A person who experienced peace twice.

Overwhelmed with happiness.

Throughout his childhood, living under the oppression of foreign invaders, Mr. Tu Han, a son of Hau Nghia, Duc Hoa, Long An province, clearly felt that his fate and even his life were not in his own hands.

His neighbors and relatives could be raided by the enemy, arrested, or even shot at any time, even while they were in the middle of a meal. His hatred for the enemy was fueled by these daily "eyewitness accounts."

When he was 17 years old, during an enemy roundup of civilians into strategic hamlets, Tư Hận and other young men in his village escaped to join the revolution. From then on, he joined Battalion 45, fighting right in his hometown. During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign , Battalion 45 was tasked with attacking from Tân Trụ to Bến Lức and capturing the Bến Lức bridge.

The greatest asset of veteran Major Tran Quoc Han is his collection of medals and decorations earned during the resistance war.

In early 1975, the situation on the Southern battlefield changed very rapidly. The liberated areas expanded quickly. In Long An, around mid-April, many communes in Chau Thanh, Tan Tru, Can Duoc, and Can Giuoc were liberated. Around April 20th, many enemy outposts and fortifications north of Thu Thua and Ben Luc were swept clean.

On the night of April 29th, in conjunction with the popular uprising, the armed forces captured Tan An town. Mr. Han was among the troops advancing towards the town after the country was completely unified.

From that moment, the young man realized that he, his comrades, and the people could proudly and officially take control of their own homeland. The days of hardship and secrecy, the immense sacrifices of his comrades, were justly rewarded on that 30th anniversary.

Shortly after returning to the town, veteran Tư Hận joined his comrades in the force hunting down the remaining enemy troops in Rừng Sác forest.

“Our forces surrounded them while simultaneously calling for their surrender. The enemy had almost lost all will to fight; they surrendered, and some even crossed the border. After completing our mission, we returned to the town, received new assignments, and began rebuilding our homeland. At that time, I and my comrades went to reclaim land and build the K45 farm in Ben Luc district,” Major Tran Quoc Han recounted.

Peace in your land

Not long after, the southwestern border was threatened by the enemy, and Mr. Han and his comrades once again set out on international duty in Cambodia, both helping to liberate their country from the genocidal regime and protecting national sovereignty against the threat of Pol Pot. “In Cambodia, we had nine regulations for soldiers: we were not allowed to touch anything belonging to the Cambodian people, even abandoned vegetable gardens or fish ponds; we were not allowed to pick vegetables or catch fish. Thanks to these regulations, the Vietnamese soldiers earned the trust and love of the Cambodian people,” recounted veteran Tran Quoc Han.

The Liberation Day badge of April 30, 1975, is still kept today by veteran and Major Tran Quoc Han.

During his time serving internationally, veteran Tran Quoc Han once again felt the joy of liberation. When the genocidal regime was defeated, the people who had fled the war gradually returned home. After months of hardship caused by the war, they were left with almost nothing. At that time, Vietnamese soldiers shared half a bowl of rice with the people of the neighboring country, helping them rebuild their lives.

Mr. Han recounted that seeing people return to their homes and clean up their fields and gardens brought a sense of familiarity, like seeing his own family and loved ones from the past. The veteran suddenly realized that peace is beautiful everywhere, but the strongest emotions come from being in his own homeland.

Having completed his international duty, when Mr. Han returned home, his eldest child was almost two years old. The child, nestled by the door, watched the strange man enter the house, not knowing it was his father. Veteran Tran Quoc Han shared: “After helping our allies defeat the genocidal regime, the Vietnamese army stayed to assist them for a while. During that time, I was granted leave twice. Once to get married, I had three days off at home before heading back to the front lines.”

The "For International Duty" badge is awarded to soldiers serving in Cambodia.

The love story of Mr. Han and his wife blossomed during their early days working together to rebuild their homeland after national reunification. Not long after, he was sent to Cambodia on duty, entrusting his feelings to letters from afar. In 1980, when the situation in Cambodia stabilized and their love was strong enough, the young couple received the consent of both families to "tie the knot."

Having experienced peace twice, veteran Tran Quoc Han understands better than anyone the profound value of peaceful times. He understands the pain and losses of war and has also witnessed the changes after reunification. The beauty and joy of peace have been greatly amplified over the past half-century.

Guilin

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nguoi-2-lan-cam-nhan-hoa-binh-a193435.html