Tet at the forefront

Resilient at the forefront, the navy's Tet is a vow to wholeheartedly stay awake with the country's spring.

Thinking back to the day I graduated from school and became an army officer until now, Tet in the army has taken up two-thirds of my Tet holidays. Soldiers have many Tet holidays: Tet on the border, Tet on remote islands, Tet in the clouds, Tet on the posts, Tet on the oil rigs..., while my Tet is mainly Tet at the forefront. We affectionately call all of those Tet holidays "Soldier Tet".

Sacred honor

Because the task of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands and protecting the people is always top priority, we naval soldiers on the islands and DK1 platform often celebrate Tet a couple of weeks early.

That is when we welcome New Year greeting ships from the mainland to the forefront, carrying necessities and the warm love of the mainland. The New Year greeting ship trip at the end of the year is always the most stormy but also the most anticipated one for naval officers and soldiers. We call them spring ships even though they always have to set sail when the weather is still cold. While the North is shivering under the Northeast monsoon, the New Year greeting ships have to struggle to overcome 6-7 meter high waves and rough seas.

Sticky rice, dong leaves, chicken, duck, sweets, peaches, apricots... are indispensable gifts that must be transported to the islands and oil rigs to satisfy the soldiers' "waiting for Tet". That's why there are some tear-jerking stories that I can never forget. The chickens, ducks and pigs were so seasick when they arrived that they rolled over and "died", forcing the soldiers to work hard to slaughter them to freeze. Peach, apricot and kumquat trees could not withstand the wind and waves, so all their flowers and fruits fell off, leaving only dry branches. The soldiers meticulously cut fake flowers, pasted them on, and blew up balloons to attach them, making them beautiful until the following year. Dong leaves that were dry and wilted were replaced with square Indian almond leaves to wrap banh chung... So we were lucky to keep the goods, because there were shipments that "dived" into the sea due to bad weather, and there were also shipments that had to be exchanged with the blood of the soldiers.

Officers and soldiers wrapping banh chung on DK1/16 platform and at Brigade 162 - Naval Region 4

When the New Year's greeting ship leaves, the soldiers are "dazed and bewildered", because from now until Tet is the time they miss their families the most. Will their elderly parents be healthy? How will their hard-working wives manage Tet holidays for their paternal and maternal grandparents? Will their children grow taller, be well-behaved, and be healthy?... They suppress these thoughts tightly until the moment of New Year's Eve. When the TV is bright with fireworks, in the middle of the pitch-black night, the resilient bright spots that mark the islands and rigs tremble with each beat of longing for the mainland.

For the soldiers on the island and DK1 platform, it was like that. For the soldiers who left for duty right before the New Year, there was no storm that could compare to the emotional waves they had to overcome when saying goodbye to their families, wives and children at the wharf. The ships on sovereignty duty, the young soldiers who replaced the troops, they were steadfast, strong and mature beyond their years. Looking at the Motherland welcoming the spring happily from the sea, they felt a sacred honor to contribute their efforts to the completion of that spring.

More strength and courage

Amidst the waves, in the cramped space of the ship, we still organized to wrap banh chung and prepare the Tet tray to worship on New Year's Eve. Right at the moment of New Year's Eve, from the cockpit, the captain sang through the internal loudspeaker: "The vast sea, the waves beat the ship's hull/ Our group set sail, the sound of the engine roaring, filled with love for the homeland...". Immediately, all the brothers on board sang in unison: "Looking at the bright blue sky, our guns never leave our hands/ Surfing the waves, singing a joyful song of life...". The singing mixed with the sound of the ocean waves made people's hearts flutter, making love for loved ones, family blend with love for homeland and country.

Soldiers celebrate Tet on the Quang Trung missile frigate

Although celebrating Tet far away, naval soldiers always receive attention from the mainland, care and sharing from their comrades. Before Tet, commanders of naval units will organize visits, encouragement, send letters and gifts to military families, especially those whose soldiers are on duty at the front line. I remember the tight handshakes, the heads resting on my chests of my comrades' parents, and of the young wives waiting for their husbands when I represented the unit to wish them a happy new year. They saw in my military uniform the affection, the choking, and the hardships and sacrifices that could not be expressed in words.

On New Year's Eve, unit commanders do not return home to celebrate Tet with their families but instead assign each other to go to units on duty ready to fight to encourage the troops. Right at the moment of New Year's Eve, the commander will make a call via the military network to the islands, platforms, and ships on duty to wish the officers and soldiers on the front line a Happy New Year. The wishes are like orders but also full of loving emotions: "On behalf of the Party Committee, the commander of the Regional Command and all officers and soldiers on duty on the mainland, I would like to send you all New Year's greetings and warm greetings! I wish you all a healthy new year, always steadfast on the front line, firmly protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland, and excellently completing the assigned tasks!". After the reply: "We promise to unite, determined to overcome all difficulties, firmly hold the gun to firmly protect the sovereignty of the sea, islands, and sacred continental shelf of the Fatherland", everyone shouted: "Happy New Year!".

And just like that, the mainland is the support for the wavehead, the voice of the homeland gives the soldiers more strength and courage. Even while receiving New Year's greetings, at all checkpoints, the comrades on duty always hold their guns firmly, keep their eyes on the assigned sea area, promptly detect targets, report to the correct hierarchy to handle situations, and avoid being surprised.

"Soldier's Tet", Tet at the forefront is the spring of countless hardships, is the silent sacrifice in peacetime, is the thousand-year sleep that has never been complete of the entire nation. Resilient at the forefront, our navy's Tet is the vow to wholeheartedly stay awake with the spring of the country.

Navy soldiers always have a steady hand on their guns and are determined to excellently complete their assigned tasks.

Invite readers to participate in 2 contests

At the award ceremony of the 4th "Inviolable National Sovereignty" writing contest and the 3rd "Sacred National Flag" photo contest, 2023-2024, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the implementation of the "Pride of the National Flag" program, taking place on July 2, 2024, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper launched the 5th "Inviolable National Sovereignty" writing contest and the 4th "Sacred National Flag" photo contest, 2024-2025.

The Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper invites readers who are Vietnamese citizens living in Vietnam and abroad, and foreigners living in Vietnam to participate in writing articles and sending photos to the contest. The deadline for launching, receiving articles and photos is from July 2, 2024 to May 31, 2025. Readers scan the QR code or visit https://nld.com.vn/phat-dong-cuoc-thi-viet-chu-quyen-quoc-gia-bat-kha-xam-pham-va-cuoc-thi-anh-thieng-lieng-co-to-quoc-196240701163723125.htm to see details about the conditions and rules of the two contests.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tet-noi-dau-song-196250208195236968.htm