Go to the relic, remember the ancestors

(QBĐT) - Nestled on the southern slope of Duc Ninh hill, located to the west of Dong Hoi city, the Duc Ninh old militia artillery site is the place that marks the glorious feat of the Duc Ninh old militia platoon 58 years ago. The war has long since ended, and the old militiamen of that day have now passed away. Through many ups and downs, the generations of descendants and the people of Duc Ninh still work together to preserve and protect the site, as a deep gratitude to the brave and heroic old militia platoon.

Following the introduction and guidance of the Duc Ninh commune cadres, we found the small house in Duc Son village, Duc Ninh commune of Mr. Phan Thanh Xuan (born in 1968), the grandson of Mr. Tran Oong, one of the 11 brave militiamen of that time. Knowing that we wanted to learn about the glorious feats of the old militia platoon and the relics left behind, Mr. Xuan's eyes sparkled with pride.

He said that of Mr. Tran Oong's memorabilia, some were donated to the museum, some were lost due to storms and floods, so nothing remains, only a few old photos that he has restored. Touching the photo of Mr. Tran Oong taken at Eo Da, Mr. Xuan was moved: "This is a precious photo to my family. The photo was posted on the news page of a famous world news agency at that time. The original photo was black and white, I restored it to be clearer and framed it to hang on the wall. In addition, I also have a photo of three Duc Ninh militiamen including Mr. Bay, Mr. Biu, Mr. Chong...".

As a generation "born later", not witnessing the glorious feats of the previous generation, Mr. Xuan and many children of the heroic and loyal land of Duc Ninh are still proud of the revolutionary tradition of their homeland, of the honest, simple but full of spirit old militiamen of that day.

The monument stele of the Duc Ninh old militia artillery field has been upgraded and restored, becoming a place to educate the younger generation about tradition.

Going back in time, back to the years of the resistance war against the US to save the country. Like Dong Hoi, Duc Ninh was bombed continuously by the enemy day and night, all activities of the people were switched to wartime. Faced with the new situation, the locality established militia and self-defense units ready to fight back the enemy and protect the villages. With the attention of superiors and enthusiastic training, the Duc Ninh militia force soon achieved great feats, including the feat of the old militia platoon. The unit was established on December 1, 1967, with a staff of 11 seniors, aged 55-70, equipped with weapons including 3 12.7mm anti-aircraft guns and CKC rifles.

Realizing that Duc Ninh hill had many military advantages, the old men arranged two artillery positions on the hill. One position was in the northeast of the hill, the other in the southeast. Each position had only one old bunker to serve as a shelter and ammunition depot. On the night of December 16 and early morning of December 17, 1967, taking advantage of the late night and cold weather, a group of enemy planes flew into the position from the east. When the enemy planes approached Binh Phuc bridge, about 400 meters from the southern position, the old men discovered them and quickly got into combat readiness. When the enemy flew right into range of the 12.7mm guns, in the first battle, the old men overturned the American plane. Hit by bullets, the F4H burst into flames, lighting up the night sky of Dong Hoi, then crashed into the sea.

Thus, just 15 days after its establishment, in the first battle against the enemy, the Duc Ninh old militia platoon made an outstanding achievement, shooting down an American plane. That outstanding achievement contributed to the common victory of the army and people of the North in the cause of fighting against the Americans to save the country. To encourage and cheer the platoon's victory, the very next day, December 18, the Quang Binh Provincial Administrative Committee decided to award a certificate of merit to the platoon; the Provincial Fatherland Front wrote a letter of praise; the State awarded the Military Exploit Medal and the Military Exploit Medal.

Upon receiving the news, Uncle Ho was very excited and gave each of the Duc Ninh militiamen a badge of his and a garrison shirt. In the following years, Party and Government leaders visited the unit many times. International delegations and domestic and foreign journalists also came many times to report on the achievements of the Duc Ninh militiamen. Some of them were even invited by the Government to Hanoi to directly report their achievements to the Central Committee...

3 of the 11 Duc Ninh militiamen that day.

On August 4, 1995, Minister of Culture and Information Tran Hoan signed a decision to recognize the Duc Ninh artillery site as a national historical-cultural relic. This event became a source of pride for the local government and people.

58 years have passed, the 11 old militiamen of that day have now passed away, but their glorious feats of arms are still an immortal song about their bravery and steadfast fighting spirit for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. The artillery site of the old militiamen of Duc Ninh is a shining symbol of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism. The southern battlefield is a fairly flat area, located in the premises of the Duc Ninh Commune People's Committee headquarters, the ammunition bunker is outside, close to the fence of the commune People's Committee premises. The northern battlefield is located at the northeastern corner of the hill. This is the highest position of Duc Ninh hill, surrounded by houses on three sides. Currently, the remaining relics are two ammunition bunkers scattered next to houses and a memorial stele in the premises of the commune People's Committee. The location where the old militiamen placed the artillery is still vacant land.

“To preserve, conserve and promote the value of the relic, the commune government actively propagates and encourages people to join hands in protecting and restoring the relic. We maintain the care of related works and annually organize traditional education activities for the younger generation about the relic. In addition, Duc Ninh people also actively promote and introduce the relic, contributing to raising public awareness of the historical value of the relic, thereby promoting sustainable tourism development. The Duc Ninh artillery site is not only an important historical site but also the pride of the people of Duc Ninh in particular and Quang Binh in general, demonstrating the brave fighting spirit of ordinary but patriotic people. Engraved in the merits and following the example of their predecessors, the descendants and people of Duc Ninh today enthusiastically compete in labor production, economic development, and strive to build a prosperous and happy life,” said Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Duc Ninh Commune Dang Truong Giang.

Peace of Mind

Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/van-hoa/202503/den-di-tich-nho-tien-nhan-2225168/