Finding Father in Truong Sa and the Unexpected Story from the Journey to Find the Character

No one comes into your life without a reason. Everyone has a reason for being there, and everyone deserves to be appreciated. And the writer’s role is to connect them into a meaningful story.

Until now, I still cannot imagine my feelings when I received the notice from the Navy when they said my application to go to Truong Sa was approved. At the first meeting, I suddenly realized that I was the only writer among 5 artists who were allowed to join the Truong Sa delegation on the HQ571 ship, including: 2 photographers, 1 musician, 1 writer and 1 stage author... meaning "a small team but a big responsibility" we must capture the most beautiful moments in Truong Sa because the opportunity only comes once.

Truong Sa Island was peaceful during our visit.

As soon as we arrived at the first island, we took advantage of the precious moments to meet, chat and record moments with the young soldiers. Among the many sad and happy stories, there was one story that always lingered in my mind, until returning to the mainland, that story kept urging me to find the character to understand and record. However, in the journey to find the character, there was a mistake that led me to another story, also extremely interesting.

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That day, on Co Lin Island, Sergeant Le Minh Hieu turned his eyes towards Gac Ma Island - where more than 35 years ago, 64 children of the motherland Vietnam remained forever in the middle of the ocean to protect the sovereignty of the Fatherland and told me the story of searching for his father in Truong Sa.

We sat silently under the banyan tree listening to Hieu tell the story of a girl named Thuy - the daughter of one of the 64 soldiers who died in the Gac Ma naval battle, who was finally able to visit her father in Truong Sa after 35 years.

Hieu cried when he told us the moment Thuy knelt down at the foot of the windy grave and cried out her father's name in tears.

- "I will always remember the image of Ms. Thuy receiving the bottle of seawater taken from the Gac Ma - Co Lin - Len Dao intersection. She said that in order to have the trip that day, she had to try very hard to have the honor of being among the excellent party members selected to visit the island. She wanted to go to the place where her father fell to get a bottle of water and bring it back to the family altar to tell her ancestors that in that seawater there was the image of her father. A heroic father whose face she did not know" - Hieu said then held my hand and said earnestly:

- "Remember to write about people like Ms. Thuy. As for us, the island soldiers, we always take that sincerity as motivation to try and complete our mission. The youth dedicated to Truong Sa, to the Fatherland is the most brilliant youth, sister."

I carried that feeling throughout my journey to Truong Sa. I felt ashamed of myself, those girls were young but had such beautiful ideals, they considered volunteering to go to the island not as a sacrifice but as a responsibility and duty of citizens towards the Fatherland. Therefore, when I asked about his dreams or aspirations, Hieu still only told me to write about that girl as a consolation. “I want it to be an inspiring story about the close bond between the sea and the mainland, an inseparable, inseparable feeling. It is like the love between a father and a child.”

Major Le Thi Minh Thuy was moved at the memorial service for martyrs who died in Truong Sa archipelago. Photo provided by the character

I told that emotional story to everyone on the ship as we sat on the deck watching the sunset on the island. On those evenings when the sunset and the moon rose at the same time, the sea became dark and quiet, only the lights on the deck illuminated the Vietnamese women and mothers who were diligently folding thousands of white cranes. I bowed my head to receive the paper crane from the hands of the Lai mother, the Thai mother in Nong Khai province, who is now 68 years old, and said with tears in her eyes: "Tomorrow in the sky and sea of ​​Co Lin - Len Dao - Gac Ma, we will hold a memorial service for the 64 officers and soldiers who heroically sacrificed for the cause of protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands, including him...".

Hearing that, we all felt discouraged.

I looked out at the vast ocean and remembered Le Huu Thao - a veteran from my hometown who fought in Gac Ma, a character in my memoir The Returned from Truong Sa more than 10 years ago; I remembered his wish to visit the homes of all his comrades who fought and died in Gac Ma, kneeling at the feet of their fathers and mothers to thank them for their silent sacrifices. At that time, I had an ambition that if only I could become a talented filmmaker, could turn the story of the Gac Ma soldier into a realistic and vivid film about what his father had fought for. That would create a solid relief in the hearts of future generations about national pride and self-respect.

- When I return to the mainland, I will go find Thuy and tell her story to Le Huu Thao. He will be so happy.

- It's Thuy - Musician Ninh Manh Thang was sitting next to me, holding his guitar and listening to me, suddenly he jumped up and grabbed my hand - Oh, it's Thuy - He said and burst into tears - That girl is the character I've been thinking about writing a song about.

We all burst into tears and happy smiles as if we were talking about our own loved ones. Fate has brought us together, sitting here to remember the deceased. We understand that gratitude and appreciation are like a miracle that brings about wonderful things that make life better.

“Amidst the vast waves

I go find my father

Where are you, where are you...

In a hundred thousand white-capped waves

Comforting the Fatherland

I found my father in the call of Truong Sa...”

