Lesson 1: Duc Lap Victory in the Memory of a Veteran

Half a century has passed with many historical marks, the development achievements of the country today always honor the children who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. And fortunately today, we still have the opportunity to meet and record the heroic memories of those who once fought and died, they were not afraid of sacrifice, hardship, only love for the country with the highest determination for the day the country is completely liberated...

Every March, memories of the Duc Lap battle in the early morning of March 9, 1975, the battle that opened the Tay Nguyen Campaign, the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign to bring the country to unification, come flooding back to the minds of veterans who had the honor of participating in the battle. For them, the joy of liberation, the happiness of peace, is forever imprinted in everyone's mind...

Youth is associated with battles

It has been exactly 50 years since Duc Lap was liberated, but veteran Tran Huu The (born in 1938, residing in Xuan Loc 1 village, Dak Sak commune, Dak Mil district, Dak Nong province) still feels emotional when recalling this heroic event. For him, the victory in Duc Lap was a fierce battle, the key opening battle of the Central Highlands Campaign, liberating the South, and unifying the country, so he can never forget it.

Veteran Tran Huu The recounts the arduous days with his comrades that led to the Duc Lap Victory in the past.

He said that at the end of 1961, following the sacred call of the Fatherland, like many other young men, he eagerly enlisted in the army with an eager spirit, determined to completely liberate the South. Not long after joining the army, in February 1962, he volunteered to go to the South to fight. During the journey to the South, he and his comrades marched and fought on many different fronts in the Central Highlands region. After many years, his unit arrived in Duc Lap at the end of 1974.

When stationed in Duc Lap, this place was still a wild, rugged mountainous area with a sparse population, mainly enemy strongholds. “To ensure secrecy, the unit had to be stationed in the deep forest. On the march, many comrades and teammates were tormented by malaria, lacking everything, even having no food to eat. When arriving here, everyone was unfamiliar with the road, not knowing where to go. Fortunately, in war, familiar people become strangers, strange lands become homelands, the local people were not afraid of danger, ready to lead the way, support, and shelter the troops so they could fight the enemy with peace of mind. Despite the difficulties, at that time, we were all filled with enthusiasm, seething with fighting spirit,” Mr. The recalled.

Then he said, to reach Duc Lap, he and his comrades had to go through hundreds of different battles, big and small. “On the march, we only knew the order to move, to fight when we encountered the enemy, but we didn’t know where to go, where to stay, which battle to fight, how to fight, we even looked up at the sky to estimate the time. Therefore, when we won, we realized that the place we had just participated in liberating was Duc Lap land,” Mr. The said.

In the subconscious of Mr. The and many other veterans, Duc Lap was identified as a target in the opening attack direction of the Tay Nguyen Campaign because this is an area with an important strategic position in terms of military, economy and politics. Here, the enemy built a strong base, the military base Hill 722, also known as "Duc Lap Special Forces Camp", about 10km east of the center of Duc Lap district. Hill 722 is at an altitude of 722m above sea level with an area of ​​about 1km², now located in Tho Hoang 4 village, Dak Sak commune, Dak Mil district.

At this stronghold, the enemy built solid, sturdy fortifications, dense obstacles and were equipped with modern military uniforms and weapons. During the years from 1968 to 1975, Hill 722 was identified as the enemy's key lair in the Central Highlands. Therefore, our main force troops coordinated with local people and soldiers to organize many battles against this stronghold. After that, taking advantage of the victory, our troops continued to attack other enemy strongholds such as the operational command base of the puppet 23rd Division, Nui Lua base and Duc Lap district. In just a short time from dawn on March 9 to noon on March 10, 1975, we liberated Duc Lap and the surrounding areas.

“The war was fierce, with gunshots and bombs everywhere. At that time, each of us weighed only a few dozen kilos, but when we went into battle, we fought day and night, with guns on our shoulders, but we were still steadfast. No one complained of being tired, no one faltered. Even when we were tired, we had to stand up and continue running with the determination to defeat the American invaders and liberate our homeland so that the people would no longer suffer,” said Mr. The.

Mr. The still remembers clearly when he heard the news of Duc Lap's liberation, at that time, the men from the North, the Central, and the South burst into tears of emotion. After years of suffering hardships, seeing their comrades wounded and sacrificed, having to stay on the battlefield, they all held their heads high to continue the resistance. Yet, when they heard Duc Lap was liberated, they burst into tears, tears of joy welling up.

