70 years of glorious journey
Division 324, Military Region 4 was established on July 1, 1955 in Trieu Duong commune (Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province), at a time when the country entered a new phase after the Geneva Agreement. Faced with the plot of the US imperialists to permanently divide the country, our Party and State decided to build strong main divisions, as the core for the struggle to liberate the South. In the sacred atmosphere of the establishment ceremony, the soldiers, most of whom had fought in the main units of Inter-zone V and Inter-zone VI, officially became soldiers of Division 324, carrying with them the expectations and trust of the army and people of the whole country.
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| Mr. Duong Quang Sen (right) and Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tri recall memories of the time they fought together. |
70 years have passed, but the memory of that summer morning in 1955 in Trieu Duong commune is still intact in the mind of veteran Duong Quang Sen (92 years old, residing in Van Thanh ward, Nha Trang city) - Head of the 324th Division's Tradition Liaison Committee in Khanh Hoa . At that time, he was only 18 years old, from his hometown Phu Yen, he gathered in the North, and with his teammates officially became the first soldiers of a newly established main unit. "On the first day of the establishment of the 324th Division, I was assigned to the 90th Regiment under the division. At that time, we understood very clearly that this was not an ordinary unit. We would be the core force returning to the South to fight the enemy. Therefore, from the moment we became soldiers of the division, we carried within us a strong belief," Mr. Sen recalled.
After its establishment, Division 324 grew steadily, quickly participating in combat missions, training and building regular units. The first achievements such as participating in protecting the people of Quynh Luu (Nghe An) from the enemy's forced migration wave, or being honored to receive visits and instructions from President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap, became invaluable sources of spiritual encouragement for the entire unit.
Since 1962, the 324th Division has been on an international mission in Laos, coordinating the liberation of the Plain of Jars - Xieng Khouang, a feat that forced the enemy to sign the Geneva Agreement on Laos. In May 1966, the 324th Division crossed the border to the South, fighting on Route 9 - Northern Quang Tri. During 6 months of continuous fighting on the fierce battlefield, the division achieved many feats, both destroying the enemy and providing support for the political movement in the Tri Thien - Hue urban area. The 324th Division also made great contributions to the Khe Sanh and Route 9 - Southern Laos campaigns, helping to force the US to de-escalate the war, leading to the signing of the Paris Agreement (1973). In particular, in the great victory of spring 1975, the 324th Division was one of the main units attacking to liberate the South and unify the country. From 1977 to 1987, Division 324 continued to carry out international missions in Laos, working with the neighboring country to liberate Phu Bia - Bom Long, hunt down the remnants of Vang Pao bandits, and consolidate the local government in 6 districts and 596 villages. Those years not only wrote golden pages in history, but also contributed to fostering the special friendship between Vietnam and Laos.
During 70 years of construction and fighting, Division 324 fought more than 3,500 battles, annihilated 50,000 enemies, severely damaged many elite enemy units, shot down 680 aircraft, and destroyed thousands of war vehicles. Division 324 became the main "iron fist" of Military Region 4, terrifying the enemy, was named "Ngu Binh Division" and awarded 12 golden words "Loyal and steadfast, continuously attacking, united to win". With its resounding achievements, Division 324 was twice honored by the Party and State with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces; 13 collectives and 15 individuals were recognized as heroes.
Unforgettable memories
One weekend afternoon in early June, in the small house of Mr. Duong Quang Sen, the meeting between him and his old comrade - veteran Nguyen Dinh Tri (94 years old, residing in Tan Tien ward, Nha Trang) took place simply but full of emotion. Both had gray hair, their steps were no longer brisk, but their eyes still shone with the pride of soldiers of Division 324. The memories of the past remained intact through each story.
Having participated in hundreds of large and small battles both at home and in Laos, veteran Duong Quang Sen will never forget those days. However, in his conversation with us, he first mentioned the battle of Khanh Thuong (Khanh Thuong village, now Tinh Binh commune, Son Tinh district, Quang Ngai province), which he called a “painful and devastating” battle. “On the evening of March 29, 1966, our unit was attacked by the enemy. At first, they fired artillery, then used helicopters to land troops to capture our base. The whole area was like a fire pan, with smoke everywhere, we could only see each other within a maximum distance of 5 meters. Houses, straw pillars, bamboo bushes, and sugarcane fields were all burned by enemy fire. My four comrades and I took cover in a tunnel about 4.5 meters long. A few minutes later, a group of American soldiers came to the entrance of the tunnel, they threw a grenade down, but comrade Dau quickly pressed his hand on the handle of the grenade so it did not explode. Next, they threw an M26 down the entrance of the tunnel, which exploded, causing suffocating smoke. When they had withdrawn for about 20 minutes, I groped around and discovered that several comrades had been sacrificed…”, Mr. Sen said, his voice choking up at this point. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tri continued: “The war has been over for half a century, but the images of the battles on Route 9, in Xieng Khouang, in Phu Bia... are still as if they were yesterday. I remember my comrades who remained in the deep forests and mountains, and those who now only exist in photos. Many who returned still carry unhealed wounds, living a quiet life... All of them contributed to creating the heroic tradition of Division 324.”
Time has passed, now that the 70th anniversary of the division is approaching, the old soldiers, especially the first generation like Mr. Sen and Mr. Tri, cannot forget their comrades and are proud of the time when they "split Truong Son to save the country". For them, even though they are old, "the Division is still young", always strong and excellently completing all tasks in the new era.
THE ANH
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202506/su-doan-324-tu-hao-nhung-trang-su-vang-69b67f8/
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