Proud of the Heroic Army Officer School 1

Throughout its 80 years of construction and development, the Army Officer Training School 1 has had the honor of being visited by President Ho Chi Minh nine times. (Photo: Archival)

On April 15, 1945, the Anti-Japanese Military and Political School, now the Army Officer School No. 1, was established according to the Resolution of the Northern Revolutionary Military Conference and the Directive of Leader Ho Chi Minh. The establishment of the School promptly met the need to train military and political cadres to form the core of the people's armed forces in preparation for the successful August Revolution. In a letter sent to the School on the occasion of the opening of Course 4 in 1948, President Ho Chi Minh bestowed upon the school six words: "Loyal to the country, filial to the people." From then until now, his teachings have become a source of pride and a solemn oath of honor for every soldier to the Fatherland and the People.

As the first school of the Army, with a rich history of 80 years, generations of officers, lecturers, students, staff, and soldiers of the School have always upheld the unwavering belief and solemn oath of "Loyalty to the nation, devotion to the people," constantly striving to improve the quality of officer training for the army; maintaining and promoting the tradition of "Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces," building a regular, strong, and comprehensive school that is "exemplary and outstanding" to meet the requirements of the Army's mission in various revolutionary periods. Over 80 years, the School has provided more than 110,000 military and political officers to the army, making a significant contribution to the victory of our people in the resistance war against French colonialism and American imperialism, and to the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland.

Today, the Army Officer School 1 is constantly innovating and enhancing its status and stature as a heroic school, the first school of the Vietnam People's Army. Its glorious 80-year history, with its ups and downs and triumphs, acknowledges the contributions, dedication, intellect, and devotion to the profession of countless generations of officers, lecturers, students, workers, and soldiers of the School. Throughout its 80-year journey of building, fighting, and maturing, successive generations of officers, lecturers, students, staff, and soldiers of the Army Officer School 1 have always remembered President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, diligently studying and training, constantly improving their revolutionary spirit, remaining loyal to the country and devoted to the people, completing every task, overcoming every difficulty; always persistently striving, simultaneously building, fighting, and fulfilling the task of education and training to provide officers and platoon-level personnel for the entire army. Since its establishment, the School has trained 92 courses, of which 88 have graduated, producing over 110,000 officers for the Vietnamese Army and over 5,000 military officers for 14 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Generations of officers and cadres trained and nurtured at the School have continuously grown, dedicated, and sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland. To date, more than 400 have risen to become generals and high-ranking officials, holding important responsibilities in the Party, State, and Army; 37 have been awarded the titles of "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" and "Hero of Labor" by the Party and State; and many have become outstanding scientists, associate professors, teachers, and athletes who have broken national and international records.

We are immensely proud to know of the tireless efforts, perseverance, and continuous growth of generations of cadres, lecturers, students, staff, and soldiers of the School. From its early days, established on the banks of the Khuoi Kich stream in Tan Trao commune, Tu Do district (now Son Duong district, Tuyen Quang province), with only bamboo-roofed buildings and extremely simple teaching materials, and facing many hardships and shortages, the training content, though simple, was always practical and closely followed the Party's guidelines and policies; deeply understanding the revolutionary goals and tasks: National liberation through partial uprisings, progressing to a general uprising to seize revolutionary power for the people. Despite the short, intensive training course, the lack of teachers and facilities, the curriculum and training content were well-suited to the combat capabilities and equipment of the Liberation Army, addressing the immediate and urgent needs of leaders and commanders during the pre-insurrection period. In particular, the school received the support, assistance, and protection of the people, the direct leadership and guidance of the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the Central Military Commission. The school's officers and students clearly understood their mission, strived to excel, and diligently studied and honed their military knowledge and political theory, making the most of their time, undeterred by the hardships of sun and rain. Outside of class, students took turns guarding, actively gathering firewood and vegetables for cooking, and regularly engaged in civilian outreach work to assist the people…

Those initial beginnings are truly precious, serving as a glorious foundation for the solid progress in the School's cadre training career. Countless generations of students have strived to excel in their studies and training, becoming cadres who are both politically sound and professionally competent. Under the leadership and guidance of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense, the School has always firmly grasped the direction and tasks of development in each stage of the revolution, closely adhering to the requirements of command and combat, and effectively fulfilling its cadre training nhiệm vụ, contributing to the victory of the national liberation cause, as well as in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

Throughout its development, cadre training, and growth, despite having different names and being relocated 14 times, generations of cadres and students of the School have consistently strived to improve their revolutionary awareness, enhance their skills in all aspects, actively innovate educational methods, and cultivate a strong military and political foundation to meet training requirements, overcome difficulties, and successfully complete all assigned tasks.

Since its establishment, the school has trained 92 courses, of which 88 have graduated, providing over 110,000 officers for our army and training more than 5,000 military officers for 14 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

With its exceptionally outstanding achievements and significant contributions to the overall victory of the national liberation struggle, the building and protection of the Fatherland, on August 29, 1985, the School was honored by the Party and State with the title of "Heroic Unit of the People's Armed Forces"; awarded 3 Ho Chi Minh Orders, 5 Military Merit Orders, many rotating emulation flags and other prestigious awards. The School has been honored to receive visits from Party and State leaders many times; in particular, it has welcomed President Ho Chi Minh 9 times and received many letters of praise and encouragement from him. This is a great honor and source of pride, as well as a driving force that motivates our generation of students today to strive together and contribute our small part to the development of the School.

The Army Officer School 1 has the mission: "To train high-quality officers in the Army Command and Staff field at the platoon level with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees; to research and develop military science and art, contributing to building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and modern Vietnamese People's Army, meeting the requirements of building and defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland."

The School's mission in the coming years is to continue leading and directing the effective implementation of the Resolutions, Directives, and Conclusions of the Party, the Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Resolution of the 17th Party Congress of the School. Focus on breakthroughs in improving the quality of education, training, and scientific research; emphasize innovation in content, programs, and teaching and learning methods to align with the practical training and combat readiness of units and the requirements of military development; build a strong Party Committee within the School in terms of politics, ideology, organization, ethics, and personnel; and build a comprehensively strong, "exemplary and outstanding" School, worthy of being a key school of the Ministry of National Defense, striving to achieve national and regional standards.

Under the heroic roof of the 1st Army Academy, successive generations of cadets have strived to train and mature, achieving many victories in combat and numerous accomplishments in their work. Graduates possess excellent qualities, comprehensive skills and abilities, high discipline, a disciplined lifestyle, good physical fitness, and are ready to accept and successfully complete assigned tasks, upholding the tradition of courage in combat, activeness in work, and exemplary conduct in training.

It is an honor and a source of pride to be students of this school, with its 80-year history of building, training, fighting, and maturing. Bearing in mind President Ho Chi Minh's teachings from the past, and inheriting the traditions and achievements throughout its 80-year journey of development, the current generation of students at the Army Officer School 1 pledge to unite, strive to overcome all difficulties and challenges, and resolutely fulfill their educational and training duties with excellence, maximizing their potential and contributing to building a strong and comprehensive school, a "model and exemplary institution," and upholding and promoting the school's precious traditions: "Loyalty, pioneering spirit, exemplary conduct, and decisive victory."

Nguyen Huu Huan

Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/tu-hao-truong-si-quan-luc-quan-1-anh-hung-680483.html