The historical photo shows the spirit of the people's war of Vietnam: "When the enemy comes to our house, even women fight". Unfortunately, information related to the photographer, the time of taking the photo and the characters in the photo... have not been clarified. This is also a concern of the leaders as well as the professionals at the Provincial Museum.

After returning from a long business trip to Chu Se district, we were informed by the Director of the Provincial Museum, Le Thanh Tuan, that we had found a witness who knew about the photo “A mother from the Central Highlands shooting down an American plane and her children and grandchildren supplying ammunition”. That was Ms. Vi Thi Hong Son (No. 66/6 Hung Vuong, Hoi Thuong Ward, Pleiku City). We immediately went to meet Ms. Son to verify the information and clarify the content of the photo.

Mrs. Son is over 65 years old this year, a simple, agile and friendly woman. When we showed her the documentary photo from the Provincial Museum, she quietly went into the room and took out a small plastic bag containing old black and white photos. She carefully took out the 6x9 cm photo, which was the photo we were looking to verify.

Ms. Son said: Her hometown is Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province. After 1954, her family had members who had to go to the regrouping camp, so they were forced by the Ngo Dinh Diem government to go to Duc Co to build a rubber plantation. Due to famine and war, in 1965, her mother sent her to live with a relative in Zone 10 (Krong commune, Kbang district today).

From here, the petite but agile girl Hong Son was noticed by the uncles and aunts in the Postal Department and assigned to help with odd jobs in the unit. In 1969, although only 10 years old, little girl Son was already proficient in the work of a document delivery person.

Talking about the circumstances of the creation of the photo “Mother of the Central Highlands shooting down American planes and her children and grandchildren supplying ammunition”, Mrs. Son slowly said: “In early 1972, the war was very fierce. During the day, the leaders of Zone 10 were all sent to work in other zones, leaving only the elderly and children at home. That day, I and the three grandmothers and grandchildren (in the photo) were drying corn in the field when Uncle Thuc (working at the Propaganda Department) passed by and asked to take a photo of the grandmothers and grandchildren.

Mrs. Sum (the woman in the photo) picked up the gun next to her and raised it in a shooting position, ready to fight. The two children sat next to her so that Uncle Thuc could take a photo. I was older than the two children, so Uncle Thuc did not take a photo of me and the three of us. He took a separate photo of me and the two children.

A few months later, he returned to Zone 10 to give photos to my grandmother and me. On the back of the photo of me and my two younger siblings, Uncle Thuc wrote the date April 12, 1972. I still keep these photos carefully to this day.

Mrs. Son also told us in detail about the people in the documentary photo. The grandmother in the photo is often called Mrs. Sum (grandmother of Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich). The granddaughter in the photo is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Phung, born in 1966, currently living in An Binh ward, An Khe town. The grandson in the photo is Mr. Nguyen Si Tung (Mrs. Phung's younger brother), born in 1968, currently working at the Central Network Infrastructure Center (An Khe area). Mrs. Phung and Mr. Tung are sworn brothers of Mrs. Son, the sisters often meet each other whenever the family has something to do.

Ms. Son added: In the war situation at that time, every Vietnamese person could become a soldier. In Zone 10, Ms. Sum did logistical work serving the revolution but was also given a gun and always carried it with her, ready to fight when encountering the enemy. That is why Mr. Thuc named the photo "When the enemy comes to the house, young and old also fight".

“Back then, Mrs. Sum was like a real grandmother to us children. She took care of our meals, baths, laundry... At night, she told us stories about heroic examples like Nguyen Van Troi, Tran Thi Ly, Vo Thi Sau, Le Thi Hong Gam... toeducate us about patriotism,” said Mrs. Son.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Thanh Lich was very surprised and happy to know that the person in the photo was her grandmother. “My grandmother's name is Nguyen Thi Sum. In 1954, when my grandfather, 6th aunt and 7th uncle gathered in the North, my grandmother also tried to contact the revolution. According to my father, one afternoon, she pretended to go bailing water, put clothes in a bucket, and together with my father and uncle carried Hao (son of 7th uncle) to the base (Zone 10, Krong commune), leaving behind her house, fields and garden. When she entered the base, my grandmother worked at the Post Office (the predecessor of Gia Lai Provincial Post Office ). My grandmother passed away in 1979" - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee informed.

Returning to the story with Mrs. Son, when we mentioned the historical moment of the liberation of Pleiku town, Mrs. Son recalled: “On the night of March 14, 1975, when everyone was sleeping soundly, we were woken up by our superiors, ordering the 7 brothers to prepare military and equipment for the campaign. We were in the base without any information but predicted that the revolution would have a big change, so we had to go on the campaign so urgently. After 3 days of marching to An My, we received the news that Pleiku was completely liberated, the brothers hugged each other happily with tears streaming down their faces.”

These days, Pleiku City is filled with flags and flowers, joyfully celebrating the 50th anniversary of the province's Liberation Day. In writing these lines, we would like to remind and pay tribute to those who have fallen for the beloved Gia Lai land, including Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sum, who silently sacrificed herself in the rear so that her husband and children could devote themselves to the revolution. The image of Mrs. Sum is not only preserved in the Provincial Museum but has "transformed into the image of the country, creating the country forever".

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/dieu-thu-vi-ve-buc-anh-ba-me-tay-nguyen-ban-may-bay-my-va-con-chau-tiep-dan-post315543.html