The story of those who returned from hell on earth Part 2 Continuing the epic

In the darkness of prison, the steadfast communists were like bright torches, spreading the spirit of struggle, maintaining their integrity, ready to fight and sacrifice for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for the happiness of the People. Returning after the Paris Agreement in 1973 was signed, the revolutionary soldiers imprisoned by the enemy in Phu Quoc continued to participate in the struggle for national liberation, building and developing their homeland, continuing to write the heroic epic of "steadfastness and indomitability".

Returning victorious with integrity

On January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreement was signed, one of the provisions of the Agreement was the exchange of prisoners of war between the parties. Soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy in Phu Quoc were returned on the banks of the Thach Han River.

As one of the returned prisoners, Mr. Pham Van Tinh, village 7, Phu Son commune (Nho Quan district) tearfully recalled: After more than 5 years (1967-1973) of being imprisoned at Phu Quoc Prison Camp, at the end of March 1973, I was returned by the enemy. I still remember clearly the day of victory, when the enemy brought the prisoners to the South bank of Thach Han River, from afar we saw the liberation flags fluttering on the North bank, a feeling of joy and pride. Returning to the arms of our comrades, we hugged each other and cried, tears of joy for maintaining our integrity, returning victoriously and crying for our comrades who could not wait for the day of return...

At this point, Mr. Tinh's voice dropped, his eyes looking far away, trying to contain his emotions. After more than 5 years of living and fighting in the imperial prison, Mr. Tinh and the Phu Quoc prisoners experienced all kinds of torture, torment, physical exhaustion, and mental exhaustion. The after-effects of prison are still present with the injuries on the body and pain in the body of the old former prisoner every time the weather changes. However, to this day, when mentioning Phu Quoc Prison Camp, for Mr. Tinh and his comrades, there are also stories of humanity and comradeship.

In prison - where life is almost destroyed, human love and comradeship always shine, becoming an unparalleled source of strength, helping prisoners overcome cruel tortures. To achieve this, the Party organization in the sub-regions always attaches importance to political and ideological education and has well organized the spiritual and material life of the soldiers. The Party Committee assigns people to cook, clean, cut hair, and has a team of nurses to take care of the soldiers' health; directs the kitchen staff to have a separate diet and drink regime to take care of sick soldiers, those tortured and beaten by the enemy; organizes cultural and artistic studies... All of these activities help the soldiers always believe in the leadership of the Party Committee, trust each other, live together, love, and know how to share. Therefore, they have maintained their qualities and integrity.

During the times of being tortured and beaten by the enemy, each person was always ready to sacrifice for the collective, for the organization; many soldiers did not directly dig tunnels, did not fight the recruiters but stood up to admit to the enemy that they did it to endure torture and beatings on behalf of their comrades. "Death is no longer so scary to us. We depend on each other to live, help, take care of each other and always carry out the motto "live proudly, die gloriously, follow the Party to the end. Do not let the enemy look down on you and be determined to die to protect the honor of the individual, of the comrades, of the revolution" - Mr. Tinh affirmed.

In all aspects of deprivation, life was always close to danger, even not knowing when to live or die, but the revolutionary soldiers who were captured and imprisoned by the enemy in Phu Quoc always maintained their integrity. Their loyalty and indomitability in the face of the enemy's brutal torture; their love, their struggle to take death for themselves, and their giving up life for their comrades, lit the fire of struggle in the midst of this tragic hell on earth.

Shine in everyday life

Returning to peacetime, the soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy at Phu Quoc Prison continued to contribute to the revolutionary cause, the cause of building and developing the homeland. At the same time, they actively promoted their core role, pioneering spirit, and exemplary leadership to continue to "pass on the torch" and educate the revolutionary tradition to the younger generation.

Mr. Dinh Duy Diep, Head of the Liaison Committee of Revolutionary Soldiers Imprisoned by the Enemy in Ninh Binh Province, said: After escaping from prison, many former prisoners of Phu Quoc enthusiastically entered the new battle. Some continued to stay in the army with their comrades, marching to create the historic victory on April 30, 1975. Many returned to agencies, construction sites, factories or returned to their hometowns, sticking with the fields. And they were always present in difficult places to develop the economy , participate in protecting the Fatherland and healing the wounds of war. All of them promoted the tradition of steadfastness and indomitability in prison, completed their work well, maintained the qualities of revolutionary soldiers in the face of all political fluctuations in the world and challenges of the market economy; were exemplary in their activities, ethics and lifestyle, worthy of the trust of the Party and the army. Many soldiers have become high-ranking officials of the Party, State and army, and have become good scientists and businessmen...

In order to promote tradition and respond to the legitimate and legal aspirations of soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy, in 1999, the Liaison Committee of Revolutionary Soldiers Imprisoned by the Enemy in Ninh Binh Province was established. Over the past 25 years, the Liaison Committee has carried out many activities of comradeship, attracting a large number of members to participate. Immediately after its establishment, the Liaison Committee promoted activities of comradeship, helping each other overcome difficulties. Accordingly, it proactively advised the Party Committee, the government, and functional agencies to propose solutions to the regime and policies for revolutionary soldiers imprisoned by the enemy. Ninh Binh Province currently has more than 200 revolutionary and resistance activists who were imprisoned by the enemy through different periods and are receiving monthly allowances; most of them have been awarded the "Commemorative Medal for Revolutionary Soldiers Imprisoned by the Enemy" by the Prime Minister.

Every year, former prisoners of Phu Quoc actively coordinate with the Youth Union at all levels to organize many talks, exchanges and to continue to inspire the tradition for the younger generation. The Liaison Committees of districts and cities also organize traditional meetings; organize longevity celebrations for senior members to encourage them to promote the tradition of steadfastness and indomitability of their years in colonial and imperialist prisons, and continue to contribute to the Party's innovation cause, building and defending the Fatherland. At the same time, through this, cadres, party members and people understand more, sympathize and share, encourage and help them overcome illness, overcome difficulties in life to live happily, live usefully for their families and society. In addition, when conditions permit, the Provincial Liaison Committee organizes a march for cadres and members to Phu Quoc to visit the old battlefield and show gratitude to their comrades.

More than 50 years after returning from the "hell on earth", the revolutionary soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy have gone through many hardships and sacrifices. But today, in the stories of the old soldiers with us, the young generation, they are always humble when talking about themselves, only mentioning the exploits of their comrades and being proud of their will, strategies, and camaraderie. The revolutionary spirit and steadfast will of the revolutionary soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy are always an indomitable heroic epic, spreading the revolutionary fire, cultivating patriotism and pride for generations of Vietnamese people today and tomorrow.

Dinh Ngoc

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