Leaving university, I enlisted in the army on the last day, the last month of 1969. In the first days of enlistment in Battalion 3, Regiment 42, Left Bank Military Region, we were trained and educated quite thoroughly in many subjects, especially physical training to serve the march on foot across Truong Son to fight in the South.

Each time we marched, each person had to carry weapons, military equipment, food... about 20-25kg; when returning, we had to carry an additional bundle of bamboo to make it 35-40kg. Like that, we practiced marching continuously for a month, to the point that our feet started to bleed, our shoulders were swollen, but everyone was excited because we were about to set off to liberate the South and unify the country.

After more than 3 months of training, we marched to Phu Thai station area ( Hai Duong ). The train ran all night, and at dawn we arrived at Dien Chau (Nghe An). From here, we walked into the forest of Do Luong district (Nghe An) to temporarily stay. A day later, we were ordered to march west, onto Route 15 (now Truong Son Road), then crossed Truong Son through the Plain of Jars-Xieng Khouang of Laos. At first, we joined Battalion 7, Regiment 866, Vietnamese Volunteer Army in Laos. Then we marched to the military area of ​​Regiment 148, Division 316, and were assigned to subordinate units. Personally, I was assigned to Squad 10, Platoon 3, Company 9, Battalion 6, Regiment 148.

The first time I followed my comrades into battle, I was very happy, but also very worried. I still remember at that time, the squad leader said: "You are under my command, so you must follow me in every move" and added that this time we were attacking a solid fortification, so we had to be brave and determined to charge forward. After the squad meeting, I was assigned the task of being the leader of the first assault team of the Company and Battalion, attacking the main direction of the Regiment, attacking the 1900A hill stationed by an enemy battalion in the south of the Plain of Jars-Xieng Khouang. The opening fire was at 3:00 a.m. on March 13, 1971.

The enemy had arranged dense fences, making it difficult to open the door, so we had to detonate mines to open the door. Fortunately, the mines exploded very well, and the 5 tangled fences, low and high, were basically cleared. After the explosion, the enemy opened fire. I quickly took the B40 from my comrades and aimed at the machine gun nest and fired straight. The machine gun nest fell silent, but the M79s and grenades were thrown out, injuring my right eye. With my comrades bandaging me, I continued to lead the charge straight into the enemy battalion headquarters.

Illustration photo.

After two hours of fierce fighting, we captured all three peaks of Hill 1900A, however, the unit also suffered some casualties.

The battle had just ended at 7:00 a.m. when the Political Commissar of the Company Do Dinh Luu arrived at the high point and called out loudly: "Lan, you are on the line of the Political Commissar of the Battalion Trinh Ngoc Nhu". On the other end of the line, the voice of the Political Commissar of the Battalion rang out: Congratulations to the unit on the victory. The Party Committee of the Battalion had decided that from this moment on, Comrade Lan was a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam and was appointed as the Platoon Leader of Platoon 3, Company 9, Battalion 6, Regiment 148.

I was extremely moved and promised the Political Commissar and the Battalion Party Committee that I would continue to strive and be ready to sacrifice for the Party's cause.

After my injured eye was bandaged, I continued to command the Platoon, together with the superior formation, to sweep the enemy, fight the enemy counterattack to retake Hill 1900A until we completely controlled this hill and handed it over to Battalion 5, Regiment 148 to guard. At that time, I left the battlefield due to blood loss from my wound, and my comrades had to help me back to base.

With my outstanding achievements, I was awarded the Second Class Military Exploit Medal by the Party and the State. The days I was treated for my wound were the days when the unit was replenished with troops, because after the battle, the unit had only a few dozen men left. We quickly consolidated our forces, trained them politically, and supplemented them with techniques and tactics to prepare for the next battle. This time, the unit was ordered to march to attack the enemy at the Muong Sui base on the Xieng Khouang road to Vientiane.

In April 1971, our unit and other units, with the support of frontline firepower and the Division, completely destroyed the forces at Muong Sui base to expand the liberated area of ​​our friends, connecting Xieng Khouang to Vientiane. After the battle ended, I was appointed as the Captain of Company 9, Battalion 6, Regiment 148 (the Battalion Commander was Dao Trong Lich, later Lieutenant General, former member of the Party Central Committee, former Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, former Deputy Minister of National Defense). We marched to Phu Theng Leng to prepare for the new campaign.

Time flies, more than 50 years have passed!

On the day I joined the Party, I was not promised the Party flag, but with absolute faith in the Party's leadership, I have followed the Party all my life. Later, every time I attended the ceremony to admit new Party members, in my position, I often reminded the new Party members that standing under the Party flag to take the oath is truly a great honor!

Lieutenant General PHAM THANH LAN, former Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense