Long Khot in May

Although it has been recognized as a provincial historical relic, at that time, the Long Khot Fort Historical Relic Site was still quite simple, built by border soldiers and local people together.

The first time I took my father to visit the Long Khot Historical Site . In the hazy incense smoke, his eyes blurred when the political commissar of the Border Guard Station introduced the land that was once a place of bombs and bullets. Slowly placing incense sticks around the tree roots, then suddenly my father hugged the biggest tree trunk tightly. That night, he woke up at 3am. In his dream, my father heard someone calling his name. The call echoed from the temple filled with incense smoke.

In December 2020, the Long Khot Historical Site (Phase I) was completed and on May 18, 2024, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Phase II construction items took place (Photo: Van Dat).

Although it has been recognized as a Long An provincial historical site, at that time, the Long Khot Station Historical Site was still quite simple, built by border soldiers and local people together.

Located right next to the Border Guard Station gate, the structure has only a stele and a temple, a level 4 house. The stele is about ^9-10m2 wide, with a curved red tiled cement roof like a communal house's blade.

In the four square reinforced concrete pillars is a stele recording the names of the border guards and local troops who heroically sacrificed their lives during 43 days and nights of fighting against the invading Pol Pot army.

Until the early 2000s, soldiers of the 174th Regiment (Cao Bac Lang Group) returned to visit the old battlefield one after another. In the spirit of those who had used their own red blood to exchange for the green color of peace and independence, the uncles and aunts cherished and cared for each tree and blade of grass because more than anyone else, they understood that in the sparkling alluvial grains among the vast fields stretching as far as the eye could see in the Vinh Hung border area today were the souls, the blood, the flesh, and the bones of their fallen comrades.

But what must be done to forever remember the heroic martyrs ? What must be done so that the present and future generations will know the sacred words "Long Khot"? The responsibility is placed heavily on the shoulders of the soldiers who were lucky enough to survive and return.

Among them, some developed further in the army, many returned to civilian life as farmers, diligent workers, and some became successful businessmen; some became journalists, poets,...

Regardless of their position or conditions, the will of the soldiers who fought through the war remains unchanged. They took advantage of the gratitude of the authorities at all levels, the support of their comrades and benefactors to mobilize all resources to the maximum. During those days, we border guards were fortunate to accompany the veterans of the 174th Regiment.

Stone steles with the names of martyrs were erected instead of paper typed records. The list of martyrs provided by the Political Department of Military Region 7 became increasingly complete.

The once simple temple has been upgraded to be more spacious and beautiful. In that temple, there are four verses of poetry by Colonel and poet Tran The Tuyen carved on the front of the great bell:

Body fell to the soil of the Fatherland

Soul flies up to become the spirit of the nation

Forever humming for a thousand years

The sound of the Long Khot bell, brocade and flower, offering life...

The first two lines of that poem are carved into a pair of parallel sentences at Long Khot Temple and many temples of heroic martyrs along the foot of Truong Son Mountain and throughout the country, including the temple of martyrs in the Special National Monument of Dien Bien Phu Battlefield .

These two verses have also been copyrighted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, becoming national intangible assets because with only 16 short words, they have summarized the immortality of millions of soldiers who sacrificed in the great war of national defense.

The Long Khot Fort historical site is a place to remind future generations of the contributions of our ancestors who died for independence (Photo: Van Dat)

In December 2020, on the border of Vinh Hung district, with vast green fields, the first phase of the project was completed. It is a large temple with a red tiled roof, in the middle of the main hall is a bright bronze statue of President Ho Chi Minh , leaning against a relief symbolizing the face of a bronze drum.

Surrounding the inside of the temple are silent granite steles recording the names of heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives on the Long Khot battlefield during the two wars. In front of the center of the relic site is the majestic and imposing Tam Quan gate,...

Every time my father visited my house in Vinh Hung town, I took him to visit the Long Khot Fortress. His hands trembling as he traced each line of words on the stone stele, my father said: Long Khot has many similarities to the Ta Bang stronghold where my unit used to fight. Our soldiers sacrificed so much! Many of the martyrs on the stele had the same time of enlistment and were from the same hometown of Thai Binh. Perhaps for that reason, the very first time they came to burn incense at the temple, the souls of the martyrs called out the names of their comrades who had gone through life and death together.

On May 18, 2024, I was fortunate to be present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the Phase II construction items of the Relic Site. In the solemn atmosphere, respectfully remembering the merits of President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic martyrs, I was suddenly speechless when I saw the image of white heads hugging each other in tears.

Some wore high-ranking military ranks, while others wore faded uniforms without insignia. They addressed each other as “you” and “I” like young soldiers. They came here from all over the country, some had fought in the Long Khot battlefield , some had not, but they all shared the same feeling: to be here on the anniversary of the temple, to light a stick of incense before the souls of the heroic martyrs and to meet their comrades who had fought and sacrificed.

I and my fellow border guards in the formation of soldiers today offered flowers and incense at Long Khot temple. Although the temple was very familiar, at that moment it still felt so sacred and noble! More than anyone else, we understood the value of every inch of the borderland that we were guarding, soaked in the blood and bones of generations of our fathers and brothers.

Two rows of Royal Poinciana trees, planted by the veterans of Regiment 174 and us border guards, along both sides of the road from the temple gate (next to the station gate) to the border patrol road, are covered in red in May. Someone suddenly exclaimed: The road is bright red with blood and also the color of glorious victory!/.

Nguyen Hoi

Source: https://baolongan.vn/long-khot-nhung-ngay-thang-5-a195492.html