Immortal flowers

Illustration: Dao Tuan

Speaking of the sacrifices and losses of the Vietnamese Youth Volunteer Force during the resistance war against the US to save the country, it's not just the heroic sacrifice of the ten girls at Dong Loc Crossroads or the young volunteers at Chuong Bon, but also the sixty sons and daughters of Thai Nguyen who fell on December 24, 1972, at Luu Xa Station while unloading and clearing goods. Sixty young lives, sixty people with so many youthful hopes, forever lost at the age of 20. The youth of these young men and women has merged with the earth, allowing the tree of life to remain ever green.

The 915th Youth Volunteer Company was established in June 1972 with 102 officers and members, three-quarters of whom were women aged eighteen to twenty. Most of them were children of ethnic minorities from Na Rì, Chợ Đồn, Bạch Thông (formerly Bắc Kạn ) and Đại Từ (Thái Nguyên).

When the 915th Youth Volunteer Company was established, its task was to repair and upgrade National Highway 18, specifically the section from Gia Bay Bridge to La Hien Commune. Later, the 915th Company shifted its duties to serving traffic on Highway 16A, from Chua Hang to Trai Cau. This was a crucial route for transporting weapons, food, and goods for the fraternal socialist countries. Due to its strategic location, the US imperialists frequently launched fierce bombing raids in an attempt to cut off this vital supply route. The 915th Company consistently upheld the spirit of "Live clinging to the roads and bridges. Die with unwavering courage and indomitable spirit!"

Early in the morning of December 24, 1972, officers and members of Company 915 urgently carried out the task of loading and unloading 20,000 tons of food and defense supplies that had been donated and were still remaining in the center of Thai Nguyen city. By dusk, the remaining food and goods at Luu Xa Station had been largely cleared. They worked tirelessly all day loading and transporting goods, military equipment, and supplies. They hadn't even had time to eat their evening meal when the B52 bombers swooped down. The devastating bombing raid devastated Thai Nguyen city, claiming the lives of many civilians, including 60 officers and members of the Youth Volunteer Corps of Company 915. Sixty Youth Volunteer Corps members were forever laid to rest in the embrace of their motherland, their bodies not intact. They passed away amidst the sorrow of their families, comrades, and villages. Their sacrifice is a great loss for the Vietnamese Youth Volunteer Corps.

More than half a century has passed, but the losses of that Christmas Eve still haunt those who remain. They still live with painful memories that nothing can compensate for. I choked up and shed tears watching the scene where the old soldier silently sits beside his lover's grave, his wrinkled hand trembling as he places it on the tombstone of the girl he loved. That girl was forever frozen at the age of 20. Perhaps he will never forget that beautiful and painful first love throughout his life. Some deaths become immortal. Some loves endure through time. That soldier carried the love of his youth with him throughout his life. That love remains forever intact in his heart. Some sacrificed their lives at the prime of their lives without even having a photograph left for their loved ones. There are mothers with graying hair, half a century after the war ended, yet not a single day has passed without them grieving and missing their beloved children. Sixty young lives, sixty stories of the 915 campaign, have dissolved into the embrace of Mother Earth. They lie together in the arms of their comrades and the grateful affection of the people of Thai Nguyen.

I stood before the portraits of sixty fallen Youth Volunteers. Looking at their radiant faces, their smiles as bright as wildflowers, I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat. They are like cranes gently flying to the white clouds, but the pain will never fade in the hearts of those left behind. To have the comfortable and peaceful life we have today, countless sons and daughters of Vietnam left and never returned, and countless mothers and wives turned to stone, waiting for their husbands and sons.

More than 50 years have passed, but the flame of 915 will forever remain an epic for today and tomorrow. These heroes are immortal flowers, forever youthful. The losses and suffering caused by war remind each of us to cherish every moment of peace today.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-nghe-thai-nguyen/202507/nhung-bong-hoa-bat-tu-ed52749/