Historical fulcrum - today's responsibility

I grew up with stories of war, not only through stories and books, but also through the wounds and pain of my own family members.

1. I grew up with stories of war, not only through stories and books, but also through the wounds and pain of my own family members.

My parents both participated in the resistance war against the US, worked at the 559th Division of the Truong Son Army and were both disabled soldiers. My mother was a 1/4 disabled soldier. The disability certificate clearly stated: "penetrating wound in the right parietal brain, paralysis of half of the body, macular degeneration of the eye, epilepsy sequelae". That wound seemed to be an involuntary "weather forecasting device", tormenting my mother every time the weather changed.

Throughout my childhood and adulthood, I hardly ever heard my mother complain or talk about her own pain. She often gently said: “I and many of my comrades who survived and returned are already very lucky, my child.” That saying has followed me forever, becoming a simple but profound lesson about the ideals of life of a previous generation. However, the pain and wounds of war are not just my family’s. They are part of the common memory of the whole nation, an invisible thread connecting those who remain.

Quite a while ago, I had a field trip to Quang Tri, up to the border with Laos, looking across to Savanakhet. Standing on the land that was once a fierce battlefield, I told my colleague who went with me to Khe Sanh, Vay village, about the Route 9 - Southern Laos campaign, about the forests, the slopes where my parents marched and fought. Suddenly, we both fell silent. He confided that he was also the son of a martyr, and his mother was awarded the title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother. His father had sacrificed his life and it was not until many years after the day of peace that his family found his grave in a cemetery in Phu Quoc.

The sympathy between the two sons of soldiers came naturally, without much explanation. We understood that behind our growth were the figures of grandparents and parents - those who put the interests of the Fatherland above the happiness of the family. In fact, in the two resistance wars to save the country, liberate the nation as well as the cause of building and defending the socialist Fatherland of Vietnam, nearly 1.2 million outstanding sons of the nation fell, transforming into the mountains and rivers, the country. Those wounds, events and sacrifices are never soulless statistics but the most vivid legacy of courage, resilience, and national pride. It reminds us every day that the peace and security we are enjoying, the peace and prosperity were exchanged for blood, tears and the youth of the wounded and martyrs who "died for the Fatherland".

2. Sadly, amidst the flow of gratitude and national pride, there are still lost voices, distorted arguments, deliberately denying history, deliberately equating the noble sacrifice with other unjust purposes, claiming that we only know how to engrave hatred. Paying tribute to heroes, martyrs, and wounded soldiers is to educate the younger generation about patriotism and civic responsibility.

National history has never been a quiet memory, but is truly a living source. That source is crystallized from the sacrifices of the Vietnamese people, creating invaluable "capital" for those who are living. Each of us today needs to be deeply aware that we are not only the inheritors but also have the obligation to preserve and multiply that capital. July 27 is a day of gratitude. True gratitude does not stop at words or memorial rituals, but must be demonstrated by the ability to create a reality worthy of the past, by living, studying, and working with all responsibility and kindness.

Today, the country has turned a new page, entering a new era - the era of rising up. In this era, pride in the past needs to be transformed into the courage to overcome difficulties, independent thinking and tireless dedication. This is the way to fulfill the morality of "remembering the source of drinking water", and is a commitment to our ancestors that their sacrifices were not in vain.

Dr. Nguyen Quynh Anh

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/diem-tua-lich-su-trach-nhiem-hom-nay-post805628.html