The person being referred to is Hero of the People's Armed Forces Pham Thi Mai (born in 1947 in Ham Liem commune, Ham Thuan Bac district, Binh Thuan province).
In 1961, at the age of 14, Mai followed in her father's footsteps and became a volunteer soldier, joining the local secret guerrilla forces. At that time, her revolutionary alias was Tam Tiem, and her nhiệm vụ was to act as a liaison, transport weapons into strategic hamlets, and supply medicine and food to the revolutionaries.
At the age of 17, Tam Tiem was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union of Ham Liem commune. Around this time, Tam Tiem was also a member of the Song Nhi secret guerrilla unit, operating throughout the Ham Chinh, Ham Hiep, and Ham Liem areas, participating in dozens of battles, large and small, and capturing many enemy soldiers.
In February 1965, she had the honor of being admitted to the Party. In early 1967, at the age of 20, she was appointed President of the Women's Association of Ham Liem commune.
Former Vice President - Major General Nguyen Thi Dinh and her comrades visited and encouraged Mrs. Tam Tiem after the war. (Photo courtesy of Binh Thuan Newspaper)
In December 1967, Tam Tiem was assigned as the political commissar of the Ham Liem commune militia, commanding secret guerrillas and participating in many fierce battles. On March 8, 1968, the 4th Battalion of the enemy's 23rd Division, deployed from Buon Ma Thuot, launched a sweeping operation to "wipe out the Viet Cong" in Ham Chinh - Ham Liem.
The guerrilla unit was ordered to withdraw to a safe base, leaving only five men behind, including Tam Tiem, who hid in a secret bunker, holding out and fighting in the strategic hamlet. When discovered, the enemy fired relentlessly and threw grenades into the bunker.
Four comrades were killed, but Tam Tiem survived and bravely fought to the last bullet. With two grenades remaining, the female soldier threw them into the trench, killing several enemy soldiers. After the unequal battle, Tam Tiem was severely wounded in both legs and captured by the enemy.
The heroine Tam Tiem once recounted that moment:
"They stormed into the bunker, kicked me, and seeing that I was still struggling, they cheered, dragged me into a car, and drove me back to the provincial airport. At that time, I tried to reach down and touch my leg, and saw that there was a lot of blood. When I regained consciousness, they started using every cruel method of torture and bribery. They repeatedly beat me with wooden sticks. When they couldn't get anything out of me, they switched to persuasion."
They said, "If you reveal the names of the revolutionary cadres and abandon the revolution, we will provide you with a car, a house in Phan Thiet, and servants." I cursed them directly to their faces: "You can torture me to death with chains, but I will never abandon the revolution." Unable to subdue me, they transferred me to Phan Thiet Hospital. When my legs started to smell, they dragged me out again to torture me, cutting off my legs three times, almost completely destroying my thighs, before imprisoning me with five other soldiers.
Having failed to extract any information from her, she was released in December 1970. For her outstanding achievements, in 2000, Pham Thi Mai was awarded the prestigious title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.
Libra
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nu-anh-hung-ba-lan-bi-dich-cua-chan-ar938980.html
Comment (0)