Coming to Truong Sa, remembering Admiral Giap Van Cuong

BAC GIANG - I have been to Truong Sa many times, where there are islands, both above and below the sea, since 1998, 2000... At that time, life and facilities on the island were still difficult, but I could clearly see the optimistic spirit of our soldiers when they received the task of protecting the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland at the forefront. And strangely enough, not only the literary and press circles but also the officers and soldiers in Truong Sa all respected and always mentioned the legendary Navy Commander - Admiral Giap Van Cuong.

The story goes that during a sea patrol, Admiral Giap Van Cuong - Commander of the Navy at that time saw soldiers all bare-chested, their shoulders were covered with cuts from coral rocks that had turned into shiny red scars under the sea sun. The soldiers laughed innocently and said: “Dad, do you know? We use our shoulders to carry coral rocks, so it is normal for our shoulders to be torn. A few trivial scars are more of an “achievement” for us to flirt with girls on the mainland, Dad. We wrote letters to our lovers, saying that we are using our shoulders to lift up the Fatherland. Do you think that is right?”

Admiral Giap Van Cuong meets with engineers building Tien Nu Island. Photo: Archive.

The famous Commander lovingly scolded the soldiers for joking around, and tears welled up in his eyes. Yes, the country is still poor. You soldiers in the vast seas guarding the islands, your clothes are not enough to hold up, so you have to carry rocks on your bare shoulders. And you even know how to write such an image in a letter to your lover on the mainland, so what can you blame? Well, it's almost dark today, I'll let you go to bed early. I'll guard the island tonight!

And Admiral Giap Van Cuong stood guard with his gun, to the utter surprise of the island soldiers.

Admiral Giap Van Cuong was born in 1921 in Bao Dai commune, Luc Nam district, Bac Giang province. Bac Giang is a revolutionary land with many legends in the wars against the Northern invaders. Giap Van Cuong was born into a noble family. He was carefully educated from a young age, but his temperament was adventurous and social, so he traveled early. In 1942, when he was only 21 years old, he went to the martial land of Binh Dinh to work as a civil servant in the Railway industry. During the August Revolution of 1945, Giap Van Cuong joined the Viet Minh. He then became the Battalion Commander of the 19th Ba To Battalion; the Regiment Commander of the 96th Regiment, and then gathered in the North.

In 1964, he returned to the battlefield to assume the positions of Division Commander of Division 324, Division 3, Division 2, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Quang Da Front; in early 1974 he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. In March 1977, he was appointed Commander of the Navy; in February 1980 he returned to the Ministry of National Defense . In early 1984, due to the complicated situation in the East Sea, he was transferred back to serve as Commander of the Navy for the second time. In 1988, he was promoted from Vice Admiral to Navy Admiral (rank of Senior Lieutenant General). General Giap Van Cuong was also the first Admiral of our Army.

As a son of Bao Dai land, he held many important positions in the wars to defend the country, especially as Commander of the Navy at a time when we had just unified the North and South, the country was busy with work, and the situation in the East Sea was extremely complicated. That further demonstrated the great trust of the Party, the State, and the Army in Admiral Giap Van Cuong.

Author Phung Van Khai (far left) on a business trip to Truong Sa.

I remember when writing the memoirs of Lieutenant General Lu Giang - former Commander of the Capital Military Region - an outstanding son of Luc Nam (Bac Giang), the Lieutenant General mentioned Admiral Giap Van Cuong many times with rare respect. They both commanded troops to the South after the August Revolution, both fought and made achievements at the Quang - Da front. After the liberation of the South in 1975, both generals accepted important responsibilities assigned by the Party and the Army. As outstanding sons of Bac Giang, both of them devoted their whole lives to the revolutionary cause, being simple and noble examples.

