Ready to go to the army

On the morning of February 26, twin brothers Pham Cong Anh and Pham Cong Nhat (19 years old, living in My Son village, Cam My commune, Cam Xuyen district, Ha Tinh) woke up at 4:30 to prepare their military uniforms, ready to leave for military service.

Cong Anh and Cong Nhat are among 9 new recruits in Cam My commune who passed the military service and public security service in 2024.

After putting on their neat Navy uniforms, the twin brothers were picked up at home by officials from the People's Committee of Cam My commune to attend the military enlistment ceremony held at Ha Huy Tap Square (Cam Xuyen Town, Cam Xuyen District).

"This is not the first time the two brothers are away from home and parents, but the emotions are still very emotional. My younger brother and I have prepared everything, ready to join the army to become Navy soldiers," Cong Anh said.

Born into a family with tradition, his grandfather was a veteran revolutionary, his father was a soldier, Cong Anh and Cong Nhat soon realized their responsibility to their family and society.

After finishing high school, Anh and Nhat both left their parents to find jobs to support their families. Anh applied to be a waiter at a restaurant in Ky Anh Town (Ha Tinh), while Nhat went to Quang Tri Province to work. The average salary of both brothers is 7 - 8 million VND/month.

Before the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin 2024, upon hearing that the draft was about to be issued in 2024, Cong Anh and Cong Nhat immediately quit their jobs and took a bus back to their hometown to volunteer to join the army. After the preliminary examination rounds, the two brothers were selected and became new recruits of a unit of Naval Region 3 stationed in Da Nang.

"I am the one who encouraged my two children to volunteer to join the army."

Mr. Pham Cong Tien (66 years old, father of the twins) said that before the military enlistment order, his children asked him to go to the People's Committee of Cam My commune to write a volunteer application for their two children to join the army. After that, his two children also returned to their hometown and directly went to the People's Committee of the commune to write a volunteer application to join the army.

"My father was a pre-revolt cadre, and I fought in the Cambodian battlefield and the northern border war. Therefore, I want my two children to also become soldiers following the family tradition. Everyone must fulfill their duty as citizens, so sending your children early will help them return early. The military environment is like a big university for children to be trained in the steel spirit of a soldier, always ready to protect the Fatherland," Mr. Tien confided.

Mrs. Bui Thi Luong (51 years old) is Mr. Tien's second wife. After his first wife passed away, Mr. Tien remarried and had two more twin children, Cong Anh and Cong Nhat.

"I am both happy and sad that my two children are going to join the army. I hope they will train well in the military environment and soon complete their duty and return to their parents," said Ms. Luong.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phu, Commander of the Cam My Commune Military Command, said that twin brothers Cong Anh and Cong Nhat are special cases among the 9 new recruits who will join the army in 2024 in the locality.

"Usually, in a family with 2 or 3 brothers who have military service orders, one person will be temporarily deferred from military service. However, the wishes of Mr. Tien's family and his 2 children who all wrote volunteer applications were approved. Mr. Tien's family is one of the typical examples for people in the commune to learn and follow. We also created conditions for both twin brothers to join the army in the same unit for convenience in training and studying," Mr. Phu informed.