Planting forests during the day and fishing at night. That is the hero Nguyen Xuan Truong, currently living in Ky Lac commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh. Few people know about his fighting story.

In February 1968, a worker at Nghe Tinh lime factory - Nguyen Xuan Truong joined the army when he was just 20 years old. After training in Thanh Hoa, he was assigned to the K10 Special Forces (later the 10th Special Forces Battalion and dissolved after the reunification day), under the Tri Thien Military Region (now Military Region 4), and fought on the Quang Tri battlefield.

In March 1969, he was wounded for the first time. In January 1970, he was wounded for the second time and had to go to the North for treatment. After nearly a year in the hospital, in early January 1972, he was assigned as deputy company commander of Group 127, Left Bank Military Region (now Military Region 3), specializing in building roads, bridges, tunnels, and fortifications along the Vietnam-China border, in Quang Ninh province. At the end of May 1976, the Left Bank and Right Bank Military Regions were merged into Military Region 3, with Lieutenant Nguyen Xuan Truong as deputy company commander of Battalion 4, Infantry Regiment 46, Military Region 3.

At the end of July 1978, the border situation became increasingly tense, the Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army established the 326th Infantry Division of Military Region 2 (on the basis of some units of Military Region 3) to defend Lai Chau province (now Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces).

"After 5 years as deputy, I was promoted to company commander. The first thing I did was to urge the soldiers who were building the road to get on all the trucks and march for several days from Quang Ninh to Dien Bien town, Dien Bien district, Lai Chau province (now Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province)", hero Nguyen Xuan Truong recalled and clearly said: "As soon as I got off the truck, I was issued new guns and ammunition. The regimental commander ordered: Train the soldiers immediately, a big fight is coming".

Stand firm on the battlefield

On the morning of February 17, 1979, China simultaneously attacked our country's border provinces. In Lai Chau, the enemy divided into many attack directions, in which the enemy planned to capture Pa Tan commune (Sin Ho district), use it as a base to concentrate troops and follow Highway 12 to attack other targets.

Blocking the enemy's advance route was the 551 high point (currently a rubber hill on the right from Pa Tan to Huoi Luong, next to the residential area of ​​Ho Thau 2 village, Huoi Luong commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau), and the mission of "holding 551 at all costs, not allowing the enemy to reach the Nam Na riverbank, to Pa Tan" was assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion, 193rd Regiment, Lai Chau Provincial Local Army.

After 5 days and nights of steadfastly holding the position, fighting off 35 attacks, and capturing many enemy weapons and equipment, Battalion 1 was ordered to hand over the position to Battalion 2, Regiment 46, Division 326.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Khac Tam (former Deputy Political Commissar of Regiment 193, currently retired in Cua Lo Town, Nghe An) said: From the night of February 18, 1979, Division 326 marched by motorized vehicles to support the Sin Ho - Phong Tho front. On the morning of February 19, the first unit of Division 326 to arrive at Pa Tan was Company 5 (Regiment 46), commanded by Company Commander Nguyen Xuan Truong. Without time to rest, this unit marched to support 551 and in the early afternoon of February 19, Battalion 1 and Company 5 coordinated closely, attacked and recaptured the hill position occupied by the enemy, keeping the 551 support cluster intact.

Recalling the story 45 years ago, hero Nguyen Xuan Truong pondered: "The regimental commander ordered us to march quickly, to attack immediately, because "the company commander had experienced combat and was familiar with the special forces' fighting style". We went quickly, did not have time to bring food and drinks, and when we reached Pa Tan, communication was interrupted, so everything was up to us to decide."

"The whole unit, I alone had been through combat, so at first many of the brothers were afraid. We had to constantly encourage them, shoot first when shooting, run first when exercising, do everything first, to make the brothers feel secure," Mr. Truong said and laughed: "The superiors told us to go immediately, there would be supplies of weapons, ammunition, food and water up there. But when we got to Pa Tan, we lost contact. The unit took it back and held the high point, but everyone was hungry and thirsty. The brothers tried every way to hold out"...

Continuously for the next 3 days, Company 5 under the command of Lieutenant Nguyen Xuan Truong steadfastly held the position and fought back the invaders. He himself was wounded, but only left the battlefield when the other unit took over. "The entire company of 80 people, 30 sacrificed, but we brought all the bodies back, no one had to stay behind", he silently recounted.

Struggling with everyday life

Back at the rear, he was taken by helicopter from Dien Bien airport to the 108 Central Military Hospital for treatment. At the time he was awarded the title of hero, he was still lying in bed. "The report on achievements was written by my comrades in the unit. When I received the news that I was awarded the title of hero, I thought they were mistaken," Mr. Truong laughed.

In May 1982, Lieutenant Nguyen Xuan Truong retired due to disability. Although his disability rate was 61%, he was only classified as a sick soldier, not a disabled soldier, because "he was a few months short of 15 years in the army and his years as a worker were not counted."

