During his school years, his name was Do Nhu Lau, later changed to Do Thanh Hung. His life was full of hardships and tears. His mother died early, he had to struggle on his own, sometimes he could go to the village school and sometimes he couldn't. At the age of 13, he joined the Dien Thang commune guerrillas. The image of him wearing a scout cap, an umbrella around his neck and an AK slung over his body looked very majestic, we kids admired him very much: "At the age of thirteen, he joined the guerrillas/ Gun at head level, bullets flying high".
My brother and I spent our childhoods bathing in the rain shirtless. The rains sometimes turned the fields of Phong Luc village, Dien Thang commune (now Dien Thang Nam ward, Dien Ban town) white, leaving in our hearts unforgettable memories of our hometown.
His life of “revolutionary work” was filled with heroic feats, brave and intelligent battles that took place in his homeland. Such as the battle to stop the American advance across Hat bridge in 1968, the grenade attack on the Thanh Truong Commune Council (Dien Thang) in 1969, the “double American” battle (dialect, referring to the Americans going in groups combined with puppet soldiers) in front of Mr. Ha Tuyen’s house in Phong Ngu village in 1970… killing dozens of enemies to prevent the suppression of the Americans and puppets and causing confusion for them in their patrols and raids. Thanks to that, Do Tan Hung was repeatedly praised and awarded the title “Brave American Destroyer” at the district and provincial levels.
One time I visited him and heard him tell stories about being a propaganda officer during the anti-American war, which was very difficult but also very proud. In June 1970, he was assigned to work at the office of the Propaganda Department of the Dien Ban District Party Committee.
Although he was young, he looked smart, so everyone in the Board loved and helped him. The Board's office at that time had four siblings: Nguyen Khai, Truong Cong Thanh, Do Thi Phuong and Do Thanh Hung. Each of them came from a different hometown but loved each other like children of the same family.
The Wartime Propaganda Department was divided into sub-committees: Training Sub-committee, Propaganda Sub-committee, Party School, Propaganda - Arts Armed Group and Department Office.
Every time they return from a business trip to a remote area, they bring gifts to the office, inform them that they have received letters and documents, and discuss necessary matters so that the office can grasp the situation of each area in the district. The Board's office is close to the District Party Committee Office and is in contact with the staff of the sub-committees, so documents and letters are printed and distributed promptly according to the Party's policies.
He said that in three consecutive years from 1970 to 1972, the US and puppet forces focused on plowing, herding people, and fiercely attacking the communes north of the Thu Bon River and south of the La Tho River. They continuously dropped bombs, fired artillery, mortars, and artillery shells, turning villages into terrifying battlefields. In the sky, day and night, planes roared, helicopters, patrol boats, dipper boats, trap boats, and search boats. On the ground, the US crawled and searched everywhere... causing us great hardships.
The agency had to move to many places, sometimes in Dong Hoa, Chin Chu, La Tho, Dien Hoa; sometimes in the village across Dien An commune, then to the east of Dua bridge, Dien Phuoc commune, to Chau Lau, Tay village, Ai My of Dien Tho commune, village 2 of Dien Thai commune... At the end of 1972, the agency moved to Da Ty beach (fortune-telling beach) of Dien Hong commune to be near the District Party Committee office...".
Every time the agency moved to a new residence, the propaganda officers had to both evade the enemy and find a place to build a shelter, a secret bunker, a place to hide typewriters, mimeograph plates, documents and other important items, while focusing on the task of printing and distributing newsletters, leaflets, posters, orders, and appeals from superiors...
When the enemy swept through, oil lamps had to be lit in secret bunkers to print and distribute to the battlefield in time. Especially when living near people, everything had to be more cautious and vigilant, to prevent the enemy from discovering, attacking, and terrorizing the people.
Assigned by the Board to be a liaison, every day he had to avoid enemy sweeps and watch out for enemy planes to transfer documents to the district liaison office. The Board's documents were always carried on his back.
Despite the fierceness, sacrifices, hunger and lack of salt, the office staff fulfilled their duties, serving the departments of the Board. There were years when the secret tunnel was flooded during the rainy season, the enemy was landing and sweeping by helicopter, it seemed impossible to overcome, but the office department was clever and brave to ensure the service and safety of the staff of the Board.
Mr. Hung recalled: “Working as a propaganda officer during the anti-American war, my life was always close to death. I can never forget the times when my life was at a close call. That was the time when enemy helicopters landed troops to open the secret tunnel where I was hiding in Ai My village, Dien Tho commune.
The time I was carrying food and tripped over an enemy mine at the Cam Ly intersection in Dien Hong commune. The time I was transporting food during the flood season and my boat sank in the middle of the vast ocean. The time I was discovered by an enemy helicopter and my shirt was shot at at Da Ty beach in Dien Hong commune..."
When peace was restored, Mr. Hung became the Director of the Dien Ban District Political Training Center. The story of being a propaganda officer during the war in his homeland seemed like yesterday. I was once his colleague, and every time we met, I would reminisce about the years of hardship, fierceness, and sacrifice during the war. All of these things were deeply engraved in my memory as unforgettable things, like the poem I once wrote:
“You are from the upper village, I am from the lower village/ We have been close since our school days/ You are less than a year older than me/ But older than a war” (The scent of the land lulls love - Writers Association Publishing House, 2021).
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