As I read that poem, the music suddenly started. We were silent. The image of Thuy holding her father’s portrait and bowing her head to the nameplate of her father written in the wind grave made many people unable to hold back their tears. That child, with all her heart, loneliness, longing, and grievance of an orphan after 35 years of separation, burst out calling out her father’s name with a choked voice.

Major Le Thi Minh Thuy visited the memorial site for Gac Ma soldiers and was moved to find her father's name on the wind tombstone. Photo provided by the character

Musician Ninh Manh Thang hurriedly copied the music of the song “Finding Father in Truong Sa”. The night seemed to slow down. The stars were drifting in the sky as if close to the sea, witnessing our hearts. The lyrics of the song were like a sobbing confession, speaking for the hearts of the children of Vietnam - Truong Sa is always in our hearts.

After returning to the mainland, I tried to contact Thuy as the young sergeant wished to contact her. And my very interesting story of confusion began from there. Through the information my friend gave me, I contacted Major Le Thi Minh Thuy by phone, working at the Surveying, Drawing and Marine Research Group, Navy General Staff (the daughter of martyr Le Dinh Tho). I also acted as a bridge for Thuy to find Thao - the comrade who witnessed the last moments of battle before her father sacrificed himself...

Releasing flowers at the memorial service for soldiers who died on Gac Ma Island. Photo courtesy of Working Group No. 4 Truong Sa

We went through so many emotions together. Thuy confided: “I feel that in addition to the responsibility of a party member, I know that I have to live well and work hard for my father, mother and those who have fallen...”. I choked up when she thanked me for telling and writing about her as an inspirational story. At that time, I just wanted to tell her: “No, Thuy! It’s all about fate. No one appears in your life for no reason, everyone’s appearance has a reason, everyone deserves to be appreciated. And the role of the writer is to connect them into a meaningful story.”

I thought the story would end there, my article about my feelings about the journey to find my father in Truong Sa was also completed. I called Thuy to inform her that the article would be printed in the next issue. While talking, Thuy was moved:

Marines all name their daughters Thuy, right? Yes, parents often choose their best memories and most important milestones to name their children - I sympathize. Martyr Tran Van Phuong's child is also Thuy, sister. Uncle Phuong sacrificed himself on the same day as my father, he was able to go to Truong Sa to visit his father before me.

Captain Tran Thi Thuy was moved when holding a memorial service for martyrs who died in Truong Sa. Photo: Dang Duong.

Hearing Thuy say this, I was suddenly startled. Why was there such a strange coincidence? There were two Thuys who had both gone to Truong Sa to visit their fathers, both of whom were martyrs who had sacrificed their lives in the same Gac Ma naval battle in 1988.

I once again searched for Thuy's information in Hieu's story and realized that: The Thuy that Hieu told was Tran Thi Thuy - the only daughter of the hero of the armed forces, martyr Tran Van Phuong (who had the immortal saying "Rather sacrifice than lose the island. Let your blood color the traditional flag of the heroic Navy"). In 2010, after graduating from Quang Binh University, Thuy went to Cam Ranh to work with the desire to follow in her father's footsteps in the military and was fortunate to go on a mission to Truong Sa that year. Right on that trip to visit her father in Truong Sa, Thuy wrote a volunteer application to join the Navy and was approved by the head of the Navy Command right on the ship. Currently, Thuy is a confidential clerk, Brigade 146, Navy Region 4 Command, with the rank of captain.

Both Thuy are only children, both lost their fathers before they were one year old, and even more surprisingly, both are now fortunate enough to be working in the same unit where their fathers worked before going to the island to perform their duties, and are now excellent cadres honored to stand in the ranks of the Party.

Musician Le Manh Thang was speechless when he heard the news. He also did not expect that his song “Finding Father in Truong Sa” could tell two stories at the same time.

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy choked up singing to her father when she went to Gac Ma Island during a business trip to Truong Sa in 2023. Photo: Dang Duong.

I want to say a lot to the two Thuy but my emotions cannot be expressed in words, I just want to say that there will be many children named Thuy - the name of nostalgia, the love of the rear towards the sea where their husbands and fathers are soldiers who have been and are on duty to protect the sea and sky of their homeland. And I wrote about my character Thuy as an inspirational story - the story of young people who know how to live and aspire, know how to preserve and promote the good qualities of children of soldiers. So no matter who you are, Thuy, the daughter of Phuong's father, or Thuy, the daughter of Tho's father, you are all children of heroes. And we, the young people, although hundreds of kilometers apart, each with our own jobs in this busy life, when mentioning Truong Sa, our hearts still beat with the same love, throbbing... that is the most precious thing.

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Tran Quynh Nga

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/van-hoc/tim-cha-giua-truong-sa-va-cau-chuyen-bat-ngo-tu-hanh-trinh-tim-nhan-vat/260117.htm