The wounded soldier rose from hardship

War invalid Le Thanh Hung always strives to overcome difficulties

Efforts to overcome difficulties

Born and raised in Hamlet 5, Gao Giong Commune, Cao Lanh District (now Phong My Commune), in 1985, Mr. Le Thanh Hung volunteered to join the army and fight in the Southwestern border battlefield. While on duty, he was seriously injured, his legs were crushed and had to be amputated. He was transferred to the Nursing Unit for treatment. Here, he received dedicated care from the medical team, especially nurse Dao Thuy Van (born in 1959), who was always by his side, encouraging and helping him overcome the painful days. From sympathy and sharing, the love between the two gradually blossomed. At the end of 1986, Mr. Hung was discharged from the army and returned to his hometown with a disability rate of 91%, recognized as a 1/4 disabled veteran. After that, Mr. Hung and Ms. Van officially became husband and wife.

Mr. Le Thanh Hung recalled: “In the early days, my wife and I lived with my parents in a dilapidated thatched house. Although the State granted us 10 hectares of rice fields, the soil was heavily acidic, and the rice crop failed continuously. I lost both legs, making it extremely difficult to walk. My wife became the main laborer, sweeping bran and rice at a rice mill to make a living. In 1988, our first daughter was born, and then 3 years later, she gave birth to a son. The burden of making a living weighed more and more heavily on my wife’s shoulders, as she had to take care of the young child and pay for living expenses. My family’s life was already difficult, and it became even more difficult.”

Not succumbing to adversity, with the will and determination of a soldier and remembering Uncle Ho's teaching: "A disabled soldier is not useless", Mr. Le Thanh Hung has risen up, overcoming the difficult years with his own labor and determination. Every day, he practiced walking by leaning on a chair with both hands, groping his way from the house to the garden, to the field, and then down to the boat. Not afraid of hardships or difficulties, Mr. Hung rowed the boat himself to fish, cast nets, and catch snails to sell to earn money to help his wife make ends meet. Sometimes when he went to cast nets, the boat capsized, and he almost drowned several times. Meanwhile, his wife, Ms. Dao Thuy Van, raised pigs, chickens, ducks and farmed. Thanks to his perseverance and hard work, Mr. Hung's family economy gradually stabilized. Cultivating 10 hectares of rice fields was favorable, helping the couple accumulate a sum of capital. In 1998, Mr. Hung bought 11 more hectares of rice fields and built a small house to settle down, marking a solid turning point after a period of hard work and overcoming difficulties.

In 2000, realizing that farming was often risky due to crop failures, unstable prices, and low economic efficiency, Mr. Le Thanh Hung decided to switch to aquaculture. Initially, he experimented with raising snakehead fish, then expanded to raising white fish, then catfish fry. By 2008, he had developed a comprehensive economic model of "garden - pond - cage". On the shore, he planted fruit trees; in the pond, he raised catfish; on the surface of the pond, he built cages to raise industrial chickens. This model brought in a stable income, averaging over 70 million VND/year.

Not stopping there, Mr. Hung continued to expand the scale of production by raising goats for meat and planting 7 hectares of jackfruit to diversify the family's income. Thanks to the prosperous economy, he accumulated a significant amount of capital. After that, he transferred 10 hectares of land previously granted by the State and bought 14 hectares of rice fields near his house for convenient cultivation and rice care.

From 2024 to now, realizing that the price of goats for meat was unstable, Mr. Hung stopped raising goats, mainly taking care of the jackfruit garden, farming and implementing a model of raising pythons to sell meat. Although he no longer has healthy legs, every day he persistently helps his wife take care of the jackfruit garden and fields. Sitting on a rocking chair, he roams around the garden to spread fertilizer, cut grass, trim branches... Each step is carried out meticulously and with passion. In the first years of growing jackfruit, due to lack of experience, the garden produced poor quality fruit, low yield, and low selling price. Not discouraged, Mr. Hung proactively sought knowledge through books, newspapers, social networks, and at the same time learned techniques from experienced jackfruit farmers. Thanks to his diligence, progressive spirit and perseverance, he gradually grasped the technical process, improved the way he cared for and treated the plants. Since then, the family's jackfruit garden has grown, yielding higher yields each crop, and the quality of the fruit has also improved significantly.

Spreading the spirit of "Disabled but not useless"

Each economic model that Mr. Le Thanh Hung has implemented is not only effective but also clearly demonstrates the will and determination to rise up of a disabled veteran who is "disabled but not useless". Currently, with 7 hectares of jackfruit trees bearing fruit stably, harvested every 5-7 days. 14 hectares of rice fields with 3 rice crops/year, help his family maintain an income of over 100 million VND per year. He is currently raising over 30 pythons, and is expected to sell the first batch by 2026.

Thanks to his diligence, hard work and tireless work ethic, his family life has now become stable and well-off. His children have all grown up, his eldest daughter and son have started families and have stable lives of their own. Not only is he good at business, Mr. Hung is also an exemplary member, actively participating in movements and activities launched by the Veterans Association at all levels. At the same time, he is always ready to share his experiences in growing jackfruit and raising livestock with the villagers and members in the hamlet, contributing to promoting the economic development movement in the locality.

Disabled soldier Le Thanh Hung confided: “When I first returned to my hometown, I felt very self-conscious and sad because my body was no longer as healthy as before, and I could not walk like everyone else. But then I realized that I was still luckier than many of my comrades who had remained on the battlefield, so I had to appreciate life even more. From then on, I tried to rise up.”

The encouragement and love from his family and the timely and sincere care of the Veterans Association at all levels and local authorities have become a solid spiritual support, giving Mr. Hung more strength to overcome difficulties, rise up to do business, contributing to spreading inspiration and conveying positive values in society. The efforts of war invalid Le Thanh Hung in the past time have been highly appreciated by local Party committees, authorities and people, and have been commended and rewarded by the Veterans Association at all levels.

MY XUYEN

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/xa-hoi/nguoi-thuong-binh-vuon-len-tu-gian-kho-133110.aspx