Meeting with revolutionary cadres and soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy and directly participated in the great victory of Spring 1975

Attending the meeting were comrade Nguyen Van Gau, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; comrades of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee: Lam Thi Huong Thanh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Mai Son, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee. Also attending were comrades: Nghiem Xuan Huong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Tran Van Tuan, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Bac Giang province; comrades representing departments, branches, sectors and units in the province. Notably, the meeting was attended by 300 delegates who were revolutionary cadres and soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy and those who directly participated in the great victory of Spring 1975 in the province.

Delegates attending the meeting.

"In front of the enemy, crying is cowardly, begging is weak"

Among the 300 veterans who attended the meeting, there were many who were seriously wounded, some had lost legs and arms, some had lost their eyesight, some had to use wheelchairs and carry crutches. Although they were weak, meeting their comrades who had fought in the same trenches, who had gone through life and death on the battlefield as well as in enemy prisons, made everyone emotional and moved.

Comrade Nguyen Van Gau visited and encouraged the delegates.

Talking with seriously wounded soldier Nong Viet Son (born in 1942), Don Cau Bang village, Huong Son commune (Lang Giang), we learned that he enlisted in 1965 and fought in the Central Highlands battlefield. In 1967, in the battle at Khe Sanh, the enemy used artillery to carpet the battlefield, many of his comrades sacrificed, Mr. Son was wounded in the leg and right rib, lost a lot of blood and fainted. After waking up, he was captured by the enemy and imprisoned in Phu Tai prison, Binh Dinh province, then went through many other prisons in Phu Quoc, Bien Hoa... In the prisons, the enemy used many forms of torture... Every time they tortured him, they did it in front of his comrades to reduce the fighting spirit of our soldiers. Although he was in extreme physical pain, Mr. Son resolutely refused to confess or complain, because according to him, "crying in front of the enemy is cowardly, begging is weak; tears only fall before the joy of family, homeland, and country".

Attending the meeting was Mrs. Nguyen Thi Toi (94 years old), Phu My residential group, Dinh Ke ward (Bac Giang city). In 1951, she joined the local guerrilla force. During the sweep in 1952, Mrs. Toi was arrested by the French colonialists and taken to Con Dao prison, then to Hoa Lo prison. In 1954, when the French were defeated, the revolutionary soldiers were released. Mrs. Toi returned to her locality to continue working. In the following years, she became a solid support for her husband and 3 children to fight in the southern battlefield and protect the southern and northern borders of the Fatherland.

At the meeting, through the touching stories of veterans who had been imprisoned in enemy prisons, the delegates were even more impressed by the indomitable and steadfast spirit of generations of fathers and grandfathers. In 1973, the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam was signed, and revolutionary prisoners, after years of imprisonment and brutal torture, were able to return to the arms of the Party, the People and their families.

Peace was restored, the country was united, when returning to normal life, the revolutionary soldiers did not accept poverty, worked enthusiastically in production, and built a prosperous and happy family life. With practical experience and fortitude tempered in combat, the cadres and soldiers who were imprisoned by the enemy in particular and those with meritorious services in general continued to devote their efforts to participating in building and protecting the Party, the government, and the socialist regime, and were recognized by Party committees and authorities at all levels, and loved and trusted by the people.

Both the rear and the front line

At the meeting, the delegates reviewed the revolutionary tradition. During the long and arduous resistance war against the US to save the country, Bac Giang province played a great and comprehensive role, both as a solid rear base and a resilient front line. Every person and every inch of land here bears the mark of patriotism, revolutionary spirit and burning desire for a unified, independent and free country.

With its strategic geographical location, Bac Giang is an important transit point of vital traffic routes from North to South. During the years of resistance, Bac Giang province became one of the major strategic rear areas of the socialist North, devoting all its strength, all its people, and all its army to the sacred goal: “All for the beloved South, all to defeat the American invaders”.

Emulation movements such as “Each person works as hard as two for the beloved South”, “Not a pound of rice is missing, not a soldier is missing” developed strongly, becoming a great spiritual motivation spreading to all classes of people. Tens of thousands of frontline workers, youth volunteers, militiamen, doctors, teachers, engineers… from Bac Giang went to the battlefield, serving in logistics, transporting ammunition, transporting food, opening roads, protecting bridges and culverts, maintaining the traffic arteries between the rear and the front. They were soldiers without military ranks, silent heroes who contributed to ensuring the victory of each campaign.

