Special diary page in the notebook the US Presidential delegation brought to Vietnam

(Dan Tri) - "February 15, 1966, the most painful day...", a special diary page records the name and hometown of a fallen comrade, helping a Vietnamese soldier receive his belongings after half a century.

Soldiers go to war and never return

In 1965, Nguyen Van Thien (from Tien Hai, Thai Binh ) used blood to write an application to join the army when he was just 17 years old. That was his third time applying to join the army. Seeing how determined the young man was, the local government agreed to let him go.

"My father died during the French resistance war when I was only five years old. At that time, I was the only child of a family of martyrs exempted from military service, but "debt to the country, revenge for family" always ached, I was determined to join the army.

"I asked to join the army to fight, not to wear that uniform. I told the recruiters that to get approval to join," Mr. Thien recalled.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thien (from Tien Hai, Thai Binh), who just had his diary returned to him by an American veteran (Photo: Nguyen Son).

Enlisted in April 1965, young man Nguyen Van Thien was in the Thai Binh anti-aircraft artillery battalion. In 1966, the unit changed its name to Group 559.

The same year his unit marched to the South, the US also sent troops to land in South Vietnam.

In the memory of that young soldier, the old battlefield was recalled with the word "terrible". The troops marched below, above them enemy planes circled like dragonflies, and artillery exploded like popcorn.

"In that situation, we all determined that leaving meant "a thousand parts death, one part life", soldiers going to war never set a date to return. Thinking so, I started writing a diary. If I was lucky enough to survive and return, I could review the entire journey, or if I died, I would have something to leave for my children and grandchildren", Mr. Thien said.

"October 8, 1965, recording the main features of the march", the first diary entry the young soldier wrote when he put pen to paper on the first page of the notebook.

After 5 months of walking, the 559th group reached the Tay Ninh battlefield. Like other young soldiers going to the battlefield, the youth of young Nguyen Van Thien was spent in the bombings in the sky of the border war zone, one of the fiercest lands in the resistance war against America.

The first diary entries young soldier Nguyen Van Thien wrote when he started his march (Photo: Nguyen Son).

"The years in the Southeast battlefield were a period of time that lasted almost endlessly. I faced death many times and witnessed my comrades fall.

On each march, besides the "rain of bombs and bullets", there is another thing that haunts the soldiers, which is the harsh weather. In the rainy season, the climate is humid, there are a lot of mosquitoes and leeches. Anyone who is unlucky enough to get malaria almost faces death," Mr. Thien said.

Witnessing the brutality of war, the sacrifices of his comrades, and knowing that he could die at any moment, he had some free time and wrote a diary, telling about his life in the midst of war. In that diary, there was an event that he would never forget.

"February 15, 1966... the most painful day, because a brother, a comrade of mine sacrificed himself on the way to work.

Mr. Nguyen Van Xuan, Dong Quach village, Nam Ha commune, Tien Hai district, Thai Binh," he wrote.

According to Mr. Thien, soldiers on the battlefield writing diaries absolutely must not reveal personal information. However, in that diary page, he recorded the information of his comrades.

"He was my brother, my comrade, the person who helped me a lot. When I received the news of his death, I quickly tore off the calendar page, wrote down his name, hometown, and date of death in the notebook. The purpose, if I could return, was to inform his family of his death anniversary," Mr. Thien said, tears welling up in his eyes.

Mr. Thien cherished the diary, turning each page, rereading each word he wrote in the midst of gunfire (Photo: Nguyen Son).

Before his death, martyr Nguyen Van Xuan asked his comrades to bring four souvenirs: a dagger, a lighter, a flashlight and a watch to his younger brother Nguyen Van Thien.

"Perhaps, I cannot live any longer, you guys bring these things back to Thien, my foster brother. Tell him to keep the dagger, lighter, flashlight for himself, and try to bring the watch back to give to my family", martyr Nguyen Van Xuan told his comrades before sacrificing himself.

Remembering his brother's advice, Mr. Thien put the watch on his wrist and tied it tightly with cloth. He thought, either he would die or his arm would be shot by the enemy, otherwise, he would be determined to keep this keepsake.

"I kept the watch from February 1966 to October 1970, always wearing it with me. Later, when I was lucky enough to survive and return, I immediately gave the watch back to Mr. Xuan's family," said Mr. Thien.

