The martyr's wife and letters through the years

Love in times of war

In July, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong (born in 1947) in Thanh Vinh ward was filled with longing for her husband who sacrificed his life in the resistance war against America to save the country.

She often stood in front of the altar, talking with her husband's portrait, then flipping through the photos and letters that had been carefully wrapped over the past half century.

1 paralyzed — Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong in front of her husband's altar. Photo: Cong Kien

“It has been more than 55 years since Kien left his family to join the army. Sometimes I feel like it was just a few days ago. Because his image, words and gestures are still imprinted in my mind, I still often see him in my dreams every night,” Ms. Luong confided.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong and her husband, martyr Nguyen Van Kien (born in 1944), met at the Party Cell Committee Member class held in Vinh town. Both were young party members who were sent to participate in the Party activities program. Mr. Kien was a young cadre in the food industry, and Mrs. Luong was a worker at Tran Phu Mechanical Enterprise.

From the moment they met, the two had feelings for each other, their feelings grew over time, nurtured by friends from both sides and the desire to become a couple. Then, after 7 months from the first day they met, their wedding was held in 1970 amidst the joy of both families and friends.

2 psychics — Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong keeps letters sent by her husband more than 50 years ago. Photo: Cong Kien

After the wedding, they continued to work in Vinh town. Although they lived close by, they could only see each other on Sundays due to their busy work schedules. They cherished and treasured the short moments they spent together. And then, the young wife happily realized that she was carrying her husband's blood - the sweet crystallization of love during wartime.

Not long after the good news, Mr. Nguyen Van Kien received his enlistment order. On the day he left, his young wife Nguyen Thi Luong saw him off a long way, holding his hand tightly and promising to wait for the day he returned to the joy of his homeland and country. Mr. Nguyen Van Kien and his unit trained in Thanh Hoa , and a few months later moved to Ha Bac to continue training.

During this time, the young couple often wrote letters to each other. Mr. Kien told his wife about their comradeship, military life and the hard training days. Mrs. Luong informed her husband about his health, work and relatives and family in the countryside. Each letter was filled with love and affection between husband and wife during the months of separation.

3 psychics — Photo of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong and her husband before the wedding day. Photo: NVCC

One day in early 1972, when Mrs. Luong had just given birth to her daughter a few months earlier, she received a telegram from her husband informing her that the unit was about to enter the battlefield in the South. The unit was traveling by train, stopping at Vinh station and hoping that his wife would arrange to meet them.

The train was scheduled to arrive at Vinh station in the morning, but due to the emergency, the train departed a few hours earlier and arrived in Vinh the night before. Mr. Kien had to walk to his friend’s house and ask for a bicycle to take him home. When he got home, the soldier only had time to hug and kiss his baby daughter who was lying in the cradle and hold his wife’s hand, saying, “Wait for me to come back!” before hurriedly marching with his unit…

A loyal heart

The battlefield became increasingly fierce, communication between the two regions became more and more difficult. Since her husband went to the battlefield, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Luong only received 3 hastily written letters, some of which she received after 1 year from the date of sending. The content of the letters was the soldier's feelings for his wife in the rear, the determination to fight and the wish to reunite in the day of peace .

At the end of 1972, Mrs. Luong received her husband's death notice. The ground beneath her feet seemed to collapse, everything around her was spinning, and the young wife felt like she was about to collapse. But then, thinking of her young daughter, she tried to get up to continue living and raising her child.

It is impossible to describe all the hardships and sadness of a woman raising a child alone. Mrs. Luong has tried to overcome everything to raise her daughter Nguyen Thi Thu Hien to grow up day by day.

4 psychics — Letters that Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong presented to the Military Region 4 Museum. Photo: NVCC

Mrs. Luong shared: “Whenever I feel sad, I go through the photos and letters to find dear memories of my fallen husband. Those souvenirs have given me strength and spiritual motivation to overcome many difficulties and challenges in life.”

We asked Ms. Luong for permission to see a letter in the collection of memorabilia, the letter was dated April 30, 1971, the content besides greetings was about the training work at the training ground.

At the beginning, the young soldier wrote: “My wife! Surely my mother and children are tired from work right now, having to endure the hot and humid weather. If I were with them right now, you would also endure the fatigue and breathe for me…”. Then he informed his wife: “Your salary! I want to inform you that I have not yet been deployed. I am having to train a lot. The requirements for fighting the Americans today are different, requiring each officer and soldier to have good qualifications, skills, and tactics…” .

There are some pages with blurred ink, perhaps in the late nights when the wife misses her husband, she takes out the old letters to read, the small tears on the wet pages...

5 psychics — A letter from Mr. Nguyen Van Kien to his wife during his training period. Photo: Cong Kien

Talking about her beloved mother, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien could not hide her pride in her parents' loyalty and steadfastness. After her husband died, she devoted the rest of her life to raising and caring for her little daughter until she grew up and became an adult.

According to Ms. Hien, in 2009, with the help of her comrades, Ms. Luong, her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren found the grave of martyr Nguyen Van Kien and brought it back to their hometown for burial. At that time, they learned that Ms. Luong's husband died on April 29, 1975 in Tay Ninh , not at the end of 1972 as stated in the death certificate.

"My husband died one day before the liberation of Saigon, but since the end of 1972, our family has been in great pain when we heard that he fell on the battlefield," Mrs. Luong recalled.

Putting together the photos and letters of her martyr husband, Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong said: “Two years ago, I donated more than 10 artifacts to the Military Region 4 Museum, including letters and telegrams sent by my husband during his training in Thanh Hoa and Ha Bac. Through that, I hope that these souvenirs will live forever, helping the next generation understand more about the love between couples and the sacrifices of the generation during the anti-American war to save the country.”

“
After receiving the letters donated by Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong, the Military Region 4 Museum will organize an exhibition after completing the restoration and construction. These letters are historical pieces, vivid evidence of love between couples, feelings between the front and the rear during the historical period of fighting against the US to save the country. Therefore, they have profound educational significance, especially in educating morality and revolutionary ideals for the younger generation."
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Hoanh - Assistant of Military Region 4 Museum

Love in times of war

A loyal heart

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