Early in the morning at Noi Bai airport, we instructed him step by step: how to give him a ticket, how to scan his luggage, how to find the gate to board the plane. The man who used to fly a jet fighter - but now fumbled when returning to the airport with the check-in counter, the security gate, the boarding pass as a passenger. That funny situation made me choke up.

Air Force pilot

The nearly 80-year-old man was a former pilot of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, Mr. Tran Van On, who chose to side with the revolution, and together with the Quyet Thang squadron, flew an A37 to bomb Tan Son Nhat airport on April 28, 1975, contributing to paving the way for the historic victory of April 30. After the battle, he left the army, quietly returned to his hometown of Tien Giang to farm, without asking for any treatment or title, and had never once held a uniform of the Vietnam People's Air Force.

I had the chance to make a television report about his special life. Since then, we have considered each other as brothers and I was allowed to call him dad - dad On. Years ago, in the midst of a historic moment, my father made a decisive choice, siding with the revolution, becoming a pilot of the Vietnam People's Air Force. It was not only choosing a way of flying but also choosing a path for his own life.

The history of the Vietnam People's Air Force will forever recall the event of the Quyết Thắng squadron "using enemy aircraft to attack the enemy" at 4:30 p.m. on April 28, 1975. When the Ho Chi Minh campaign was entering its decisive phase, this special squadron took off from Thanh Son airport (also known as Phan Rang airbase), becoming the spearhead of the attack from the sky. Those birds carried the mission of shaking the will of the Saigon puppet government by bombing the most important military base at that time: Tan Son Nhat airport; contributing to opening the way for the troops to enter and liberate Saigon faster, with less bloodshed.

In that victory, there was the enthusiastic contribution of Mr. On, helping the Northern pilots who were only familiar with flying Soviet Mig aircraft, to quickly switch to the American A37 aircraft that the enemy abandoned on the way to escape; and he himself directly piloted one of the five A37 aircraft of the Quyet Thang squadron heading to Saigon to carry out the mission of attacking the Tan Son Nhat target. After the event of that day, Mr. On stayed in the Vietnam People's Air Force to carry out combat missions to protect the southwestern border for a short time before requesting to leave the army.

When I learned that my father was invited to Hanoi to attend the traditional meeting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Quyet Thang squadron's attack on Tan Son Nhat airport, I asked the Air Defense - Air Force to make him a military uniform. That was the first and only military uniform in his life. He should have worn that uniform 50 years ago.

The "return" journey

On's trip to Hanoi to attend this traditional meeting was not just to attend a gratitude ceremony. It was a journey of "returning", not with military achievements, but with the dignity and memories of a soldier who chose to stand on the side of the revolution at a historic moment.

After the emotional reunion with my old comrades in the Quyết Thắng squadron that year, I took On back to my house in Hanoi to rest. Then my wife and I decided to take On to Quang Ninh to visit Ha Long Bay. I wanted him to see what the North was like today. Even though I knew that 50 years ago, he was on the other side of the battle line and might have heard distorted things about the other half of the country.

While packing, I saw that my father only had two old shirts - the same ones I had seen when I was doing a report in his hometown. I quietly took my husband's shirt and gave it to my father, whispering: "Dad, wear this to stay cool." My father smiled, refused a couple of times, then accepted. The way he accepted - so light-hearted yet touching.

I booked a 5-star hotel. Dad grumbled: "Why did you book such a big place? It's a waste of money." I just smiled. That night in Quang Ninh, for the first time, Dad had eaten squid rolls, grilled cockles... Dishes that a farmer in the West like Dad had never tasted in his entire life. Dad was not polite, he just said honestly: "Very delicious!"

The next morning, we went down to the hotel buffet. I was subjective, thinking that my father must know how to eat. After walking around and coming back, I saw my father sitting in a corner, in front of him was a large plate with only bread and pate. My father looked up and smiled heartily: "This is the first time I've eaten like this. I'm full after eating like this, son." I choked up. A person who had studied in the US and piloted an A37, was now bewildered by the hotel's breakfast buffet. I sat next to him, pointing out each dish - telling him to try a little of each to know the different flavors. My father smiled: "Let's do it next time, this time was fun enough." I secretly wished: "I wish my father would have more next times."

In the afternoon, when we returned to Hanoi, we had dinner with some of Dad's old comrades in the Quyết Thắng squadron. Everyone was so fond of him that they gave him all kinds of gifts from home. There were so many gifts that he didn't know how to put them all in his bag. My wife and I decided to buy him a suitcase - the first time he had one in his life.

That evening, the whole family helped my father pack: green rice cakes, Northern sweet soup, sesame candy, a few shirts, health supplements, a new military uniform, and even a model of the plane that the Air Defense - Air Force gave my father. Everything was wrapped in the affection of friends, comrades, and my wife and I - young people who had never been through war, but were deeply grateful to those who created peace.

Just a simple peace

The next morning, my husband and I took my father to the airport to return home. In the middle of the modern airport, I once again saw my father fumbling around. From getting tickets, weighing luggage to going through airport security procedures - everything needed guidance. I just stared at my father with sympathy and wondered: "So many people are boarding the plane as if it were an everyday thing, how many people know that the old man - the one struggling - was once a real pilot, who flew for the day of national reunification?"

Once my dad was safely on the plane, I frantically called him to give him instructions on how to get his checked baggage when he landed. Oh, I was teaching a pilot how to board a plane!

Half a century has passed since the country was reunited. Today, Vietnam is a developed, integrated country, reaching out to the world. We are free to travel, eat buffet breakfast, sleep in 5-star hotels, check in on Ha Long Bay, go to the airport as a daily meal... thanks to people like Ba On who chose to take off for the Fatherland, for justice. After that extraordinary moment, they quietly returned to their normal lives, without having to register, without having to repay. They just need a simple peace with the aroma of ripe rice, a small winding path in the village with rows of areca nuts, rows of green coconut trees and a vast sky without the roar of invading planes.

Many people ask me: Why do you like Mr. On so much? I don't have an answer. I just understand that for people like him, life doesn't need to be repaid, just remembered.

50 years of peace in exchange for the silent sacrifices of people who never asked to be remembered like that!...

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cat-canh-vi-to-quoc-196250503204413828.htm