Sacred July!

Every year, July 27 is the day to honor war invalids and martyrs. But before that, in 1946, when respectfully mentioning the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed their blood and bones for the Fatherland, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention: "Remembering those children who left behind a part of their body or died while performing glorious duties, using their blood and bones to build a bronze wall, a solid dike to prevent foreign invaders...".

Not long ago, while traveling along the northern coast of Quang Tri province from Canh Duong to Bao Ninh, I had the opportunity to talk with brave veterans, including Mr. Nguyen Van Bieu. He was the youngest person in the special transport fleet that supplied weapons to Southern Quang Tri in the Trieu Phong sea area after Tet Mau Than 1968.

The crew members on that trip were given two memorial services: once in Canh Duong and once in Mui Si (Vinh Linh) at that time. They left with the spirit of "Determination to die for the Fatherland, determination to live". Former Captain Pham Quoc Hong, also from Canh Duong village, Head of the Liaison Committee of Veterans of the "Unnumbered Train" in Quang Binh province before July 1, 2025.

That night, over a cup of wine and chatting, the former captain, a battle-hardened “sea wolf”, confided: “If there was no war, I would be an ordinary fisherman, just wanting to do business in peace. But the resistance war broke out, I became a soldier, and as a soldier, you have to fight to the end for independence and freedom. I was lucky enough to return, but many of my comrades sacrificed themselves, many of them forever lying at the bottom of the ocean or somewhere in the mountains and forests.”

Before going to Canh Duong, I kept wondering why the generals at that time, under the command of the military genius, General Vo Nguyen Giap, chose this area as the cradle of the "Train without number" in the South. Was it just because it was near the 17th parallel? When I came here and interacted with the people, I realized another important reason according to my own feelings.

That is the voice of the Canh Duong fishermen, which is similar to the voice of the Quang Ngai fishermen in the past, so they can pretend to be fishermen south of the 17th parallel to blend in with their compatriots at sea to camouflage themselves from enemy control.

It was the choice of history and the burden of sacrifice was placed on the shoulders of fishermen who only wanted to work hard. And Canh Duong was famous as a fighting village during the resistance war against the French and was also famous during the resistance war against the Americans with the “Ship without number”.

I also had the opportunity to meet Colonel Tran Ngoc Long, a Hanoian and a veteran of the Ancient Citadel, over 80 years old but still anxious to find the identities of his comrades who died in the 81-day and night campaign along the Thach Han River.

So the lyrics in the famous song "Co non Thanh Co" by musician Tan Huyen keep echoing, vibrating like the feelings of longing and gratitude: "Co non green, please do not be indifferent to those who sacrificed for our homeland...".

Writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong in his memoir “Lamplit Night, Remembering” once deeply contemplated: “Quang Tri is a city that died so that humanity could awaken and perfect itself. I have buried the remains of many martyrs who were left behind on the land of the Ancient Citadel that I am inheriting, as a survivor.

History is made by the dead and therefore in relation to history, every writer does his work as a survivor. From the bottom of my heart, I try to decipher the silent message left by my brothers and sisters.

That the dead did not wish to be honored as heroes and to see fresh flowers offered at their graves. No, no, no! They died for one reason only: the desire to live, that behind them, life would be redesigned based on prosperity, justice and human dignity.

Quang Tri is the “altar of the Fatherland” with two national martyrs’ cemeteries and hundreds of other large and small martyrs’ cemeteries, not to mention the family and clan altars that are never empty of incense smoke because their wishes are always directed towards those who have devoted their whole lives to the country and the people. They are always immortal in the hearts of those who live with the bright moral principles: “When drinking water, remember the source”, “When eating fruit, remember the person who planted the tree” which are always fertilized like alluvial soil with deep affection over the years.

Therefore, July is always sacred in every soul and spreads like waves in every day of life...

Pham Xuan Dung

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/thieng-lieng-thang-bay-196340.htm