Navy soldiers on the rig: Letter to father and oath 'as long as there are people, there will be rigs'

On that train, we recorded many touching stories about the life of a navy soldier.

The deputy captain took his younger brother to guard the rig.

On a stormy afternoon at the end of the year, the working group departed from Vung Tau City (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) on the KN 263 ship. And on that New Year's ship, we heard a special story of two navy soldiers. They were two brothers who were both on duty at the forefront of the storm. And coincidentally, on this trip, the older brother played the role of the ship driver, taking his younger brother to guard the oil rig.

Confiding in us, Lieutenant Nguyen Dinh Duc (29 years old), Deputy Commander of the KN 263 ship, said that he is from Ha Tinh. 7 years ago, after graduating, he was assigned to work in Naval Region 2. Because he often had to work far from home, he directed his younger brother to study at the Army Officer School so that he could have the opportunity to stay close to take care of his parents. However, I don't know how fate played a role, but after graduating, Nguyen Dinh Nhat (25 years old, Duc's younger brother) returned to work in the same unit as his brother. Although they were in the same unit, Duc worked on a fishing control ship while Nhat was on duty at the DK1/12 platform. The two brothers lived hundreds of nautical miles apart.

Anh Duc said that the two brothers meet once a year. Each time is only for a few days and then they return to work. This year, the time they meet is longer because they take the same boat to the oil rig. "I am very honored and proud that both brothers work in the navy. Although each has a different mission, both brothers share the same goal of protecting the sea and islands. On this trip, I just hope that my brother will be steadfast in the storm to carry out his mission well. As navy soldiers, we promise to do our best to keep the peace of our homeland's sea and islands," said deputy captain Duc.

Mr. Le Minh Tien wraps banh chung on DK1 platform before getting on the ship to return to the mainland.

Standing on the deck, looking out at the rough sea, Lieutenant Nguyen Dinh Nhat, Deputy Commander of DK1/12 rig, said that he had just returned to work in Region 2 for 3 years. He also just got married last year and has a daughter. Every year, he only comes home for a little over a month before leaving again. On the day his daughter turned 2 months old, he was given leave. After 20 days with his wife and children, he returned to work. Understanding her husband's noble mission, Nhat's wife always encourages him to try to fulfill his responsibilities as a soldier.

“After getting married, I packed my backpack and left. Only when my daughter was 2 months old did I have the chance to come home. When I miss my wife and children, I can only talk to them over the phone. The internet connection is unstable, and when my wife sends me a picture of our child, it takes a whole day to download it. That is the duty of a navy soldier, we must put our personal matters aside to carry out the sacred mission entrusted to us by the Fatherland. We promise to complete our mission well, ensuring a peaceful spring for the mainland,” said Mr. Nhat.

Letter to Dad at the Oil Rig

After many years of celebrating Tet at sea, this year Lieutenant Le Minh Tien (37 years old) was finally able to return home to celebrate New Year's Eve with his wife and children. After saying goodbye to his teammates on the DK1/10 platform, Tien stepped off the ship, his eyes shining with happiness.

Mr. Tien said he joined the army in 2002. Initially, he was stationed on Phu Quy Island. Since 2011, he has been transferred to Battalion DK1 and has been on duty in DK1/9, 1/15, 1/10, 1/20. His family currently lives in Bien Hoa (Dong Nai). He and his wife have two children, both boys and girls. The eldest daughter, Le Trinh Minh Chau, is in 2nd grade, and the son, Le Minh Duy, has just turned 4 years old. He said that he has been away for 10 months now. When his wife and children are sick, he can only encourage them through phone calls.

During the days when he was still at home with his daughter, Mr. Tien often helped Minh Chau study, confiding in her friends and school. When Mr. Tien returned to work on the oil rig, because he missed his father, Chau wrote her thoughts on a piece of paper and put it in her notebook. While cleaning the house, Mr. Tien's wife unexpectedly read her daughter's letter. Then she secretly took a picture and sent the letter to her husband via text message. Mr. Tien and his wife both laughed at their daughter's innocence and felt more sorry for her than ever. Since then, there has never been a day when Mr. Tien forgot to call and chat with his daughter before bedtime.

Lieutenant Tien prepares pork to wrap banh chung for his teammates at the rig house.

“When I was away, my eldest daughter often wrote letters about her daily feelings when her father was away. She wrote them and then quietly folded them in her notebook, waiting for her father to come back to show them to him. Her mother found those short handwritten letters and took pictures to send to the oil rig. Knowing her feelings, my husband and I tried to spend more time talking and sharing so that our daughter would feel less lonely,” Lieutenant Tien said.

These past few days, when her father announced that she would soon be home for Tet, Minh Chau was very happy. She looked forward to her father coming home every hour to take him to class to meet her friends. When Mr. Tien asked, Chau confessed. Because her mother drove her to school every day, Minh Chau was teased by her friends that her father had abandoned her, even though she explained that her father was a soldier and had to work far from home. At this time, a friend argued back: "Why does my father also work in the army but still take me to school every day?"

Minh Chau's letter to her father

Mr. Tien said: “The girl was very sad, not knowing how to explain to her friends, so she just cried. Everything then reached the homeroom teacher. Knowing my family’s situation, the teacher immediately explained to the students and gave them the task of writing a letter to a navy soldier on a remote island. After that, my daughter was very proud, because her father became the subject of the whole class’s exam.”

So when she knew for sure that her father would be back, Minh Chau told him to come back before the school holiday to pick her up and introduce her to her friends. She also asked her father to buy candy to give to her classmates so that they would stop teasing her.

As long as there are people, there will be houses.

Colonel Dang Manh Hung (Naval Region 2 Command) said that the DK1 platforms are like outposts, guarding, managing, monitoring the situation and asserting sovereignty over the southern continental shelf of the Fatherland. In the current situation, the task of protecting the sovereignty of the sea, islands and continental shelf has been and is posing higher requirements. The Region 2 Command always proactively thoroughly disseminates the situation and tasks to units, officers and soldiers, enhances the sense of responsibility, overcomes difficulties and challenges, and performs well the assigned tasks.

“The officers and soldiers on the rigs always build their political will, steadfastly pursue their goals, and firmly protect independence and sovereignty. As long as there are people, there will be rigs, that is the great determination of the officers and soldiers on the rigs. Because of the special mission of the rigs, the officers and soldiers must always be ready to fight 24/7, even during Tet. With our responsibility, we, the naval soldiers, will firmly stay at the frontline to protect the peace of the Fatherland,” Colonel Hung affirmed.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/linh-hai-quan-o-nha-gian-la-thu-gui-bo-va-loi-the-con-nguoi-con-nha-gian-185918941.htm