Part 2: Letter to Uncle Ho from Literature class
After the establishment of the School, Mr. Truong Dinh Quang returned to the province to work. Mr. Nguyen Van Thong (Tu Thong), an officer of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, was assigned to be the first Principal. Initially, the School was built on a small, light, and mobile scale, both for cultural studies and for resistance and national construction. This was the first revolutionary education model of the province named after the hero Hoang Le Kha.
Member of the Politburo , Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission Nguyen Trong Nghia and former teachers and students of Hoang Le Kha Boarding School (Tay Ninh) visited the Memorial Area. Photo: Phuong Thuy
By 1964, the school had expanded, the whole school had 70 boarding students. The students were children of cadres who were working in the revolution and children of the people sent in to be trained by the revolution. The teaching force - some were trained, some were the previous class of students teaching the next class. When the enemy came to attack, they dispersed, small groups herded buffalo and cows, large groups joined the guerrillas to fight the sweep. The school developed to grade 9, then 9+1, 9+2
From the beginning, students of Hoang Le Kha School were identified by Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee as the red seeds of the revolution. Therefore, the school focused on comprehensive education, teaching literacy, culture, and especially on political and ideological education, fostering revolutionary spirit, oriented towards the Party, towards Uncle Ho and the socialist North, contributing to defeating the enemy's plans of war of aggression.
In the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1964, during the Literature class, Mr. Ho Van Quoc gave a letter writing assignment: "Children of Hoang Le Kha School, please write a letter to Uncle Ho" . From this assignment, with all respect for Uncle Ho, with good words, beautiful ideas and sincerity, the students sent all their determination, feelings and wishes to President Ho Chi Minh. After that, Mr. Ho Van Quoc selected the good words and beautiful ideas, assigned the students to copy them into a complete letter, sent to Hanoi, to Uncle Ho. At that time, the letter was sent by courier, from one region to another, very far away. The students at that time did not think that the letter had been sent to Uncle Ho.
In the fierce war situation, despite being busy with thousands of things, Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton still paid attention to the students of Hoang Le Kha School (Tay Ninh) in particular and the children of the South in general. From the letter sent by the students of Hoang Le Kha School, on the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1965, Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton wrote a letter to the children of Hoang Le Kha School (Tay Ninh) and all the children of the South. The full text of the letter was published in Nhan Dan Newspaper, No. 4191, September 25, 1965:
The letter from Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton to the children of Hoang Le Kha School in particular and the South in general was published in full in Nhan Dan Newspaper, No. 4191, published on September 25, 1965.
Letter to children of Hoang Le Kha school (Tay Ninh) and all children in the South
Dear children,
Reading the letters sent by the children of Hoang Le Kha School to the two Uncles on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the two Uncles were very happy and moved. The children missed the two Uncles very much and were looking forward to the day when the country was unified. Like the people of the North, the two Uncles loved the children of the South very much and were looking forward to the day when the South would be liberated, so that the North and South could be reunited.
Because of the American invaders and their traitors, our compatriots and children in the South had to suffer a lot. They were like newly bloomed flowers, like newly sprouted buds, that the savage enemy had to crush.
For the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for the future and happiness of our children, for more than ten years now, our Southern compatriots, our parents, our uncles and aunts have fought heroically, sacrificing everything to drive out the American invaders and their lackeys. And you, the children of the South, will soon follow in the footsteps of your fathers and brothers to contribute to the fight against the Americans and save the country.
The two Uncles were very pleased to hear that you have done many useful things such as: helping your families with production, doing communication work, digging tunnels, sharpening spikes, helping your aunts and uncles build combat villages, etc. The two Uncles were even more pleased to know that you always tried to study well in very difficult circumstances, even in places where enemy soldiers were constantly sweeping through villages and planes were constantly bombing schools. Many of you have shown yourself to be brave and intelligent, worthy of being children of the heroic South.
Our Southern compatriots are very heroic. Our Southern children are also very heroic.
The extremely heroic patriotic struggle of our compatriots in the South, with the wholehearted help of our compatriots in the North, of socialist countries and of progressive peoples around the world, will certainly achieve complete victory.
The South will definitely be liberated.
Our Vietnam will definitely be completely unified.
The two Uncles believe that:
North and South will reunite as one family
Uncle and nephew meet, young and old have fun together
Miss you all so much
I hope every child is a child hero.
The two Uncles, fellow countrymen and children of the North, send you many kisses and cordial regards to your teachers and parents.
September 25, 1965
Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton
The letters from Uncle Ho and Uncle Ton were a source of encouragement, motivation, and a great driving force, helping teachers and students of the school have more spirit, determination, and will to overcome all difficulties, dangers, and challenges of bombs and bullets of war to live, fight, work, teach, and study well, contributing to defeating the American invaders.
In the years 1969 - 1971, the Tay Ninh battlefield was extremely fierce, the enemy counterattacked and expanded large-scale sweeps into the liberated areas. The situation of "morning bombs, afternoon artillery, evening scoops" occurred frequently. In such difficult conditions, the cadres and teachers of Hoang Le Kha School retreated deep into the countryside, the location had to change constantly to many different areas. The school's leadership also changed. In 1965, Mr. Nguyen Van Thong was transferred to work in the province and the person who replaced him as principal was Mr. Tam Truc. In 1970, after Mr. Tam Truc sacrificed, the next principal was Mr. Le Minh Thanh (Nam Thanh).
Students of Hoang Le Kha High School for the Gifted visit the Memorial Area. Photo: Ngoc Bich
From the first class of students who were in the Children's Song and Dance Team, the school expanded its scale, including primary and secondary school classes; especially in the years 1971-1972, following the policy of the Provincial Party Committee and the Central Office for Southern Vietnam, many classes of excellent students of the school were selected and sent to the North to continue to cultivate, study, and mature, and then return to serve the home province and the revolutionary cause.
With its efforts and achievements, Hoang Le Kha School was awarded by the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam: First Class Resistance Medal; Second Class Resistance Medal; Third Class Resistance Medal and many other Certificates of Merit.
On July 22, 2023, the Liaison Committee of Hoang Le Kha School - Southern students of Tay Ninh province coordinated with Chau Thanh district to organize the inauguration ceremony. The memorial area of Hoang Le Kha Boarding School (1962-1975 period) was inaugurated on July 22, 2023, in Phuoc Lap hamlet, Phuoc Vinh commune. The project has a total investment of 4,236 billion VND, from the provincial budget and contributions from teachers and former students of the school. The project has an area of 1,700m2 with many items such as: bust of comrade Hoang Le Kha; stone sculpture of a teacher's arm; bas-relief; stele honoring generations of teachers and students and many auxiliary works such as lake, kitchen, rest house... Hoang Le Kha Boarding School Memorial Site was ranked as a provincial historical relic in 2021. |
Dang Hoang Thai
Source: https://baotayninh.vn/tu-doi-ca-vu-thieu-nhi-khang-chien-den-buc-thu-gui-bac-ho-ky-2--a192665.html
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