Launching ceremony of the memoir "Dien Bien Phu in the Air - An epic under the fiery sky"

Recently, at the Air Defense - Air Force Museum, Waka E-Book Joint Stock Company in collaboration with The Gioi Publishing House solemnly held the launching ceremony of the memoir "Dien Bien Phu in the Air - Heroic Epic Under the Fiery Sky" by Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Dinh The Van.

Colonel Dinh The Van devoted much of his heart to Vietnamese culture and history.

The book launch ceremony was held in the solemn atmosphere of the meeting to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Heroic Air Defense Missile Regiment - 257. Colonel, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Dinh The Van was the commander of the famous Battalion 77 in the Dien Bien Phu in the Air campaign in 1972.

The ceremony took place in an emotional, solemn and proud atmosphere when the soldiers of the past, now in their eighties and nineties, met again amidst the bustling sound of military music, the green of military uniforms, the eyes shining with faith and unforgettable memories.

On the simple stage of the Museum, when Colonel Dinh The Van - author of the memoir - stepped onto the podium, the hall suddenly fell silent. At his rare age, his gaze was still strong, his gait was still leisurely, his voice still resounded loudly as when he was at the Chem battlefield years ago. He emotionally shared his inspiration to write the book to pay tribute to the country, the people and his comrades. Those who fell so that we can have peace today.

The book was given to the distinguished guests.

Born in Dao Thuc village (Dong Anh, Hanoi ) - a land famous for water puppetry, young Dinh The Van joined the army at a young age, becoming an artillery soldier in Company 268 participating in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954. From those early days, the small soldier weighing only 38kg planted mines, broke rocks, opened roads, contributing to the victory "famous in five continents, shaking the earth".

After a long time, in the midst of the fiery Hanoi nights of December 1972, he was the Battalion Commander of the 77th Missile Battalion, commanding the unit to shoot down 4 B-52 planes, of which 3 crashed on the spot, contributing to the resounding victory of Dien Bien Phu in the air, forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement and withdraw its troops from South Vietnam.

The memoir "Dien Bien Phu in the Air - An Epic Under the Fiery Sky" is the crystallization of two special memories of those years, and is also the epic of a Vietnamese soldier's life.

With a capacity of more than 200 pages, the book is written in chronological order, recounting the journey from adolescence in the army to becoming a battle-hardened commander. Colonel Van tells the story in a simple, breath-taking voice, so that readers can feel a time of war and war in which people still kept their humanity and faith.

He recalled the nights of being on duty amid the noisy waves, the cups of hot tea shared in the middle of a Hanoi winter night, the loudspeakers signaling "target destroyed", and the eyes of his comrades before the battle, bright but calm.

Waka representative presented books to delegates attending the event.

What makes the book so valuable is both its authentic documentation and especially the humanistic depth and the creative spirit of the Vietnamese soldier. In the context of the US using state-of-the-art electronic interference technology that caused missiles to lose direction, he and his teammates discovered the method of "overcoming half-angle" - adjusting the launch angle to overcome the interference zone, bringing the bullet to the right target.

It was not only a military feat, but also a testament to Vietnamese intelligence in modern warfare - where strength is forged from will, creativity and courage.

At the ceremony, a representative of Waka E-Book Joint Stock Company said: Over the years, the unit has built the Youth Bookcase project with the goal of helping young people access national history more easily. Meaningful works like those of Colonel Dinh The Van are the source of inspiration, the bridge between today's generation and those who have gone through the war.

Waka has been successful with the book about Heroic Pilot Nguyen Van Bay and continues to accompany many historical figures in the series of memoirs about life and combat of the Heroes of the People's Armed Forces. Waka hopes that, after the memoir of Colonel Dinh The Van, the unit will continue to have the honor of accompanying the veterans of Regiment 257 in upcoming books.

At the moment Major General Hoang Son - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Waka presented the first books to the Liaison Committee of Regiment 257, the Office of the Air Defense - Air Force Museum and the distinguished guests, many people were moved to tears. Comrades who had shared the same trenches, lived and fought in the rain of bombs and bullets, now witnessed their memories being rewritten on paper, in words, with pride.

Colonel Dinh The Van recreated heroic and emotional historical memories.

After the war, Colonel Dinh The Van continued to work in the Air Defense - Air Force in many important positions: Chief of Staff of Regiment 257, Head of Campaign Training... After retiring, he returned to Dao Thuc village and quietly restored the traditional water puppetry stage.

From the former commander of the "Fire Dragon", he became an artist who passed on the flame of culture, restored the water puppet troupe, staged the play "Hanoi defeated B-52", and recreated the memories of 12 days and nights using the language of folk art. "I fought to keep the sky. Now, I tell the story so that the next generation can understand that peace does not come naturally", he shared.

"Dien Bien Phu in the Air - An Epic Under the Fiery Sky" was written with love and compassion. The value of the book lies in the balance between information and emotion. The soldier of the past looks back at memories with the eyes of an experienced person, calm, honest and full of tolerance.

Waka representative commented: Colonel Dinh The Van's memoir goes beyond the limits of a work about war. This is a book about the simple, resilient, kind and creative Vietnamese people. Waka believes that this will be a valuable document for the younger generation, helping to preserve memories and arouse patriotism and the will to rise up.

When the ceremony ended, the veterans of the 257th Regiment still lingered together. They laughed, shook hands, emotionally recalled old stories, and then turned the pages of new books that still smelled of ink. In the early morning sunlight, their white hairs blended with the green of their uniforms, as if to further highlight the color of memories, faith, and peace that have continued from the golden pages of history until today.

THUY PHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/le-ra-mat-hoi-ky-dien-bien-phu-tren-khong-ban-anh-hung-ca-duoi-troi-ruc-lua-post922374.html