Memories of soldiers in peace

"The once fiery soldiers of Bac Kan "

“Memories of the war, sometimes distant, sometimes near, sometimes remembered, sometimes forgotten, interrupted by time and age, by the harshness of war and life, are recorded in these pages… – A generation of brave young people from Bac Kan, in the decisive hours of testing for the Fatherland, were ready to “put down their pens and take up arms to fight the enemy, their youth roamed the battlefields, sacrificed their whole lives or part of their bodies for today’s peaceful life…”

Those are the first lines shared by author Bui Kim Phung in the book “Bac Kan soldiers of a fiery time”. And in the same spirit, readers will relive the years of bombs and bullets through the memories of the soldiers themselves, written by author Bui Kim Phung with all his heart and admiration…

The book opens with two lines of the song "Although our lives love roses, the enemy forces us to hold guns!" (Musician Diep Minh Tuyen), followed by stories that are both happy and sad "We went in the last recruitment of the year - the third round, December 12, 1971, in a squad of 150 young, enthusiastic men from communes in Bach Thong district, Na Ri district and Bac Kan town. Leaving with a solemn message: Don't desert in the face of hardship! From my father, my mother's tearful advice: Take care of your health, my child!... Carrying the image of a beloved person who was kept hidden in the heart, now no longer a secret, although many classmates carelessly organized farewell parties, not knowing that there was a heart that was beating erratically for me..." ( Enlistment Stories).

After the initial confusion and emotions, the soldiers really lived with bombs and bullets. From here, each page of the book becomes a historical mark, following each campaign, battle, and place name. Thanks to that, readers will know the never-before-told stories of the Bac Kan soldiers when fighting in Quang Tri Citadel; Thuong Duc Campaign; Ho Chi Minh Campaign 1975 - Liberation of the South... War is inherently cruel, each film segment of wartime memories is filled with fierceness and tragedy in "Obsession"; "First time wounded"; "Unexpected loss"; "Comrades! Don't be startled..."; "The dream of a soldier guarding B40 at Post 383"...

During the historic moments of April 30, 1975, the young soldiers of Bac Kan homeland recounted their choked emotions: “If in the past, from Ben Nha Rong on the other side of the river, our Uncle Ho did not accept the status of a citizen of a slave country, and traveled the world to find a way to regain independence and freedom for the nation, then his descendants also did not accept the tragic scene:

"The road to liberation is only half gone.

Half of me is still in boiling water

One body cannot be divided in two

"Sword fire cannot cut mountains and rivers"

(To Huu)

And generations have followed one another, not sparing blood and bones, to regain half of the country... And today, on this river, with the position of masters, the soldiers proudly stand on the bow of a military ship as big as a multi-story house, looking at the beautiful and shining river and saying: "Uncle Ho! The country is now united..."

(Last minute decision)

Go to war

"He was angry, raised his head to fight

I agree and follow you

Temporarily put aside love and dating

Carry your backpack to the gathering place…”

(Join the army)

These are the first verses of the Tay poetry collection “Khun tang tuc slac” (translated: Going to fight the enemy). The book was rewritten by veteran Ha Thiem Thuong from his battlefield diary.

Mr. Thuong was born in 1928. Since childhood, he loved studying and dreamed of becoming a writer. In early 1948, the young man of the Tay ethnic group volunteered to join the army. In his unit, he was one of the few literate people, so he was retained as a weapons secretary. From then on, he began to engage in propaganda work. At first, he translated President Ho Chi Minh's poems into the Tay language, then wrote slogans and recorded information about the resistance war. Thanks to that, he had the materials to record his war diary.

In 1968, he received orders to send troops to the Southern battlefield. After practical experiences on the march, veteran Ha Thiem Thuong wrote a diary. Accordingly, the days of "Practice", "Departure", and "Welcoming the troops" were also meticulously described in his poems. Because he witnessed and experienced them with his own eyes, many verses helped readers understand the hardships and heroic sacrifices of the previous generation. When he returned to the North to work, he continued to write poems about typical activities in our resistance war. Historical milestones such as: "Tay Nguyen Campaign"; "Hue - Da Nang Campaign"; "Ho Chi Minh Campaign"... were all described and recorded by him in poems that burned with pride for the nation and the country.

Perhaps this is one of the only poetry collections in the Tay language written on the Southern battlefield during the resistance war against the US. As a resistance diary, the 36 poems were completed by veteran Ha Thiem Thuong in 10 years. Among them, he remembers most when he wrote the poem "Vietnam is victorious".

He said, at that time everyone was tense around the phone, the bell rang, he was ready to pick up a pen and paper to listen to the commander's instructions to announce the content to be recorded. When he heard the commander's voice shouting "Vietnam is completely victorious" over and over again, he was both happy and trembling as he held his pen, the feeling was extremely special. After that, he and everyone else received orders to collect all the old banners, slogans, and canvases, wash them, and write only the four words "Vietnam is completely victorious" to hang on the new day. So on that historic April 30th, I put pen to paper and wrote:

"The news of great victory resounded in all directions.

Total victory, Vietnam total victory...

I wish you were really here

Thirty springs, this spring is complete…”

(Vietnam wins)

In 2018, the poetry collection “Khun tang tuc slac” was translated into Mandarin by the author with all his heart and soul with the desire to preserve it for future generations. And the “lifelong wish” of the veteran became a reality when the National Culture Publishing House republished the book in a bilingual Tay - Vietnamese version.

Closing each book about war written in peacetime, surely many readers will, like us, feel a flame of pride in their hearts for a generation of heroic and loyal ancestors. Let me end this article with a few words of advice: “…The value of every moment of living in peace has been exchanged for the blood and bones of our outstanding children: Do not let the blood shed since that day go to waste! Those who know how to cherish every peaceful moment in the present will try their best not to see the blood of their fellow human beings shed again! If we do not remember these things, how can we be worthy of that sacrifice?” (excerpt from the article "The Price of Victory" in The Soldiers of Bac Kan, a Fierce Time).

Bich Phuong

Source: https://baobackan.vn/ky-uc-nguoi-linh-giua-hoa-binh-post70572.html