Not only a solid rear base, Bac Giang was also the front line, firmly holding guns against the destructive war in the North by the US imperialists' air force. During the 21 years of resistance war against the US to save the country, the army and people of Bac Giang closely coordinated, fought bravely, shot down 162 US planes, captured many pilots, and were honored to receive the rotating flag "Determination to defeat the US invaders" from President Ho Chi Minh. More than 80,000 outstanding young men of Bac Giang enlisted in the army, fighting on fierce battlefields from Tri Thien, Tay Nguyen to the Southern Delta, of which more than 8,000 people directly fought, participated in combat service, contributing to the great victory of Spring 1975. Nearly 1,000 cadres and soldiers of the province were captured by the enemy, imprisoned, and detained in notorious prisons such as Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Chi Hoa, etc.

Continuing the heroic tradition

Speaking at the meeting, comrade Mai Son affirmed that with sweat, tears and blood, the people of Bac Giang have added more brilliant golden pages to the history of the nation's struggle against foreign invaders in general and in the resistance war against the US to save the country in particular.

Comrade Mai Son spoke at the meeting.

Up to now, the whole province has over 160 thousand people who have contributed to the revolution, including over 1,400 mothers of martyrs who have been awarded or posthumously awarded the state honorary title "Heroic Vietnamese Mother" by the President; 20 Labor Heroes, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces; 180 veteran revolutionary cadres; over 400 pre-uprising cadres; nearly 21 thousand martyrs who heroically sacrificed on the battlefields; over 15 thousand wounded soldiers; nearly 7 thousand sick soldiers and demobilized soldiers; over 7 thousand people who participated in the resistance war and their children were granted the regime for Agent Orange victims; nearly 110 thousand people who participated in the resistance war to liberate the nation, protect the Fatherland and perform international duties.

The heroic martyrs, the wounded and sick soldiers have shed their blood to redden the national flag and make the fields and gardens of their homeland greener. The soldiers who were lucky enough to return have overcome difficulties in health and illness, continued to contribute their strength and intelligence, strived to work and produce, participated in social activities and fulfilled their civic responsibilities in their place of residence. Many of them have become prestigious people in the community, setting an example for the younger generation to follow.

On behalf of the Party Committee, government and people of all ethnic groups in Bac Giang province, comrade Mai Son expressed his infinite gratitude to generations of revolutionary cadres and soldiers who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the independence and freedom of the Fatherland. They are the pride of the heroic homeland of Bac Giang, shining examples of patriotism and revolutionary will for generations to follow.

2025 is a year of special significance, the final year of implementing the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025, towards the 14th National Party Congress; at the same time, celebrating many important events of the country, comrade Mai Son requested that Party committees at all levels, authorities, Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees, socio-political organizations, sectors and localities in the province continue to research, advise on policy development, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing preferential policies for people with revolutionary contributions.

Provincial leaders took photos with revolutionary soldiers.

Strengthening traditional education, arousing national pride and sense of responsibility in the young generation. Synchronously implementing solutions for rapid and sustainable socio-economic development; focusing on improving people's lives both materially and spiritually. Sectors and localities must be proactive, creative, dare to think, dare to do, take advantage of opportunities, mobilize and effectively use resources for comprehensive development. Special attention should be paid to the fields of health, education, social security, environmental protection and digital transformation so that people can truly enjoy the fruits of the revolution.

Strengthen national defense and security, maintain political stability and social order and safety. Proactively grasp the situation, avoid being passive or surprised; heighten vigilance, prevent and combat manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation", firmly protect the achievements of the revolution, independence and sovereignty of the Fatherland in all situations.

He believes that with the joint efforts and consensus of the entire political system, the support of the people, especially the continuation of the steadfast revolutionary tradition, on the new development journey, Bac Giang province will still maintain the typical values ​​and fine traditional identity of the homeland, while integrating strongly, continuing to reach out, and actively contributing to the overall development of the country.

 

Article and photos: Trung Anh

Source: https://baobacgiang.vn/gap-mat-cac-can-bo-chien-si-cach-mang-bi-dich-bat-tu-day-va-truc-tiep-tham-gia-lam-nen-dai-thang-mua-xuan-nam-1975-postid416708.bbg