Proud of my heroic father.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lan, born in 1977, is the son of martyr and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Xuan Kim, from Lac Long commune (Kinh Mon district). Martyr Nguyen Xuan Kim fell on February 17, 1979, the day China officially began its attack on Vietnam along the entire northern border.
Since his father passed away before he was two years old, all information and memories of him come from his mother and his father's comrades in the military association he voluntarily joined. Growing up without a father, Lân says he is always proud that his father was a hero. And the advice his father gave his mother before he left for the front lines—"Grow up quickly to help your mother and sister"—has been his guiding principle throughout his life. And he has done just that, fulfilling his father's message from years ago.
Martyr and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Xuan Kim, born in 1952, died on February 17, 1979. He was a sergeant, acting company commander of Company 6, Battalion 2, Regiment 192 of the Hoang Lien Son local troops, Military Region 2. Not only did he fight and bravely sacrifice his life on the northern border, but from June 1972 to April 1975, he fought in the Tri-Thien battlefield and achieved many outstanding accomplishments.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Khach, wife of martyr Nguyen Xuan Kim, said that her husband, like tens of thousands of others who lived the life of a man during wartime, was ready to leave when the country needed him, and then peacefully rest in peace. Her husband fought in the fiery battlefields of Tri Thien and returned safely, but he could not escape this war.
According to historical sources, in February 1979, Kim's unit was assigned to defend the Coc San outpost in Bat Xat district ( Lao Cai province). On February 17th, the enemy deployed a battalion supported by artillery and tanks, launching a fierce attack from multiple directions. Kim remained calm, commanding his unit, waiting for the enemy to get close before opening fire, eliminating many of them. Kim was wounded but bandaged himself and continued fighting. After being wounded a second time and fainting, he continued to command his unit, organizing forces to attack the enemy's flanks and rear. After being wounded a third time, due to the severity of his injuries, he fainted several times, but each time he regained consciousness, he continued to command his unit in battle. When he saw the enemy approaching, he mustered his remaining strength, using grenades and an AK submachine gun to directly attack the enemy formation. In this battle, the unit commanded by Kim repelled eight enemy attacks, killing over 200 enemy soldiers, with Kim himself credited with eliminating 60. He died after successfully completing his mission.
Thanks to his exceptionally outstanding achievements, he was awarded the Third Class Military Merit Order, the Second Class Combat Merit Order, and twice received the title of Hero. On December 20, 1979, martyr Nguyen Xuan Kim was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the President of Vietnam .
Dad must have smiled.
Besides his son Nguyen Van Lan mentioned above, the martyr and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Xuan Kim also had an older daughter, Nguyen Thi Lien, born at the end of 1972. Although her father was a martyr and she didn't have to enlist, after graduating from high school, Lien still applied to join the army and became a lieutenant colonel in the 363rd Division, Air Defense - Air Force. When her father went to fight in the Tri-Thien battlefield, Lien was still in her mother's womb. Around 1976, when Mr. Nguyen Xuan Kim returned to visit his hometown, he told his wife:
- After traveling for so long like this, if we met on the street, Lien wouldn't even recognize her father, would she, Mom?
After that, Mr. Kim set off for the border and never returned to see his family. According to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Khach, during the time Mr. Kim participated in the border war in the North, the family members were all anxious and worried about one question: Why did everyone else receive letters but Mr. Kim remained completely silent?
Once, our neighbor, Mr. Sang, came over and said, "I heard on the radio that our Uncle Kim was killed in action. But the death certificate didn't arrive until June 1981..."
His older sister left home, leaving Lân to live with his paternal grandparents and mother, and establish himself in his hometown. Lân also considered joining the army, but his father was a war hero and his sister was already serving, so he couldn't fulfill that intention. To hear stories about his heroic father, he applied to join his father's veterans' association in the commune.
After getting married, having children, and establishing a career in his hometown, Mr. Lan now owns a spacious and comfortable home. Besides cultivating one acre of onions and garlic and practicing traditional rice wine making, Mr. Lan is also building a factory for drying onions and garlic. With a comfortable financial situation , he has one son who graduated from university and is working in Hanoi. His other son is currently a student at Hai Phong Medical University.
Although he has no memory of his heroic father, Mr. Lan believes that he and Ms. Lien have fulfilled their father's dying wish, and perhaps the martyr and Hero of the People's Armed Forces, Nguyen Xuan Kim, is smiling now that his children have grown up.
Next installment: Epic songs that create spring on the border.
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