“Green house” nurtures dreams

The humanistic values in the hearts of every border guard officer and soldier at the border and islands have made the lives of orphans and children in especially difficult circumstances like "sunflowers" that "welcome the sun" and have the opportunity to develop their future.

Soldiers in green uniforms nurture Major Cao Thanh Luc, Captain of the Mass Mobilization Team of Bat Mot Border Guard Station, helps Major Vi Van Nhat's children review their lessons.

The “fathers” wearing green uniforms are considered a solid support for orphans and children in especially difficult circumstances in remote areas and islands. Those children grow up in love and will have a better future. The stories about “Adopted children of border guards” further strengthen the solidarity between the army and the people, continuing the beautiful story in everyday life for the “sunflowers” to welcome the sun.

The story "The police station's adopted son"...

That was the story 10 years ago of Vi Van Thang and Hoang Van Tuat, both born in 2006 in Poong village, Tam Chung commune (Muong Lat) who were taken in by the Tam Chung Border Guard Station. The two Thai ethnic boys had different circumstances but were both very pitiful. Lieutenant Colonel Dang Minh Son, Battalion Commander of the Training - Mobile Battalion (Border Guard Command of Thanh Hoa province) clearly remembers the day he was working at the station and took in his two children to raise them as his own children.

Sharing about this father-son relationship, Mr. Son said: “During my time working at Tam Chung Border Guard Station, I noticed that there were many children in difficult circumstances, their parents died early, and they had no relatives to rely on. They grew up like grass in the forest, without being taught or guided. Among them was Vi Van Thang, whose father was a drug addict and died of HIV/AIDS. After his father died, his mother returned to her hometown in Son La , and he returned to live with his uncle and grandfather. His family was also very poor, so they could not help him much.

Sharing the same situation as Thang, Tuat also lost his father; his mother packed up and went to work far away, only coming back occasionally. He lived with his older sister and his elderly grandmother, relying on his aunts and uncles for all his daily needs. Their life of poverty, not having enough food to eat or clothes to wear, made their dream of going to school increasingly distant, even though both children were intelligent, quick-witted and had a desire to go to school.

Sympathizing with the situation of his two children, Mr. Son encouraged and asked the family and local authorities to take the two children to the station to directly raise and create conditions for them to go to school. With the support of the Party Committee and the Commander of Tam Chung Border Guard Station, they discussed and unanimously reported to the Party Committee and the Provincial Border Guard Command to agree to take the two children to the unit and support their education until the end of grade 12. It is known that in 2013, Tam Chung Border Guard Station was the first unit in the province to take children with especially difficult circumstances to raise at the station and initiated the birth of the program "Adopted children of the border guard station" deployed and expanded by the Provincial Border Guard Command.

Living with "father" Son and the "fathers" and uncles in the unit, the two boys were assigned a separate room, with a study corner fully equipped with necessary supplies... and were loved and cared for from meals, sleep, education , and study guidance. Since the two children came to live with them, Tam Chung Border Guard has been much happier. However, welcoming the children to live and study also makes the border guards more tired, busy and worried. Every day, regardless of the harsh sun or the rain in the jungle, they assign people to take the children to school 4 times a day, prepare each meal and sleep for the children. At night, they turn on the lights to guide and instruct the children to study. On weekends, holidays, and Tet, officers and soldiers of Tam Chung Border Guard prepare gifts to take the children to visit relatives, then pick them up and return to the station.

From sympathy for the disadvantaged children's situation to love, the soldier's feelings for his two children were nurtured and grew day by day, no different from the love between father and child. The children's initial confusion with the regulations and activities of the unit was gradually adapted by the care, guidance and encouragement of "father" Son, and the "fathers" and uncles in the station. Tuat and Thang lived independently, doing their own work at the right time, no longer going to the river or stream to bathe on their own; working together, taking care of the flower garden and ornamental plants. After work, they went to the yard to play sports happily, learn to sing...

Not letting down the expectations of "father" Son and his uncles, Thang and Tuat both have very good academic achievements. For many years, Thang has been the class monitor, Tuat the deputy class monitor. The two children also excel in singing and storytelling, especially stories about Uncle Ho, singing songs about the Border Guard. In 2015, Tuat won first prize in the storytelling contest about Ho Chi Minh's moral example at the district level. In the 2023-2024 school year, the two children will study in grade 12 at Muong Lat High School and continue to strive to realize their dream of becoming green-uniformed soldiers. Their achievements are the result of their constant efforts and attempts, the "sweet fruit" of the dedicated guidance and instruction of the officers and soldiers of Tam Chung Border Guard throughout the past time. We learned that at the time of adopting 2 children at the station, Tam Chung Border Guard also received support for 5 children in the villages, each child receiving 500,000 VND/month equal to the salary of officers and soldiers.

