Far out at sea, I still hear the voices of my comrades calling out to each other amid the waves. And I have to write. Writing is also a responsibility, to comfort the living and reassure the dead.
Hanoi with me on the cold, heartbreaking early winter days... If anyone is depressed because of failure at work, if anyone is feeling stuck in life... then please listen to my story first. The story I tell is about my comrades, the silent warriors in times of peace...
These days, when young people are dressing up for the festive season, welcoming Christmas; when Lunar New Year is approaching, people and families are racing against time to prepare for a full and warm Tet... then far out at sea, where there is no winter. There are no flashing colored lights, no Christmas trees, nothing but salty waves and scorching sun. Our comrades are steadfastly clinging to giant steel blocks, also known as platforms, to guard our sovereignty . They never even look forward to Tet!
The author with his teammates and soldiers at the DK1/12 platform
As a military journalist, I have the opportunity to go to many places and meet many people, including soldiers on the rig. There are days when I come home from work feeling tired and pressured by my lessons and work, and then I receive a phone call from my brothers out there: "Have you eaten yet? Are you going to visit the rig soon? Are you going to visit everyone? Is anyone going? I'll send you dried fish..."; "Everyone just watched the program I made, you've gained weight lately! Are the kids good? Are they studying well?"...
The content is just a monotonous repetition, but it is all love, all the longing for the mainland from the front. And I, the only sister who has lived for a whole month on all the rigs, was chosen by the brothers as a trustworthy spiritual support. I have never refused a phone call from that place....
Even though it's monotonous, boring, just don't be unusual. But...
The night was pitch black. The waves were level 5, level 6. The northeast wind was level 6, level 7. From the DK1/12 platform, looking around, one could only see the sea water shimmering like mud. In the distance was the dim light of the guard ship. After dinner, the platform soldiers returned to their assigned positions, while the commanding officers would walk around the house a few times to observe and check the situation as part of their daily routine. Every 20 meters, the four corners of the platform were well known to the brothers; everyone remembered the safety rules by heart.
Suddenly, "Boom!" A loud noise rang out. "Someone fell into the sea!" The whole rig was alarmed. Flashlights shone brightly on the sea surface. Someone was trying to swim between the waves. The buoys were immediately thrown down. The screams urged until the voice was hoarse: "Continue throwing the buoys... Keep going! Keep going!... The buoys are there!... Almost there!... Keep going!...".
DK1/12 platform. Photo: PHUONG LE
The patrol boat also hurriedly maneuvered towards the platform to rescue. The night was dark and the sea was thick. The waves were as ferocious as a hungry and cruel dragon. All the buoys were pushed away by the waves, moving away from the direction of the fallen person. In just 2 blinks of an eye, the invisible monster had swallowed the person whole.
Urgent and urgent instructions from the command post via the cryptographic system. All ships on duty in the DK1 sea area were mobilized to search.
On the platform, the commander quickly took a roll call and learned the identity of the person who fell into the sea: Captain Nguyen Tai Thi - Deputy Commander of DK1 Platform, DK1 Battalion, Navy Region 2. For many hours after that, the brothers gathered on the working platform at the foot of the platform, calling out Thi's name in all directions in the dark night. But the only response was the sound of crashing, growling, and raging waves...
Nguyen Tai Thi, from Thanh Hoa , is still very young and has only been assigned to the oil rig for 2 months. Perhaps while inspecting the house, he tripped and fell over the emergency railing. On the mainland, if we accidentally tripped and fell, we could stand up immediately, dust off our clothes and smile. But this is an oil rig. Our feet don't touch the ground. One trip could mean a life....
The following days, the weather turned bad, the sea was rough, the waves rose high. The search ships still tried to dig up every nautical mile with all their conscience and responsibility to their teammates in vain.
Pain followed pain. In this same sea area, another of his teammates suddenly died while the ship was on patrol and control duty. It was the shift at the command post of ship 214 at 2 o'clock. Captain Do Tung Linh, the Political Commissar reinforced from ship 202, slowly collapsed on the table while his teammates were stunned. Artificial respiration, chest compressions, Adrenaline injections... All measures were carried out by the ship's military doctors as urgently and quickly as possible, but no pulse was found, blood pressure and breathing rate were zero. Despite his teammates calling him until his voice was hoarse, Captain Linh completely lost consciousness...
Anyone who has ever been on a ship at sea will surely know that the crew members will be assigned shifts on the bridge to ensure the ship operates continuously according to plan, and the shifts from after midnight to morning are always the most stressful, completely disrupting the biological rhythm.
Two deaths in just one week. The loss and sacrifice in peacetime is still right there, on the front lines, silent and painful.
They can return to their motherland intact or dissolve forever into the white waves calling the shore. No navy soldier can choose. They only know one sacred oath when donning the uniform, that is to firmly hold their guns to protect the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.
Hanoi has not gotten any colder since my comrades left. Tet is just over a month away. I bit my lips until they turned purple, letting the tears flow back into my heart as I recount this story.
Far out at sea, the voices of comrades calling out to each other amid the waves still echo. And I must write. Writing is also a responsibility, to comfort the living and reassure the dead.
Perhaps writing this is also to contribute a voice to affirm that national sovereignty is inviolable, regardless of the time, war or peace, our country always has people willing to sacrifice for that sacred thing.
Please continue to participate in writing articles.
The 4th "Inviolable National Sovereignty" writing contest 2023 - 2024 was launched by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper from July 28, 2023 to May 31, 2024.
Up to now, after 5 months of launching, the Organizing Committee has received many entries from readers across the country. Closely following the content and theme of the contest, the articles vividly reflect the struggle to protect the sovereignty of the sea, islands and national territory; depict the beautiful image of the Navy, Coast Guard and Border Guard soldiers; praise the love for the sea, islands, homeland and country; reflect the diverse solidarity between the army and the people in carrying out the task of protecting sovereignty, protecting the border area, building a peaceful and friendly border with other countries. Nearly 20 quality works that meet the contest criteria have been selected and published in the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper.
With the hope that the contest will become a forum for readers to express their love for their homeland and country, as well as to propose and contribute ideas and solutions for propaganda to protect the sovereignty of the sea, islands, borders and national territory, Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper invites readers to continue sending entries. All Vietnamese citizens living in Vietnam and abroad, and foreigners living in Vietnam can participate in the contest.
The Organizing Committee encourages authors to write reports, press articles, and introduce good, authentic stories based on the experiences of insiders; encourages articles related to the program "Proud of the National Flag" that the Lao Dong Newspaper is implementing with 4 components: "Millions of National Flags with Fishermen at Sea", "National Flag on the Border", "National Flag Road" and "Firm Frontline, Strong Rear".
Detailed rules of the contest can be found at: https://nld.com.vn/ban-doc/hap-dan-cuoc-thi-viet-chu-quyen-quoc-gia-bat-kha-xam-pham-va-cuoc-thi-anh-thieng-lieng-co-to-quoc-20230731170758153.htm.
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Source: https://nld.com.vn/cuoc-thi-viet-chu-quyen-quoc-gia-bat-kha-xam-pham-tieng-goi-giua-muon-trung-song-196231223202834171.htm
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