She turned to her mother, her eyes shining with a strange light: "Mom, can I go down to Dad's unit to be on duty during Tet with him?" That innocent remark stunned me. It turned out that, in her naive mind, Tet had a very special place: where her father was working.

The day I brought my child to the unit, the environment was already vibrant with the colors of spring. The rows of buildings were neat, tidy, and clean, and the national flag fluttered in the late winter sun. Branches of peach blossoms, bursting with color, were decorated by the soldiers along the internal roads.

My son walked beside me, his eyes wide, constantly looking around in amazement. To him, his father's unit was not just a workplace, but like a completely different world : disciplined, orderly, yet unusually warm.

Illustration photo: qdnd.vn

The boy quickly blended into the Tet atmosphere at the barracks.

On New Year's Eve, my son stood beside me, gazing up at the sky ablaze with fireworks. The light reflected in his childlike eyes, sparkling with excitement. He whispered softly, "New Year's is so much fun here, Dad!" My uncles, my comrades, everyone we met greeted us and didn't forget to give him red envelopes of money as New Year's gifts. He held them in his hands, smiling brightly, and politely clasped his hands to wish each person a Happy New Year.

Seeing my son surrounded by his comrades, I suddenly felt a surge of happiness. I took him to wish the battalions and companies in the unit a Happy New Year. At first, he followed me somewhat timidly, but the further we went, the more confident he became. Handshakes and New Year's greetings echoed amidst the joyful laughter. Perhaps, that was the first time he experienced the New Year atmosphere of a soldier – simple, warm, and full of camaraderie.

In the following days, the boy visited the "Long Binh Victory Special Forces Monument," listened to stories about the glorious achievements of the special forces soldiers, and participated in various traditional Tet games such as ring toss, pot smashing, sack racing, and watching the soldiers play chess. Each game brought laughter and refreshing joy.

The moment that touched me the most was when my son wore his father's green military uniform for a photo. The shirt was a bit too big, the sleeves too long past his wrists, but he stood very straight, his eyes full of pride. He said that when he grew up, he also wanted to become a soldier of Uncle Ho's army, to be in the same unit as his father. I was speechless! In the middle of spring, that dream blossomed so naturally and innocently.

On the day he left the unit to go home and prepare for school, the boy was very sad. He turned back to look at the barracks for a long time, as if wanting to remember every little corner. I patted his head and told him that there would be many more Tet holidays like this. But I knew that Tet holiday would remain in his heart as a beautiful memory.

For me, it was a special Tet holiday because, for the first time, my son understood and felt what Tet is like for a soldier. A simple, heartfelt Tet, where the green of the soldier's uniform is not just a duty but also a source of pride passed down from father to son, quietly but enduringly.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/tet-dau-tien-o-don-vi-bo-1026226