“We know that the good news of Duc Lap has opened up for us the belief in the day of national liberation. Because we know that this battle is the opening and key battle to liberate the country. Although at that time, we did not know what the name of the front we would fight on or what the battle plan was, but through the decisiveness, encouragement, orders and determination of our superiors, we somewhat understood the importance of this victory,” Mr. The confided.

Wife misses her husband, travels thousands of kilometers to find him

Talking to us about his time in the war, Mr. The's eyes could not hide his joy mixed with a little shyness. He told us a funny story in the midst of a fierce war that gave him and his comrades faith and dreams. It was a story about love, about peace, about hope and sowing a glimmer of happiness in the midst of the wild jungle, the rain of bombs and bullets.

Mr. The married a woman from the same hometown in Ha Tinh many years before he enlisted. When he went to the South, the war was in full swing, and the couple was far apart, with no news. After many years, just because he missed him, his wife "risked" going to the South to find news of her husband. "Her trip to find her husband included 5 other wives of her comrades. The fact that a wife traveled thousands of kilometers to find and visit her husband during the chaos of war was considered a strange and unprecedented thing. After peace was restored, I often joked that it was fortunate that she took the risk and was lucky to have a child, otherwise, in the fierce war, you never know when you will lose your life. I consider this a great fate, destiny," Mr. The said with a laugh.

Then he said, when she found him, the couple met on the battlefield, their joy and sadness were indescribable. After a while, Mr. The's wife became pregnant and had to return home. Before returning, Mr. The and his wife discussed that whether it was a boy or a girl, they would name the child Nam. After that, Mr. The continued to fight, without any news, his wife worked hard to raise the child alone, waiting for her husband to return. "Nam is the only child of my wife and I. Naming our child Nam is also our wish when we went to the South to fight to liberate the South, which has come true," Mr. The happily said.

50 years have passed, Mr. The is at a rare age, although his eyesight is dim, his legs are unsteady, his hair is white, but every March, Mr. The goes to Hill 722 to light incense sticks in memory of his comrades who have forever remained on the battlefield. He also feels lucky, because after peace was restored, he and his wife chose this land to stop and build a new life.

“For me, Duc Lap is a land that left behind so many memories of a life of war. For young people like us, being able to fight and contribute our youth to the Fatherland is an honor. We only live once and I have lived without waste, without regretting my youth when dedicating my youth to the country,” Mr. The proudly said.

Keep souvenirs to remember your teammates!

Mr. Tran Huu Nam, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. The, said that the sacred relics are associated with his father's youth. They are just spoons, canteens, and food containers... but for Mr. The, they are priceless assets, and nothing in this world can be exchanged. "Every time the children and grandchildren try to take out the canteens and food containers to look at them, he catches them and has to put them away immediately. He hides them very carefully, the children are not allowed to hold them to look at them, but when comrades come, he takes them out to show them off right away. No matter how precious anything is to anyone in the house, he gives it to them, but no one can ask for these relics," said Mr. Nam.

Because for Mr. The, these souvenirs are friends and witnesses who followed him throughout the resistance war against the US. These artifacts are not simply to serve his personal needs in combat, but they have become soulful, a confidant in which he can entrust his longing for his comrades. These souvenirs are also a place where every time he looks at them, he feels proud of his youth, reminding him to live a life worthy of the call "Uncle Ho's soldiers", so that the losses and sacrifices of himself and his comrades are not wasted. "My youth contributed to Duc Lap and the peaceful spring of the country today. I must preserve and remind my children and grandchildren today to cherish that," Mr. The affirmed.

50 years ago, the Duc Lap battle took place from the early morning of March 9, 1975, officially opening the victorious Tay Nguyen Campaign, paving the way for the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising of our army and people, creating a turning point that changed the situation of the war. The Duc Lap victory, together with the victory of the Tay Nguyen Campaign, destroyed and disintegrated a large enemy force, creating a decisive turning point, developing the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising to complete victory.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Phong-su-tu-lieu/bai-1-chien-thang-duc-lap-trong-ky-uc-cua-mot-cuu-binh-i763694/