The journey to find the owner of the diary

The march was long and he could not carry heavy loads, but his diary and watch were two items that Mr. Thien always kept with him. In 1967, after an enemy raid, he lost his diary. Later, an American soldier picked it up and brought it back to Vietnam.

After losing his diary, Mr. Thien wrote a second one, continuing to record his arduous journey of resistance. Later, during the treatment of his wound, he lost his diary for the second time.

More than half a century passed, on a late autumn day in 2020, Mr. Thien suddenly received a phone call from far away America.

He said that after the liberation of the South, in 1977, the two countries Vietnam and the United States established the War Research Institute with the aim of collecting all war relics, among which was the diary bearing his name.

The diary written for his brother, martyr Nguyen Van Xuan, who died on the march later became the only clue that helped American veterans find the owner of the notebook (Photo: Nguyen Son).

"At first, those who read the diary thought that "Luong Thien" might just be someone's pen name, not knowing if the name was Luong or Thien. Because they liked the content of that notebook, since 1978, American veterans have been determined to find the person who wrote the diary, but have yet to find any clues.

It was not until 2020 that the United States Institute for the Study of War created a steamer, and the diary was restored through this process. Each page in the diary was turned over, and viewed in full.

From the diary written about martyr Nguyen Van Xuan, the US side immediately sent people to Vietnam with the mission of finding the owner of the notebook," Mr. Thien recounted the story of how the Americans found the first clue about him.

Specifically, after many meetings, the research team of the US Institute for War Studies concluded that it is very likely that the diary owner and the name Nguyen Van Xuan recorded on February 15, 1966 had a close relationship. This is the only page in the notebook that clearly states the name and hometown of a Vietnamese soldier.

Coming to Vietnam, following the clues written in the notebook, the research team found Nam Ha commune, Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province. The verification of the diary's owner was kept secret.

"They went to the home of martyr Nguyen Van Xuan according to the address I wrote in the book. That time, they met Xuan's daughter and learned that I had a close relationship with the family. The searchers silently returned to the US.

In 2022, the research team came to Vietnam for the second time. This time, they set a goal of getting my phone number, even though they already had my information," Mr. Thien shared.

In October 2022, Mr. Thien received a call from an unknown number with a foreign area code. On the other end of the line, a man's voice asked: "Are you Mr. Thien? Do you remember what you lost on the battlefield?"

As soon as the man finished speaking, Mr. Thien looked suspicious: "What are you trying to trick me into doing? I didn't lose anything." When the man gradually revealed information about the diary, Mr. Thien couldn't help but be suspicious.

"I still thought this was a scam call until I asked them to show me the diary and provide information about my five fallen comrades. Immediately after that, they sent me a photo of a page in the diary, and seeing my own handwriting, I was shocked," Mr. Thien recalled.

Reunion after more than half a century

At the end of the call, Mr. Thien choked up and could not tell his family right away because he was so emotional. "After the 1967 raid, when I returned to my unit, I realized I had lost my diary. For many years, I never thought I would be able to find it again," Mr. Thien said.

The old soldier could not sleep for the next few nights because of his joy. The Americans also promised to come to Vietnam to meet him and hand him the diary.

On the afternoon of September 11, at the National Assembly House, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and US President Joe Biden witnessed leaders of the Ministry of Defense, the Vietnam Veterans Association and the US presenting war relics, including the diary of Mr. Nguyen Van Thien (Photo: Nam Anh).

"Today, holding the diary in my hand again, although it is not the original book, I still cannot believe that one day I will be able to read each of my own handwriting. Nothing can describe my feelings at the moment I received the souvenir from the US President's delegation a few days ago.

Receiving the diary from the American veteran and on behalf of the Party and State leaders handing over the war relics to them, I felt a mixture of emotions," Mr. Thien was moved.

The notebook has been lost for more than half a century (Photo: Nguyen Son).

In the few short minutes at the National Assembly on the afternoon of September 11, the old soldier was choked up and speechless. In his story, he always expressed his gratitude to the American veterans and the governments of Vietnam and the United States for their efforts over the years to heal the wounds of war.

"I was luckier than many of my comrades because I was able to receive my belongings back while I was still lucid. From the bottom of my heart, I thank those who were on the other side of the battle line. I hope one day I can meet the former American soldier who picked up my diary to say thank you," said Mr. Thien.