From Ho Chi Minh City to attend A80, former artilleryman of heroic regiment remembers the 1973 parade

From the Quang Tri battlefield, Sergeant Dinh Gia Luc once participated in the parade in 1973. Now at the age of 75, he stood tearfully in the middle of Ba Dinh Square.

Former gunner Dinh Gia Luc at Ba Dinh Square during the rehearsal for the parade celebrating 80 years of independence - Photo: L.PHUONG

Sitting in the stands, attentively watching the parade blocks and the array of equipment in the 80th anniversary rehearsal of independence, the veteran was moved to silence.

When he saw the 30mm M-46 cannon being pulled past, he suddenly sat up straight, happy like a child.

"That's my cannon"

"That's my cannon" - he pointed to the cannon that had been with him through his life and death years.

In 1970, while studying in the second year of the mechanical engineering department at the Agricultural University 1, the young man Dinh Gia Luc decided to put down his pen and travel, dedicating his 20s to the decisive battles in Quang Tri 1971 - 1972.

He and about 20 students and intellectuals from Hanoi were assigned to the 368th Regiment, becoming gunners who were attached to the M-46 from then on. Each cannon weighed up to 8 tons, each bullet weighed 45 kg, and was highly accurate, and was once the enemy's fear.

"We had some resounding victories, taking out most of our targets with half our ammunition. But there were also casualties.

During a counterattack, when the battlefield was exposed, many officers and soldiers of 3 out of 4 artillery batteries were killed right next to the M-46.

I also have comrades who will forever lie under the Thach Han River," Mr. Luc choked up, tearfully watching the artillery appear amid flags and flowers on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of independence.

Memories of the 1973 parade

Mr. Dinh Gia Luc's regiment was once awarded the title of hero for its achievements in the Binh Tri Thien battlefield.

In 1973, after the Paris Agreement was signed, Mr. Luc, then a platoon leader, was assigned to go to the North to recruit and train new soldiers.

Mr. Dinh Gia Luc and Lam Phuong, the daughter of an old friend, accompanied him to Ba Dinh Square (Hanoi) - Photo by L. PHUONG

He was also present in the Vietnam People's Army's armored formation at the May 1973 parade, marking a diplomatic victory and the end of US military intervention.

"In the parade formation at that time were us, soldiers who had grown up on the battlefield, and young recruits who had not yet known the smell of guns and bullets. The task ahead was to unify the country, so the ceremony was very special. I remember the words General Vo Nguyen Giap read during the parade, affirming the determination to win to achieve peace and unification," Mr. Luc said.

Right after the ceremony, many members of the group left for the battlefield, some of whom were able to participate in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. At that time, he and his comrades practiced military training and parades at Hoa Lac and Bach Mai Airport. At that time, people in Hanoi wore white shirts instead of black or mud-stained shirts, because peace had returned to half the country.

"During the night training sessions, the people of Hanoi also stayed up with us. On the day of the parade, I still sat on the M-46 gun and walked past the stage. The emotions at that time were both joyful and sad, heartbreaking but also full of pride, because behind me were so many comrades who had fallen or returned not intact," he emotionally recalled.

"Back then, I wrote:

Last year we welcomed spring with the sound of artillery fire.

The song welcoming spring is a battle cry

Time to welcome spring with Vietnamese posture

Let the five continents know why we fight

Let the five continents know why we won

I kept in mind that I had to live on for my comrades, and our presence at Ba Dinh Square that year was also to help my comrades see the beauty of peace on behalf of them."

In March 1975, like many other students in military uniform, Mr. Dinh Gia Luc was able to return to university and become an agricultural engineer.

Mr. Dinh Gia Luc booked his own flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to attend the 80th anniversary of independence. Like many other veterans, he did not want to bother anyone, and just stood quietly on a street corner to watch the atmosphere of the ceremony.

But the daughter of his childhood friend, when she heard about it, insisted on accompanying him.

Lam Phuong, the girl who accompanied Mr. Luc, said that her mother and he used to be classmates. When Mr. Luc went to war, they broke up, and her mother thought that he had died. It was not until the 1980s that they had news of each other.

Soon after, her mother went to the South to find her friend, and together they searched for their friend’s remains and visited their surviving comrades. Each of them had their own family, but their loyal and pure friendship was still maintained.

"There have been many changes since I returned to this place. The parade is now more magnificent and colorful. I am happy and feel lucky to be present at today's ceremony. Above all, I understand the value of peace," the former gunner emotionally shared.

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VINH HA

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-tp-hcm-ra-du-a80-cuu-phao-thu-trung-doan-anh-hung-nho-ve-le-dieu-binh-nam-1973-20250901150517016.htm