During the July commemoration days, former Youth Volunteers of Unit 759 returned to their old battlefields, to the Truong Son mountains and forests – the place where they spent their lives amidst bombs and bullets. Even though those still alive are now over 80 years old, these former Youth Volunteers still remember each other as they did before. Lighting an incense stick and placing a flower on the altar of their fallen comrades, memories from more than half a century ago surge back.
C759 was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in January 1967 - Photo: Archival.
Where there is a strategic point, there is sacrifice.
From March 1965, after discovering two important supply routes in western Quang Binh , American aircraft carried out numerous bombing raids. Among these, Route 12A, from Tan Ap, Khe Ve, Cong Troi to Mu Da Pass, was the most heavily bombarded area.
With the slogan "The enemy destroys, we repair and move on; our war is a people's war," in May 1965, 182 people from 17 communes of Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province (formerly) were summoned to the 759th Youth Volunteer Company to reinforce Route 12A. Company 759 was organized into 8 platoots managing 10km of road from Khe Cay to Bai Dinh, with one platoon manning each kilometer.
The enemy attacked day and night. Although they knew life and death hung in the balance, with the spirit of the Youth Volunteers, and for the sake of their beloved South, the slogan "The blood of Company 759 may be shed, but the road cannot be blocked" motivated Company 759 to hold its ground, filling bomb craters and opening roads for weapons, food, and troops to reach the Southern battlefield.
Mr. Tran Ba Thuoc, a former Youth Volunteer of Company 759, recounted: “At that time, while building roads, every three people had to carry an extra stretcher so that if anyone died, they could be brought back for burial. Before receiving the assignment, the unit organized a living memorial service. We witnessed death, but we were not at all discouraged.”
On July 3, 1966, numerous American aircraft bombed the road in the Y Leng mountain area, specifically the Cha Quang hill at kilometer 21 of Highway 12A. Thousands of cubic meters of earth and rocks collapsed onto the road, killing 11 soldiers of the CII engineering corps and injuring more than 50 soldiers of the C759 Youth Volunteer Brigade, with many buried under the falling debris.
Recalling this event, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh, former Political Commissar of C759, is still deeply moved: “American planes dropped bombs every three minutes, burying many comrades underground, so the soldiers had to dig them out by hand. Some were found still holding shovels, leveling the road surface. Our comrades were still lying underground, but because of the mission to prevent road blockages, the unit suppressed its grief and cleared the road for vehicles to pass through in order to provide timely support to the battlefield.”
Seven sons of Tuyen Hoa village perished on Cha Quang hill after the bombing on July 3, 1966, becoming one with the earth, the plants, and the Truong Son mountain range. The hill has since been named "Three Seven Hill" to commemorate this tragic historical event.
Letter from the deceased
The Quang Tri Provincial Museum currently preserves a letter and notebook belonging to martyr Hoang Thi Minh Thu, a Youth Volunteer of Company 759, from Canh Hoa commune, former Quang Trach district (now Tan Gianh commune). The hastily written words, left amidst the battlefield still smelling of bombs and bullets, by this 20-year-old girl remain perfectly preserved after more than half a century.
In a letter written to her family just 6 hours before her death, Hoang Thi Minh Thu wrote: "...Here, they bombed every day, especially the road we were responsible for, which was very difficult and fierce. There were countless bomb craters, and targeted bombs rained down every day. Death and life were very close together."
"But parents, only revolutionaries can bring their hearts full of courage to bring results for the Party and the people. Even if it means shedding blood, we will not regret our youth, sacrificing to the last drop of blood. We will sacrifice for the Fatherland, and serve the people. Tomorrow, when the country is completely victorious, we will return home to reunite in peace and joy..."
The country had achieved complete victory, yet that young woman sacrificed herself, forever resting in the land of Ba Trai. Regardless of the circumstances, whether on the strategic Highway 12A, passing through the fiery Ba Trai area, or at the Gianh ferry crossing, they always forgot about imminent death, bravely and resolutely working at all costs to keep the road open for vehicles to pass.
The book "History of Quang Binh Transportation" covering the period 1885-1999 clearly states: "The achievements of Company 759 made a significant contribution to opening the route here. With the joyful enthusiasm of opening the road, fueled by unwavering determination, courage, and tenacious resistance, while Johnson wanted to use brute force to subdue them, the soldiers of Company 759 responded resolutely with action and the slogan 'stay on the road and fight'." |
The battlefield spares no youth.
Political commissar Tran Thi Thanh and martyr Tran Thi The were two sisters from Phu Hoa commune, former Quang Trach district (now Tan Gianh commune). Orphaned at a young age, both sisters eagerly set out to fulfill their duties.
That day, Tran Thi The, barely 15 years old, was assigned to C759, but the war tragically claimed the life of this young woman in the prime of her youth. On the morning of January 18, 1968, American bombs struck the shelter of unit C759 at Ba Trai, killing three female Youth Volunteers.
Those were the sisters: Tran Thi The, Hoang Thi Minh Thu, and Nguyen Thi Tinh. “Oh! Tinh! Thu! The! Where are you all?” Sobbing mingled with the smell of bombs and bullets in the pine-covered hills of Ba Trai. Fifty-eight years have passed, but Mrs. Tran Thi Thanh still deeply misses her sisters and comrades who sacrificed their lives.
"There are pains piled upon pains."
There are memories that are deeply ingrained in our minds.
My comrades! This is so cruel!
The one who already has someone to love, but their love is incomplete.
The child misses his mother, the letter is still unfinished.
The one who followed his sister left, he wasn't even old enough to serve in the army.
Growing up amidst the smoke and fire of bombs and bullets.
Through the bombs and bullets, who perished and who survived?
Find teammates between the two ends of the battle!
(Excerpt from the poem "The Remaining Part" by former Youth Volunteer Corps member Tran Ba Thuoc)
Former Youth Volunteers of Unit C759 return to light incense for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives at Hill 37 - Photo: Archival.
In January 1967, C759 was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces. Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Hue of the unit was awarded the title of Hero of Labor. Martyr Tran Duc He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.
“We are very proud of C759, a heroic company made up of heroic people. Today's generations should remember that we enjoy prosperity and peace thanks to the sacrifices and contributions of our heroes and martyrs,” shared Truong Quang Phong, a former Youth Volunteer of C759.
The independence and freedom of our nation today are built upon legends, upon contributions and sacrifices. No one, nothing, can be forgotten by history and time.
To Linh
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/mot-thoi-dan-bom-mot-thoi-hoa-binh-196369.htm
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