Every March, Mr. Phan Dinh Huong's old comrades contact each other to meet and recall the time when they fought and died under the palmyra palm forests and in the swamps full of Pol Pot bombs and mines, helping their country Cambodia escape genocide.
Mr. Phan Dinh Huong was honored to join the soldiers of Battalion 1, Regiment 1, Ba Gia Regiment (and other Vietnamese military units) in a rapid march for 7 days and nights to attack the capital Phnom Penh, liberating the country of Pagodas on January 7, 1979. Mr. Huong, currently lives in Tam An commune, Phu Ninh. Although he is nearly 70 years old, he is still very active and enthusiastic in his work as the chairman of the local Red Cross Society.
Meet the general at the outpost years ago
Last March, there was a reunion organized by the Liaison Committee of the Ba Gia Regiment - a unit that was awarded the title of hero three times, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the unit's founding (1963 - 2023).
Mr. Huong and his wife had the opportunity to go to the capital to meet their comrades who had fought side by side, and more especially, to meet their former commander at the outpost during the most fierce days. That was Lieutenant General Pham Chan Ly - former Director of the Military Department, General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army.
Mr. Huong said that after the training period, in early August 1978, his unit received orders to send forces to the Tay Ninh border to prevent the invasion of Pol Pot's army and protect the people. The Tay Ninh border area is quite complicated, not only having the longest border adjacent to Cambodia but also adjacent to 3 provinces of the neighboring country.
Mr. Huong cannot forget the places from Chang Riec to Lo Gon, Xa Mat, Ka Tum, Phuoc Tan... - where his comrades fell in the fight against Pol Pot's army to protect their country and also to fight against genocide, reviving Cambodia.
When Mr. Huong and his comrades returned to the Tay Ninh border front, not long before, Pol Pot's army had committed a series of brutal massacres of civilians. "Once you go, you arrive, once you fight, you win", the Ba Gia Regiment immediately stopped the invasion and the criminal hands of Pol Pot's army.
The initial efforts to drive them out were successful, but when we entered the neighboring country, we encountered countless difficulties because of the rugged terrain of mountains, forests, and fields. We were not as familiar with the area as Pol Pot's army, and they used guerrilla tactics to fight back.
Veteran Nguyen Phuc Tanh (from Tien Son commune, Tien Phuoc) - Head of the Liaison Committee of Ba Gia Regiment in Quang Nam and veteran Phan Van Chin - Permanent member of the Liaison Committee of the Regiment in Tam Ky city recalled that near the end of 1978, Pol Pot's army attacked very fiercely.
They used tricks, first they planted mines everywhere to intercept our troops, but then they arrogantly launched fierce counterattacks to retake the areas that the Vietnamese troops had taken.
To clear the way for the mines and bombs, they herded the cattle and buffaloes ahead. Our border posts were heavily attacked by artillery, then Pol Pot soldiers crawled in to capture the posts. The areas near the border became the site of repeated fighting back and forth. Many of our soldiers were sacrificed.
And then, from the outpost, Mr. Huong had an unforgettable memory with his boss. That was the story of the outpost with only 3 people: Pham Chan Ly, Phan Dinh Huong, Nguyen Van Lao.
On the day of the meeting, then visiting the private home of his former commander, Lieutenant General Pham Chan Ly, Mr. Huong recalled memories with verses that moved everyone: “ The days at the outpost/ the rainy season in our friendly country had many difficulties/ But my heart was not worried/ During the day, I hid and went out at night/ Three men at a lonely outpost/ Sitting awake with wide eyes waiting for the enemy to pass/ The bunker was called a home/ C1 at the outpost for more than 3 months/ There was a night when the enemy fired heavily/ The enemy's DKZ shot the bunker cover/ Commander Ly was so considerate/ Oh my god! I only got a light head injury/ I will remember it for the rest of my life/ That is the memory of my time as a soldier ”.
Mr. Huong explained: “Back then, the soldiers and the chiefs were all close to me. That night, the enemy shot the hatch cover to pieces, I was wounded by several pieces of shrapnel, chief Ly touched my head and found it wasn’t too bad, he cried out “oh my god” - that was his Northern accent.”
Delivering rice to the checkpoint and the story of love
The Vietnamese soldiers who volunteered to fight in the K battlefield have now returned to civilian life, most of them are retired, and every time they meet, they cannot help but be moved. They recall the difficult dry season, but also the rainy season at the border, and in the neighboring country, the rain and wind blew down, covering the mountains and forests, pouring all day and night.
The roads were muddy, and the place where the unit was stationed was covered in mud. Because of the rivers and streams separating them, the units were completely independent. If anything happened, they had to solve it themselves, and could not rely on support from behind.
The task of delivering food to the outpost was also very difficult. The distance was only 300 - 500m, but to where Mr. Huong was stationed, there was only one path, following the swamp. Once, while he was bringing food back to the outpost, Pol Pot's men discovered him and opened fire from the edge of the forest into the swamp.
Experience told Mr. Huong to lie on his back on the muddy surface. The white curtain of rain helped him move in a position where his body was underwater but his head and hands were holding the rice out of the mud. Just like that, bullets whizzed past his face and even grazed his side, but luckily they avoided the dangerous spots so that he could bring the rice back to Chief Ly.
Recalling the years on the battlefield, Mr. Huong said: "I was just a soldier but I am very proud because I grew up from the Ba Gia Regiment, which had more than ten officers holding the rank of general, typically Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chon, Senior Lieutenant General Le Chiem, the late Major General Truong Hong Anh, Lieutenant General Pham Chan Ly...
The hardships and fierceness of the battlefield are like a fire that tempers the soldiers' mettle and will in everyday life, and is the glue that binds the pure comradeship, free from any material concerns, of the volunteer soldiers of the time.
From the K battlefield, from the outpost, a sergeant like Mr. Huong had a close relationship with Lieutenant General Pham Chan Ly by chance.
“When he was still the Director of the Military Department, working with Military Region 5, he asked someone to find my contact address. Most recently, he paid for my wife and I to fly to the capital to attend a meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Ba Gia Regiment. For decades, the loyalty of Uncle Ho's soldiers has been like that. Every year, when March comes, I sadly remember my comrades from the fierce years on the K battlefield,” Mr. Huong shared.
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