Backpacking back to the remote mountainous countryside of Ky Lac (Ky Anh District) in the west of Nghe An, he "started his business" with a few fields of rice and reclaimed land to grow crops. A few years later, the province reclaimed the land to build the Lac Tien dam under the water supply project for the Vung Ang Economic Zone. His family still had 2 fields of land to grow cassava on the hill, so he devoted all his efforts to the dry, barren land, growing all kinds of vegetables and fruits.

In 2006, the People's Committee of Ky Lac commune granted him 2 hectares of land to plant forests in Ngan Cho forest, deep in Ke Go Nature Reserve, nearly 20 km from his house, a half-day walk. He worked hard to clear the land and grow crops, building a hut and staying in the fields for a whole week. "I started working, many people who were allocated land there also followed suit," he said with a smile.

Farmer's Children

"In 1982, he asked for leave, partly because of his injuries, partly because his children were hungry and his family was in financial difficulty," Ms. Tran Thi Sung (71 years old, former female cadre of Ky Lac commune, wife of hero Nguyen Xuan Truong) recalled.

Mrs. Sung said: In 1974, Mr. Truong came home on leave to meet her and in mid-1976, they got married. In 1980, they gave birth to their first son, Nguyen Van Hao, followed by four more children, Nguyen Van Hung (1980), Nguyen Thi Ha (1985), Nguyen Thi Hai (1988) and the youngest son, Nguyen Van Hung (1991). Of these, only the girl, Nguyen Thi Hai, is "working for the state".

The story of the daughter of the hero Nguyen Xuan Truong is also very interesting: In 2007, Nguyen Thi Hai graduated from high school and packed her bags to go to Dong Nai to work as a factory worker. In March 2008, Hai decided to apply to study high school at Hai Duong Pedagogical College, graduating in 2010.

At that time, it was very difficult to find a job in the education sector in Ha Tinh. Seeing his daughter struggling to find a job, hero Nguyen Xuan Truong boldly went to Ha Tinh city, met Mr. Vo Kim Cu (at that time, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province) to ask for his daughter to get a job.

Knowing that Mr. Truong was a hero, Mr. Cu immediately directed the relevant authorities and local authorities to arrange work and up to now, teacher Nguyen Thi Hai has worked for 13 years at Ky Thuong Primary School, Ky Anh District, Ha Tinh.

In the afternoon in Ky Lac, hero Nguyen Xuan Truong invited us to go to Rao Tro river behind the village to collect fishing nets. He said: "The only time in my life, when I asked for a job for Hai, I called myself a hero. The others, who do business far and near, all did it themselves, without asking their father to give them a title."

His children, talking to me, all laughed: "With all the hardships and difficulties, my parents were able to raise 5 healthy children, they are heroes!"

The biggest dream of hero Nguyen Xuan Truong, which his children are preparing to fulfill, is to take him back to Pa Tan - Huoi Luong to visit the 551 high point cluster so he can burn incense for the 30 comrades under his command who fell on the battlefield protecting the Fatherland, years ago...

The soldier quality of the district police chief

Hero Hoang Van Quan (born 1928, Tay ethnic group, hometown in Nam Tuan, Hoa An, Cao Bang). In 1942, when he was only 14 years old, he joined the Viet Minh. In 1953, he joined the Cao Bang Police force; by 1977, Major Hoang Van Quan was the Chief of Hoa An District Police.

In February 1979, the battle to protect the Fatherland took place along the entire northern border. Major Hoang Xuan Quan commanded the forces to grasp the local security situation and proactively proposed to the district leaders to urgently evacuate people and protect documents and assets of agencies to the Lam Son rear area.

On the morning of February 18, 1979, enemy tanks appeared in the district capital. As Deputy Head of the District Unified Military Command, Major Hoang Xuan Quan calmly handled all tasks, arranged officers and soldiers to protect the leaders and mobilized people to transport 20 tons of food and provisions to the safe rear area.

On the morning of February 19, 1979, when he discovered the enemy entering Lam Son base, Major Quan informed the people to avoid the enemy and quickly arranged a battle position to fight the enemy at Vam Dong slope, about 1 km from the base.

On the morning of February 20, 1979, Major Quan led a squad to support the Lung Vai rear base, Hong Viet commune and coordinated with friendly units to block and attack the enemy.

On the evening of February 20, 1979, Major Quan commanded combat forces to intercept the enemy's attack on Nguom Boc cave (Lung Vai, Hong Viet commune), protecting hundreds of cadres, employees, evacuees and wounded soldiers.

On December 20, 1979, Major Hoang Van Quan, Chief of Police of Hoa An District, was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.

After retiring, hero Hoang Van Quan was elected as the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Nuoc Hai town and he passed away in 2003. His successors are his son Hoang Van Tuyen (when retired he was a major, a police officer of Hoa An district) and his grandson Hoang Van Tu, currently a major, Chief of Police of Nuoc Hai town (Hoa An district, Cao Bang).