells about himself

Talking about the path to literature, Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet's voice dropped: "I and many other veteran brothers went through such a fierce war, where the boundary between life and death was extremely fragile. Now that we are alive and returning, it is thanks to the sacrifices of many comrades, who died so that we could live. Therefore, in addition to regret, we always feel a lingering debt. To repay that debt, there is no better way than to write about the lives, fights and sacrifices of my comrades, so that future generations will know and not forget them."

However, during his years in the army, Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet worked in a rather busy position, so he only occasionally wrote an article about his comrades. It was only after his retirement that he had more time. His first book about the 4th Tank Company with rough, bare, and rustic writing was published by the People's Army Publishing House in 2008. In 2016, Tre Publishing House republished it, supplemented with the title "Tank Soldier's Notes - Journey to the Independence Palace". Recently, to prepare for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South, Tre Publishing House continued to sign a contract to reprint this work for the second time.

Although he came to literature quite late, with his strong writing ability, since his retirement, Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet has had a new work "released" almost every year. Up to now, he has had 14 books, including a 4-volume epic novel "Steel Storm", nearly ten volumes of memoirs... This year, he continues to release the novel "Only Love Left" written about his comrade, Heroic Martyr Ngo Van Nho - Battalion Commander of Battalion 1 - who sacrificed himself on Saigon Bridge, just one hour before the moment of total victory.

“I will spend the remaining years of my life paying my spiritual debt to my comrades who sacrificed for the country, first of all my comrades in my own small, beloved group - Tank Company 4. My works are like a stick of incense burned for the deceased and also a gift for my comrades who have left the army and are struggling day and night with everyday life” - Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet shared.

T.Toan

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dai-ta-nha-van-nguyen-khac-nguyet-viet-de-tra-no-nhung-nguoi-nam-xuong-post293147.html