Bonding at the border

After traveling more than 100km, we arrived at the house of Major - martyr Vi Van Nhat, a former officer of the Drug and Crime Prevention Department, Thanh Hoa Provincial Border Guard Command, who died while on duty. Lighting incense at the altar of martyr Vi Van Nhat, everyone's eyes were red, remembering the devoted border guard officer who sacrificed for his duty in 2019. Major Cao Thanh Luc, Captain of the Bat Mot Border Guard Mass Mobilization Team, shared: After Major Vi Van Nhat sacrificed, Bat Mot Border Guard discussed with the family and completed the procedures according to regulations to receive the martyr's two children, Vi Thi Trang Nhi (born in 2015) and Vi Thi Trang Nhung (born in 2018), as adopted children of the station, supporting the children with 700,000 VND/child per month until the end of grade 12. The Party Committee and Command of Bat Mot Border Guard assigned a specific person in charge to regularly help the children with their studies, daily activities, and to grasp the situation, and currently, I am taking on the responsibility of another comrade who was transferred to another job.

Soldiers in green uniforms nurture Vi Van Thang and Hoang Van Tuat (far right) and their friends received awards for the 2017-2018 school year at Tam Chung Inter-School. Photo: Minh Son

Because the children still have their mother, Ms. Luong Thi Chon, a teacher at Bat Mot Commune Kindergarten, the two children live with their mother and grandmother. In 2021, Ms. Chon transferred to Thuong Xuan Town Kindergarten, and the children followed their mother to the town for convenience in studying and living. Although they live far away, Major Cao Thanh Luc and the children's families still keep in touch, partly because of the responsibility of the station, partly because of the affection for their fallen comrades. The tight hugs of foster father Cao Thanh Luc during the meetings made many people feel the sincere affection and responsibility of the officers and soldiers in green uniforms for the children and people in the remote border areas that are not easy to come by. The laughter of the three father and children made us feel warm in our hearts, secretly admiring them - the soldiers of Uncle Ho's Army who always live for everyone, not only protecting the peace of the Fatherland day and night but also supporting and nurturing the future buds of the border areas that still have many difficulties and hardships.

From the story of "father" Son to a meaningful program

From the humanistic meaning in the story of "father" Son, along with the officers and soldiers of Tam Chung Border Guard with two adopted children Thang and Tuat, the Provincial Border Guard Command has evaluated and drawn lessons and directed implementation throughout the entire force and has achieved initial results, creating positive changes in the work of mobilizing the masses to participate in firmly protecting the border, at the same time building the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers, building trust for the villagers and being recognized and highly appreciated by the Central Military Commission. In 2014, the Border Guard Political Department organized the launching ceremony of the program "Helping children go to school" on a national scale. Following the direction of the superiors, the Provincial Border Guard Command has directed the Border Guards to review the subjects who are students in the border areas and coastal areas where the Border Guards are located in the area with especially difficult circumstances, but still trying to excel in their studies to be sponsored under the program "Adopted children of border guards" in the entire force of officers and soldiers. At this time, the Border Guards under the Provincial Border Guard Command have sponsored 41 children.

In order for the program "Adopted children of border guards" to be effectively implemented, the Provincial Border Guard Command has focused on leading, directing, and guiding departments, offices, and units, and developing plans to continue to promote implementation in a practical, effective, and humane manner, demonstrating the tradition of "mutual love and support" of the Vietnamese people; reviewing and making a list of foster children, and making records of adoption in the Border Guard Station to ensure strictness and correctness of the subjects. Continuing to promote extensive propaganda in units and localities, mobilizing all officers and soldiers to actively participate in contributing efforts and funds to implement the program with the highest voluntary spirit, awareness, and responsibility. At the same time, put the program's content into regular leadership resolutions and specialized plans for implementation in accordance with the unit's conditions. During the implementation process, regularly check, supervise, urge, and remind departments, offices, and units to organize preliminary and final summaries, and draw lessons learned. This has made the cadres and party members in the agency and unit more deeply aware of the humanistic meaning of the program and strive to fulfill their tasks well. The program has been implemented and expanded to create conditions for children and students to have the conditions to go to school to study and practice, continue to extend their dreams, contribute to raising people's knowledge, improving people's lives, strengthening solidarity and attachment between cadres and soldiers of the Border Guard with the people on the two borders to build peace, friendship, cooperation and development. The program has been recognized and highly appreciated by the Party Committee, government, departments, branches, organizations and people in the area.

Nurtured with love, living in a military environment, green dreams are being nurtured, waiting to sprout.

Le Ha - Hoang Lan

Lesson 2: Fostering trust and love for compatriots on both borders.

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