Living with wartime memorabilia

*Mr. Duong Quang Tien and his wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tham, in Vu Huu street, Thanh Binh ward ( Hai Duong city) recall memories of a love letter during wartime.*

Love overcomes bombs and bullets

During the fierce years of the anti-American resistance war, when the line between life and death was fragile, love was the driving force that gave strength to the couple Mr. Duong Quang Tien, born in 1944, and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tham, born in 1947, in Vu Huu street, Thanh Binh ward (Hai Duong city).

Carefully flipping through each love letter of his wife and him that had been stained by time, Mr. Tien remembered the first letter sent to Mrs. Tham exactly 60 years ago. In the letter there was a passage: Writing this letter to you in the main combat traffic, right now I miss you so much, if only you were by my side right now, I would be so happy to be a gunman... Although you are not by my side, I am sure that you are still ready to accept any mission the Party needs, which is also fighting.

Mr. Tien recalled that when the love between the two had just blossomed, it had to be put on hold because of the war. In February 1964, Mr. Tien enlisted in the army and participated in training at the Artillery Unit, Battalion 12, Division 350 (Military Region 3) in Quan Toan, Hai Phong . That same year, Ms. Tham participated in the local youth movement, then received a mission in the Women's Militia Platoon on combat duty in Cam Giang district. Those letters were a source of encouragement and strong belief for the soldiers on the battlefield to overcome the rain of bombs and bullets, and for the girl in the rear to have more confidence that one day there would be total victory, the country would be unified, and her lover would return.

After fighting in the Quang Tri front, the letters Mr. Tien sent to his lover and relatives gradually decreased due to the fierce war. Some letters were written slowly and carefully during long nights of guard duty. Some letters were written hastily and briefly in the quiet moments between two battles or during stops on the march. "Because of the war conditions, sometimes it took 6 months for the letter to reach my hand. Every time I received a letter, I felt like the front line and the rear were a little closer," Mr. Tien recalled.

chi-thao(1).jpg — The love letters stained with time that Mr. Tien and his wife still keep

Due to such difficulties, according to Mr. Tien, many times the letters were no longer private but became a common joy. When letters arrived and went, when sent and received, they were opened and read for all comrades to hear. In the letters Mr. Tien sent to Mrs. Tham, we did not see any sadness because of the war but always believed firmly in the day of national liberation. The letter written by Mr. Tien on January 1, 1968, had a very romantic verse: " This year, spring has come to the front line / Smoke and fire day and night are hazy / Missing you, I write a few lines / To you, my beloved wife / My whole soul is in the distant battlefield ".

In March 1971, Mr. Tien returned to recuperate at the 581st Regiment in Nam Ha (now Ha Nam province) and asked for leave to organize his wedding with Mrs. Tham. In February 1972, he was demobilized and returned to his hometown to work at the People's Committee of Thanh Binh commune (now Thanh Binh ward, Hai Duong city). Mr. Tien's children were named Trung, Hieu, Nghia, Tinh with the meaning of the complete love story, going through the war of their parents. Along with his own letters, Mr. Tien also carefully preserved and cherished the letters of his fallen comrades; 2 battlefield diaries and 1 book of wartime poems.

Cherish all your life

*Mr. Le Van Tuoc in Bich Cam village, Quang Phuc commune (Tu Ky) shares stories associated with wartime relics for the next generation.*

During the historic days of April, we had the opportunity to visit and talk with the former Dien Bien soldier Le Van Tuoc (born in 1930). in Bich Cam village, Quang Phuc commune (Tu Ky). Mr. Tuoc emotionally told us about the wartime souvenirs that he always kept as treasures. Those were the toad-shaped backpack, the parachute cloth and the belt that he was provided with from the first days of joining the army.

In 1950, young man Le Van Tuoc wrote an application to volunteer for military service. He was assigned to Regiment 176, then was sent to study nursing and transferred to a new unit in Division 316. In early 1954, Mr. Tuoc and his comrades went to Dien Bien to do military medical work to serve the war. The backpack was made of green canvas with straps, which the unit provided him with from the first day of enlistment. From then on, the backpack was with him throughout the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Later, Mr. Tuoc donated many souvenirs to the Provincial Museum such as the Dien Bien Phu badge certificate, wartime photos... But he still kept the backpack to remember a time of sacrifice and hardship.

During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Mr. Tuoc remembers that at that time, the regiments had to work hard to serve and treat the wounded, ensuring the health of the soldiers participating in the campaign. With the slogan "each vehicle is a mobile infirmary, each stretcher is a beloved family" , the laborers, youth volunteers, and medical forces accompanied to provide timely first aid and care. After the campaign, our medical forces also stretched parachutes on the ground, bringing about 1,500 wounded French soldiers to treat their wounds. To never forget those historic moments, Mr. Tuoc carefully kept the parachute and belt he had collected while serving on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield in the past.

NGUYEN THAO

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