Today, on key projects of the country, the soldiers and workers of Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) - the unit that continues the tradition of Truong Son Troops, put on the construction uniform, carry the hammer, the "heartbeat" to build sustainable projects all over the country, writing new miracles in peacetime.

Works that beautify the country

I still remember the words of Colonel Nguyen The Luc, Party Secretary, Deputy Commander of the 12th Army Corps, in a conversation: "During war, the whole country went to Truong Son and for Truong Son. In peacetime , Truong Son must be for the whole country. Wherever there is difficulty, there are Truong Son soldiers". That saying is deeply engraved in my mind as a faithful oath, a mission passed down from generation to generation. The mark of Truong Son is not only a legend of the past but also a flame that burns forever in the hearts of today's soldiers and workers. They are continuing to write heroic pages of history on a new front: the front of building infrastructure, beautifying the country.

Major General Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Commander of the 12th Corps, inspected the new Phong Chau bridge project in Phu Tho province.

If during the resistance war against the US to save the country, Truong Son troops opened more than 20,000km of highways, thousands of kilometers of closed roads, waterways, and oil pipelines, today, Corps 12 continues to make its mark everywhere. Currently, Corps 12's projects are spread across the country, in strategic areas: From 11 vertical North-South expressway projects, the horizontal routes Chau Doc-Can Tho- Soc Trang ; Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway; inter-regional connecting belt roads 3 and 4; Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Long Thanh, Dong Hoi, Cat Bi airport projects; to the Son La, Lai Chau, Hoa Binh expansion, and Ialy expansion hydroelectric plants. Not only that, with the trust of the leaders of the Party, State, and Ministry of National Defense, the 12th Corps received and excellently carried out urgent projects such as: Reconstruction of Nu Village, Nam Tong (Lao Cai); construction of the new Phong Chau Bridge (Phu Tho); construction of infrastructure for President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to serve the 80th National Day celebration on September 2...

We arrived at Long Thanh International Airport, under the scorching sun of the South, a huge construction site with no breaks, day or night; red dust from heavy trucks moving continuously, swept away, covering everything. Lieutenant Colonel Dang Bao Son, Director of the Airport Department, Army Corps 12, led us to the construction site and said: “The construction workers are no different from nomads, finishing the project and then leaving. But what I feel here is not uncertainty, but deep attachment, the spirit of "the construction site is home".

At this construction site, the workers are affectionately called "night owls". They are the ones who work day and night to pour concrete on the taxiways and aprons. During the day, the construction site is noisy with dust and machinery noise. But at night, when the heat has subsided, the atmosphere becomes quieter, with only the sounds of machinery and the voices of officers, engineers, and workers. High-pressure lamps shine on groups of workers and wet concrete slabs. Young engineer Vu Thanh Dat, in charge of a construction site here, shared: "Pouring concrete at night is better, the temperature is lower, ensuring the quality of the project". Although working at night is much more tiring and arduous, the eyes of each worker clearly show their determination to get the job done, not to make any mistakes because that is a waste of effort and State money. They are ordinary people, willing to be away from their families, entrusting everything to the rear to contribute to the project.

Coming to another "battlefield" of the 12th Corps: the Hoa Lien-Tuy Loan Expressway (Da Nang). At this project, the cadres, engineers, and workers of the Central Truong Son Division, the 12th Corps often make the following comparison: If in the war, the Truong Son soldiers of the past had to confront enemy bombs and bullets, today, the Truong Son soldiers and workers have to face "nameless" battles, without gunfire but also full of hardship. Lieutenant Colonel Doan Van The, Deputy Director of the Central Truong Son Division, said: "During the road construction process, there were many factors that arose. I myself many times "played the role" of a propaganda officer, mobilizing the people so that the construction work could go smoothly."

From the coastal city of Da Nang, we head back to Phu Tho, where the new Phong Chau bridge is being built across the Red River. Here, at the foot of the dike, a large construction site is bustling with the sound of machines and hammers, resonating with the voices of commanders and workers, creating a lively, powerful melody filled with the spirit of Truong Son. Lieutenant Colonel Nham Manh Don, Deputy Director of the Truong Son 9 Executive Board (12th Corps) - the unit directly constructing the new Phong Chau bridge, said: "The bridge is not just a block of concrete and steel, but it is the feelings, hands, and minds of the Truong Son soldiers and workers in the process of building the future."

I still remember when storm No. 3 in 2024 made landfall, causing severe consequences for the northern provinces, especially Lao Cai province, after receiving instructions from the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defense, Army Corps 12 quickly rebuilt the Nu Village Residential Area and Nam Tong Village. Faced with the tragic images, officers, engineers, and workers of Army Corps 12 turned "orders from the heart" into action, overcoming danger to help people stabilize their lives soon. With 55 houses, 2 inter-level schools, and 2 community centers completed in just 68 days, more than a month ahead of schedule, it is a clear demonstration of the spirit of "wherever people have difficulties and dangers, there are Truong Son soldiers".

Forever a Truong Son spirit

The efforts of "overcoming the sun and rain", "3 shifts, 4 shifts", "working through holidays, Tet, and days off" of the officers, employees, and workers of Army Corps 12 were not only rewarded by the completion of projects but also by the close attention of leaders and commanders at all levels in the entire Army Corps. The most impressive thing for us during our trips to the Army Corps' construction sites was the unanimity, sharing, and sharing of joys and sorrows between superiors and subordinates.

During each field trip to the units, we saw the image of comrades in the 12th Corps Command always closely following the construction site. That is the image of Major General Nguyen Huu Ngoc, Commander of the 12th Corps, not afraid of difficulties, always present at the construction sites to listen, encourage cadres, workers and directly instruct, remove difficulties and obstacles for the unit. His presence inspired, the spirit of working with all one's heart, both fierce, decisive but also warm, sharing, as an affirmation of consensus, of a united, unified Corps.

Today, Corps 12 not only inherits the glorious and heroic tradition of the Truong Son Army in the past, but also carries a new aspiration: to make the Corps a leading enterprise in the country in the field of basic construction. They have been doing that, with a constantly growing production scale, with prestige and brand affirmed on many key projects. In 2024, the Corps' production value reached nearly 12,500 billion VND, expected to reach nearly 20,000 billion VND by the end of 2025, a 6-fold increase compared to 2020; marking the Corps' strongest and most comprehensive growth in participating in economic construction since 1977 to present. This is the result of the drastic, correct and accurate leadership and direction of the Party Committee and Command of Corps 12; the participation of agencies and units in organizing the implementation of solutions and measures and the spirit of solidarity and development aspirations of cadres, soldiers and workers of the entire Corps. Through the process of construction and development, Corps 12 has now become the main unit of the country and the Army in carrying out the task of building infrastructure, developing the socio-economy associated with consolidating national defense and security potential. Everywhere in the country, there are footprints of Truong Son soldiers, they have written heroic songs on the new front.

From roads, bridges, seaports, airports, hydroelectric plants... the officers, engineers and workers of the 12th Corps are writing "symphonies" of the new era. It is a "symphony" of spirit, intelligence and aspiration to contribute. They are the ones who continue and make the tradition of the heroic Truong Son Army shine brighter. On each project, the Truong Son soldiers and workers always keep their oath, ready to "pave the way", ready to contribute. They are the ones who have been and are turning the legends of the past into new achievements of the present, for the bright future of the country.

Article and photos: LE THANH

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/tu-chien-truong-xua-den-chien-cong-nay-841747