During the trip to Truong Sa in the recent historic days of April, our 10 working groups were named after the islands above and below like a symphony: Group Song Tu Tay; Group Da Nam; Group Son Ca; Group Da Thi; Group Sinh Ton Dong; Group Len Dao; Group Tien Nu; Group Nui Le A; Group Da Tay B; Group Truong Sa through a journey of sea, sky, clouds and water. The lyrics on the ship “…This sea is ours, this island is ours - Truong Sa - No matter the storm, no matter the hardship, we will overcome/ Truong Sa soldiers, continue to sing the song about the exemplary soldiers of Uncle Ho/ With a man's spirit, firmly upholding the sovereignty of our Vietnamese Fatherland…” made everyone in the working group extremely emotional.

In the stories in the cramped ship's hold, every night when we spread our mattresses on the salty sea floor and lay back and forth, we often mentioned Admiral Giap Van Cuong. The ship is now bigger, the waves and winds are not different from before, but today's amenities are much more complete. In the past, Admiral Giap Van Cuong and his soldiers spent weeks drifting on small ships on a journey of thousands of miles at sea. But now, when the islands are spacious, he has gone far away. Far away but still very close, appearing as a bronze wall on the shoulders and in the minds of each soldier.

At the floating and submerged islands, at 6am, boats took the group to the islands. Everyone wanted to be on the first trip. Truong Sa today has everything new. Truong Sa has everything young. The faces of the soldiers are unusually bright. Truong Sa soldiers today are steadfast, their lives are full in every aspect. The fragrant grass carries the affection of hundreds of people for Truong Sa. A monument of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan stands tall in the middle of the sea and sky of Song Tu Tay island. The statue of Uncle Ho is majestic under the national flag. The statues of heroes and martyrs who sacrificed for the sovereignty of the sacred sea and islands give each person in the working group deep and complete feelings. Everyone wants to do something good for the beautiful country. That is also the wish that became reality of Admiral Giap Van Cuong decades ago.

The Navy soldiers recounted that during their patrol trips, Admiral Giap Van Cuong always gathered the soldiers on the island and asked: "I give you a topic: If the enemy wants to occupy the island, how will they fight?". The soldiers on the island and the combat officers accompanying him all gave straightforward solutions according to their own thinking. Usually, the general listened, nodded and asked again: "So the enemy has landed on the island, how will you fight to keep the island?".

Everyone enthusiastically proposed plans to fight the enemy. The white-haired general questioned each person and each way of fighting, sometimes giving counter-arguments, sometimes adding more fighting ideas. When everything was in order, he then asked emotionally: “How difficult is your life here? Is it very difficult? I have become the Commander but I can’t help you much, I feel sorry for you. Let’s work together to solve the problem.”

That was Admiral Giap Van Cuong. Before leaving the island, he reminded his comrades to write down all plans, including daily stories. When the ship had left, in the dark night, the old general sat on the deck, silent as a statue.

Admiral Giap Van Cuong, together with relevant ministries and branches, proposed the plan to build the DK1 platform system on coral reefs in our continental shelf waters very early. That proposal was supported by the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and leaders of the Party and State. Up to now, the DK1 platform system has become one of the symbols affirming sovereignty and has made important socio-economic contributions to the exploitation of marine resources.

During the field trips to Luc Nam and the trips to Truong Sa, we, the artists and journalists, often mentioned our predecessors who had contributed to the country, the people, the revolution, and the Army, including Admiral Giap Van Cuong. He himself never had a moment of rest. He suddenly passed away in 1990 when many plans were still waiting for him ahead. Admiral Giap Van Cuong received many noble awards from the Party, the State, and the Army. On May 7, 2010, Admiral Giap Van Cuong was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.

A life ended but opened new, prosperous pages of life. The name Giap Van Cuong has become the name of a street in Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Bac Giang, Kon Tum... It is also a tribute and recognition to Admiral Giap Van Cuong - the legendary Navy Commander.

Essays by Phung Van Khai

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/den-truong-sa-nho-do-doc-giap-van-cuong-postid416943.bbg