Instilling pride and responsibility

“On our first day at the Brigade, we felt the unit was as beautiful as a park. The commanders at all levels welcomed us warmly, and I felt very close and comfortable, which helped alleviate some of my homesickness.” These are the words of Private Nguyen Huu Viet, a soldier in Company 4, Battalion 2, Brigade 229 (Engineering Corps), as he recalls his first day in the military.

Upon joining the unit, Huu Viet and his comrades received dedicated guidance from officers on their first lessons, such as folding and arranging bedding, cleaning, physical exercises, morning inspections, and group activities in threes. In addition, the new recruits visited the unit's traditional exhibition room, the Engineering Museum, and the Vietnam Military History Museum, gaining a deeper understanding of the Army's traditions and the Engineering Corps, which instilled in them a sense of pride and responsibility in carrying out their duties.

The commander of Brigade 229 encouraged new recruits and their families during the first day of enlistment exchange program.

Away from their families, each soldier has their own feelings. To foster camaraderie and motivate the soldiers to focus on their work, officers at all levels have shown concern, encouragement, and close support. In our conversation, Sergeant Khuong Van Huy, Squad Leader of Squad 7, Platoon 3 (Company 4, Battalion 2, Brigade 229), shared about the early days of receiving the new recruits. The case that concerned him was Private Duong Van Nga, who got married before enlisting. While his comrades were enjoying themselves, Nga sat alone, lost in thought, and rarely interacted with others.

“Understanding that, I talked to Nga and learned that he missed his wife and was worried about the difficulties his family was facing. I told him that I was also married before enlisting, but that if he set goals to strive for, all difficulties could be overcome,” Squad Leader Huy shared. The encouragement and dedicated help from the squad leader helped the young soldier confidently integrate with his comrades.

Many stories about their first days in the army were shared by new recruits in Brigade 249 with their officers and comrades.

In 2025, six units within the Engineering Corps were assigned the task of training new recruits. Each unit has its own specific work characteristics, therefore, leaders and commanders at all levels have implemented appropriate measures for educating and managing soldiers. After strenuous training sessions, new recruits look forward to the weekend to meet their families. Understanding this sentiment, Brigade 229 arranged a clean and beautiful area to welcome the families of new recruits, the women's association provided drinks for the soldiers' relatives, and officers directly visited and monitored the situation, coordinating with families in managing and educating the soldiers. At Brigade 239, after a month of training, 70 soldiers' families came to visit. The unit organized a meeting program on the day off for families to tour the unit, watch the soldiers perform dances during collective activities, participate in morning exercises, and engage in cultural exchanges, thereby fostering a bond between soldiers, the unit, and their families.

Although each person has different circumstances, with the spirit of "the unit is home, officers and soldiers are all brothers," upon entering the common home of the 229th Brigade, they all feel honored to work in a unit with a rich tradition, a spacious, well-organized, bright, green, clean, and beautiful barracks. Colonel Nguyen Van Nghi, Political Commissar of Brigade 229, said: "In the past few days, the comrades have overcome initial difficulties, adapted to the new environment, and quickly stabilized in all aspects. The unit is truly a place to entrust trust, strengthen the bond between officers and soldiers, and foster precious camaraderie. When you are attached to the unit and integrate with your comrades, you will overcome all difficulties to successfully complete your mission."

The second family is warm and close-knit.

To effectively manage and educate new recruits, the Engineering Corps has directed its agencies and units to launch movements and organize competitions for model teaching aids, initiatives, and technical improvements. Many models have been applied to effectively serve the work, study, and daily life of new recruits. A typical initiative in ideological management is the "Emotion Sharing Box" of Brigade 239, designed as an electronic button and placed in the unit's corridor. Soldiers can freely select and press buttons to change emotional states on the device. Through this, officers can gain a preliminary understanding of the soldiers' thoughts and psychology to implement effective management measures.

The new recruits of Brigade 239 receive active encouragement and support from unit officers and their families in their work.

To organize recreational activities combined with legal education and awareness campaigns for soldiers, Brigade 229 developed the "Knowledge Ladder" model. This model includes questions at easy, medium, and difficult levels, followed by a selection of topics for answering, creating a fun atmosphere after training. At Brigade 249, with the "Soldier's Confessions" model, many soldiers boldly shared their thoughts and feelings through letters, helping commanders understand and effectively address the soldiers' concerns.

Colonel Nguyen Dang Chien, Head of the Propaganda Department ( Political Department, Engineering Corps), said: “A comfortable spiritual life is a favorable condition for soldiers to be active in their work. Therefore, units managing soldiers pay attention to organizing cultural and artistic activities, focusing on learning prescribed military songs, dances for collective activities, physical training, sports, and fraternal exchanges, thereby helping soldiers develop their talents and integrate into the collective environment.”

The new recruits of Brigade 239 receive active encouragement and support from unit officers and their families in their work.

Understanding the common desire of new recruits to stay in contact with family during their initial period of homesickness, the units regularly maintain contact with families. Brigade 249 has equipped mobile phones at the platoon level, enabling soldiers to communicate with their families and relatives, and has publicly announced a hotline to receive feedback and suggestions from officers and soldiers. For Brigade 279, leaders and commanders at all levels always pay attention to the families of soldiers who have wives and children, and those with difficult circumstances, organizing visits to their homes to offer support and encouragement.

What impressed and left a lasting impression on the soldiers was that all units within the Engineering Corps organized a program to celebrate their first day of enlistment, commending and rewarding soldiers who achieved good results in performing their duties. This was a highly meaningful collective activity where officers at all levels, along with new recruits, retired soldiers, and veterans, shared their experiences in training and discipline.

We captured a heartwarming scene when a father and son, both working at Brigade 249, participated in an exchange program. Captain Ha Sy Thang, a shooting range officer in the Staff Department, has served in the Brigade for 20 years. The joy continues as, in 2025, Private Ha Manh Duy (son of Captain Ha Sy Thang) will enlist in Brigade 249. Captain Ha Sy Thang shared: “I am very excited that my son has decided to enlist and train at this unit, marking the culmination of my youth's diligent efforts and training. I hope that my son and the other soldiers will continue the tradition of actively studying and training to make even greater progress.”

According to Colonel Nguyen Viet Canh, Deputy Head of Political Affairs of the Engineering Corps: After the first month of training, through practical actions and the thoughtful attention of the officers in the units, the new recruits have gained confidence in a warm and close-knit second family. This is the motivation for each new recruit to confidently strive for self-improvement and gradually mature in the military environment. Accordingly, the training results for all contents in the new recruit training program up to this point show that 100% of the content meets or exceeds the requirements, with over 80% achieving good or excellent grades.

Text and photos: VU DUY

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/giup-chien-si-moi-hoa-nhap-tu-tin-phan-dau-823422