Female Deputy Commune Captain Vinh Thanh and the 12.7mm battlefield in 1968

Mrs. Sach was awarded the Third Class Resistance Medal by the State - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

The Loyal Commander

Born in 1941 in Liem Cong Tay village, Vinh Thanh commune, Ms. Sach grew up in a poor peasant family with a revolutionary tradition. Her childhood years were spent in the fields, with a bamboo bucket and herding cows for hire to earn money to help her parents raise four sisters. Although she only studied until grade 7 due to difficult family circumstances, her studious spirit, indomitable spirit and desire to contribute to the revolution soon urged her to embark on the path of serving the resistance.

In 1963, she officially joined the local militia, undertaking patrolling and guarding duties along the border from Hien Luong intersection to Mui Lo bridge - a place where just one minute of carelessness could cost her life. Together with her comrades, she quietly walked in the dark and faced danger when she almost fell into the cold Ben Hai river many times, but her heart was still burning with the flame of patriotism.

The turning point came in 1966, when Ms. Sach was assigned the important responsibility of Deputy Commune Team Leader of Vinh Thanh Commune. This was a period of fierce war escalation, the enemy increased bombing and shelling on the border area. Ms. Sach organized training for female militia and participated in commanding the 12.7mm battery stationed in Liem Cong Tay village. Together with her teammates, she directly held guns and grenades, guarding the sky of her homeland, determined not to let the enemy encroach.

One day in mid-1968, after many days of intense fighting, an American plane was shot down in the sky over Vinh Linh. In the fiery atmosphere, the people and units opened fire simultaneously, creating a fierce anti-aircraft battle. The head of the border police station at that time believed that it was the Liem Cong Tay battery commanded by Mrs. Sach that had made the achievement. A journalist was present and recorded that historic moment.

Living proof of patriotism

The photo shows Ms. Nguyen Thi Sach, Mr. Le Van Dieu (battery commander) and soldier Nguyen Hoang standing next to a 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun, amidst a fierce but heroic battlefield scene. The photo later became a symbol of the resilient spirit of the border militia.

Mrs. Sach with a photo of herself and her comrades at the 17th Parallel Exhibition House and the desire for unification - Photo: TRAN TUYEN

As the years passed, the photo was kept by Mrs. Sach and her family as a treasure. In 2010, the Women's Union of Vinh Thanh commune asked for permission to bring the photo to Hanoi to display in an exhibition about Vietnamese women. Afterwards, Mrs. Sach's family donated it to the Management Board of the Hien Luong - Ben Hai Special National Monument. Since then, the photo has been hung solemnly at the Exhibition House of Parallel 17 and the Aspiration for Unification, which welcomes thousands of domestic and foreign visitors every year.

The photo not only captures the steadfast face of the female militia in the past, but is also a vivid declaration of the silent participation and sacrifice of women in the resistance war to protect national independence. It is a true, simple but heroic story of a generation of “gunmen and plowmen”, using blood, bones and patriotism to write a brilliant page of history in the fiery land of Quang Tri .

After giving birth to her first child in 1970, Ms. Sach resigned from her position as deputy commune team leader and switched to logistics work, mobilizing people from villages to support food for the armed forces. She continued to hold many roles in local movements, such as: deputy secretary of the commune union, standing committee member of the commune women's association, and head of the women's association of Liem Cong Tay village after the country's reunification.

Interestingly, Ms. Sach’s husband, Mr. Hoang Xuan Boi, former Chief of Border Guard Station No. 3, Dak Lak Province, is also a loyal armed police officer , awarded many noble medals by the State. Her family is a beautiful symbol of the “rear - frontline”, of a time of war where women not only stood behind, but also stood shoulder to shoulder at the forefront.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Hien Thanh Commune, Le Duc Kiem, said: "Mrs. Sach and her husband are both people who have contributed to the revolution. With more than 57 years of Party membership, the Third Class Resistance Medal and decades of service in mass organizations, Mrs. Sach is not only a living witness of a painful and heroic historical period, but also a shining example of sacrifice and silent dedication to the cause of national liberation and homeland construction."

Tran Tuyen

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nu-xa-doi-pho-vinh-thanh-va-tran-dia-12-7-ly-nam-1968-193839.htm