Regarding the origin of the photo, Mr. Vu Minh Truc said that it was given to his family by Mr. Doanh Hang, former Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Thai Province (now Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen provinces), because the photo shows Mr. Truc's mother. The women in the photo are Ms. Le Minh Cam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, Ms. To Thuy Hai, Ms. Vi Thi Nhung, Ms. Nong Bich Lien and Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc (Be Thi Muot).
Ms. Le Minh Cam was born in 1921 in Na Dan hamlet, Dan Chu commune, Hoa An district, Cao Bang . Like most families in the village before, they had to choose bad names to avoid the attention or scolding of the devil, when she was born, her parents named her Le Thi Choi. During her revolutionary activities, her comrades chose a new name, Le Minh Cam. That name followed her for the rest of her life. The mountain girl Le Minh Cam joined the revolution very early, and was admitted to the Communist Party in 1941. She was one of the first three female members of the Vietnam Propaganda Liberation Army led by comrade Vo Nguyen Giap.
Mrs. Le Minh Cam (1921-2012)
From 1947, Ms. Le Minh Cam became the first secretary of Hoang Su Phi district (Ha Giang), President of the Women's Association of Viet Bac Inter-zone, and a member of the 2nd National Assembly until her retirement. With her contributions, she was awarded many noble awards by the Party and the State: Ho Chi Minh Medal, First-class Independence Medal, First-class Resistance Medal (against the French)...
During the August Revolution in 1945, that mountain girl had the honor of holding the red flag with a yellow star to lead the Vietnamese women's Liberation Army into the capital Hanoi. In 1971, Ms. Le Minh Cam recounted this honor: While the Liberation Army and the revolutionary masses were surrounding Thai Nguyen City, determined to destroy the Japanese fascists and the puppet government there, commander Vo Nguyen Giap received the news: Hanoi had taken power on August 19. Comrade Truong Chinh and the comrades of the Central Party Standing Committee and the Northern Regional Party Standing Committee met in Thai Nguyen and decided: Immediately return to Hanoi to prepare to welcome the provisional government. The majority rushed to Hanoi, leaving only one Liberation Army unit to surround Thai Nguyen City.
"Mr. Van (the nickname of Commander Vo Nguyen Giap) contacted me and a platoon of the Quang Trung squad to come and receive a new mission," Ms. Le Minh Cam recalled. The unit marched through Dong Hy, Phu Binh district, then divided into two wings: one wing went towards Bac Giang, the other wing went straight to Hanoi. At this time, Hanoi had been in power for more than a week. The superiors instructed to quickly bring the Liberation Army squads back to Hanoi so that the people could have more confidence in the strength of the new government...
Hearing that the first Liberation Army unit had arrived in Gia Lam, Mr. Nguyen Khang and Mr. Vuong Thua Vu went to welcome them. When the Liberation Army unit passed by, Gia Lam people crowded on both sides of the road to welcome and provide supplies. In Mrs. Cam's memory: "The best and most beautiful things were reserved for the soldiers who had just returned from the war zone."
But they encountered resistance from the Japanese fascists who were still in control of the capital, preventing the Liberation Army units from entering Hanoi. Although they did not have much experience fighting in the city, and had only participated in the battle against the enemy in Thai Nguyen City, the female Liberation Army soldiers at that time thought: If the Japanese stubbornly blocked us, we would have to shed blood to enter.
With the flexible and skillful diplomatic struggle of the Liberation Army commanders and Hanoi leaders at that time, the Japanese army opened the way without causing any difficulties for the troops from the war zone to enter. Mr. Hoang Sam, Quang Trung and Nguyen Khang sat together in a command car. The entire Liberation Army unit lined up in pairs, guns in hand, bullets loaded, ready to fight, marching across Long Bien bridge.
Wearing indigo pants gathered below the knees with neat and strong rubber bands, Le Minh Cam carried the red flag with a yellow star at the head of the army, walking in front of the Command's car amid the cheers of the capital's masses:
- Welcome back to the war zone!
- Hail the Liberation Army!
- Support Viet Minh!
Some time later, Ms. Le Minh Cam was introduced to work under the direction of Ms. Sau - the alias of Ms. Hoang Ngan, Secretary of the Central Women's Salvation Committee. (to be continued)
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