Unforgettable years
Exactly 50 years since joining the army, the 16 and 17 year old female soldiers of Truong Son are now in their sixties, but every year they still meet and participate in activities at the common house of the Truong Son Provincial Women's Liaison Committee to recall memories of a time of life and death.
In August 1973, nearly 500 Ninh Binh girls, full of youth and enthusiasm, volunteered to join the army. After 3 months of training in Ninh Giang commune (Hoa Lu district), they set off for battlefield C, supporting Group 559 with the mission of quickly clearing the way, preparing for the final battle to liberate the South and unify the country.
"On the day of departure, everyone in the group was excited because it was the first time they left the bamboo village and also the first time they took a train. After a journey of more than a month through forests and streams, we arrived at Station 34 of Division 472 and were assigned to units such as E34, E35, some to the division headquarters to do logistics, information, cultural work, etc.," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy - Head of the Women's Liaison Committee of Truong Son province.
"Eastern Truong Son, Western Truong Son, one side is burning with sun, the other side is surrounded by rain" - The song partly describes the harshness of the weather in Truong Son: the rain is continuous, pouring, the sky and earth are white, the sun is scorching hot, 6 months without rain, water is collected drop by drop... Not to mention, on the fiery Truong Son route, every day the enemy dropped thousands of tons of bombs and toxic chemicals to destroy human life to stop the stormy progress of the liberation army.
The weather and fighting conditions were harsh, there were many shortages, and malaria was rampant, but the female soldiers did not mind the hardships and difficulties, taking on all the tasks from breaking mountains to opening roads to ensuring communications, feeding troops, and providing culture and arts.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoan - one of the female engineers on the Truong Son route recalled: "At that time, we went to battle with great enthusiasm, everyone was determined to complete the assigned task. In October 1974, receiving the task of opening the Eastern Truong Son route, our engineering unit worked day and night to cut mountains, dig soil, level the ground... When opening difficult and dangerous "elbow bends", the women still tried to complete to ensure traffic clearance".
Mrs. Ngoan still remembers clearly the historic moment at noon on April 30, 1975, while carrying out the mission, the whole team received the announcement: "Our army has liberated Saigon, the South is completely liberated!": "It took us a few seconds of shock to wake up, the whole team rushed to hug each other, cheering until their voices were hoarse, there were many smiles, tears were shed".
Now, after 50 years looking back, the female soldiers of Truong Son still cannot help but be moved, not believing that they had overcome the fierce war. "In addition to the enemy's bombs and bullets, we also had to face many deadly disasters such as: bombs, toxic chemicals, malaria, floods, buried rocks, hunger and thirst... Without the strength of patriotism, fighting spirit and solidarity with comrades and teammates, it would be difficult to overcome. At that time, we sisters shared with each other each pill, piece of soap, soapberry - things that were extremely precious at that time. In addition to the intense hours of fighting, the front line was always filled with laughter and singing of the sisters", Ms. Thuy confided.
Forever the spirit of female soldiers of Truong Son
After completing their duty to the Fatherland, in October 1976, the female soldiers returned to their hometowns, some engaged in business, some continued their studies, some were not healthy enough to be demobilized. According to statistics from the Truong Son Soldiers Council in Ninh Binh province, over 60 female soldiers passed away due to war consequences and old age diseases, 125 were wounded, sick soldiers, and Agent Orange victims, some of whom were unable to fulfill their duties as wives and mothers due to dioxin consequences.
During the war, the brave, resilient girls fought and worked together, and when they returned to civilian life, they continued to promote the traditional nature of Truong Son soldiers, actively working in production, developing the economy , building families, raising children, participating in social work, helping each other in times of illness, disease, and difficult life.
Proud to be an engineer soldier on the fiery road, Ms. Hoang Thi Binh - a female soldier of Truong Son shared: "We always cherish and proudly tell the next generation that our mother and grandmother's generation had the honor to contribute a part of their efforts to opening the legendary road, contributing to the liberation of the South and the unification of the country."
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Head of the Liaison Committee of the Truong Son Province's female soldiers, added: "In 1997, we started searching for and gathering comrades. In 2009, the Liaison Committee was established, under the Ho Chi Minh Trail Tradition Association of the province. It is a living space for female veterans who directly fought and served in combat on the Truong Son route. Up to now, the Liaison Committee has more than 200 members."
With the spirit of comradeship, members of the Truong Son Women's Liaison Committee, who have more economic conditions and time than other members, are willing to support funds, together calling for the attention and support of units and philanthropists to support the families of members in difficult circumstances, helping them to have conditions to rise up in life. The Liaison Committee has mobilized support to build 8 houses of gratitude for poor members with a value of nearly 500 million VND; regularly visit, encourage, and give gifts to members on holidays and Tet...
The 50th anniversary of joining the army is an opportunity for members of the Truong Son Female Soldiers Liaison Committee to reminisce about the deep memories of the heroic fighting years and the sacred comradeship.
The song about the heroic fighting time on the Truong Son frontline of the young generation of that day will forever echo in the hearts of young generations today and tomorrow, reminding them to strive even harder, following in the footsteps of their ancestors to build and firmly protect the Fatherland.
Article and photos: Hong Minh
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