We, along with Colonel Nguyen Duy Lien, Political Commissar of Brigade 683, visited the family of Lieutenant Colonel Do Thi Nhuan (military staff of Battalion 743) and Senior Colonel Tran Van Diep (former Technical Assistant of Battalion 743) in the unit's military village in the late afternoon. Over a pot of green tea, we talked about family, about the eldest daughter Tran Thanh Nhan (born in 1998), who is a graduate student at Hanoi National University of Education, and the second daughter Tran Thi Nguyet Minh (born in 2000), currently a second-year student at Duy Tan University (Da Nang) and continued endlessly.

Talking about her children, Ms. Nhuan proudly said: "After going through so many hardships and ups and downs in life, seeing the growth of our children, we feel extremely happy." Recalling the first days of returning to the unit, Ms. Nhuan's voice could not hide her emotions. 23 years ago, while working as an information officer at the Logistics Academy, Ms. Nhuan was transferred to Regiment 683 (now Brigade 683) to be close to her husband. She thought that in the new unit, husband and wife would be in the same unit, and there would be someone to help with family matters, but the reality was not as she thought... She was assigned to be a cook. The job was completely new, combined with the environment and living conditions being different from the North, her two children still young (the eldest daughter was 3 years old, the youngest was only 5 months old), both of her parents lived far away, and her housing was unstable, which made her feel discouraged at times.

At first, the unit created conditions for Nhuan and her husband to temporarily borrow a house in the Brigade's medical station, 6km from the unit. The most stressful days were when her husband went on duty or was on combat readiness duty. At 2:30 a.m., she drove her two children to the unit, so that the children could continue sleeping, while she started preparing breakfast for the soldiers. In 2001, their superiors considered allocating them a piece of land, less than 500m from the unit. Excited, the couple borrowed money and determined to build a temporary house to make traveling more convenient and their children less tired. With their own house, their children grew up, and all the hardships gradually lessened. They both tried to complete their tasks at the unit, while encouraging each other to build happiness for their family.

The family situation of Major Nguyen Thi Ha, a finance officer of Battalion 743, has its own difficulties. The house has been without a male breadwinner for many years. Ms. Ha shared: “My husband and I are both from Dong Hung, Thai Binh. From nothing, we have shared the hardships to overcome the difficult days to raise our children to adulthood. We thought that happiness would flow smoothly, but unexpectedly, a terrible disease took him away from the family nest.”

The day Ms. Ha's husband, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thoi, Deputy Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff of Brigade 683, passed away, her daughter Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao was in high school, her son Nguyen Hung Thinh was in grade 9. It took a long time for Ms. Ha to gradually get used to the situation... without her husband. Sympathizing and sharing Ms. Ha's difficulties, leaders and commanders at all levels created conditions for her daughter Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao to continue the family tradition, currently working as a clerk in the Staff Office, Brigade 683. Their son is also in grade 12. Holding back her pain, Ms. Ha took care of her husband's children, took care of both sets of parents, focused on her work, and actively participated in association activities.

These are the cases we had the opportunity to meet and talk with directly. Each family of the women's union members of Brigade 683 has their own difficulties and hardships, but they all share a strong will, a spirit to overcome circumstances, overcome difficulties, raise healthy children, teach good children, strive to complete their tasks well at the unit, and be a solid support for their husbands to work with peace of mind.

Article and photos: VAN ANH