The journey of "sowing seeds of peace" of a young blue beret soldier in South Sudan

(Dan Tri) - "Blue Beret - Sower of Peace" is the journey of Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong to South Sudan to carry out the mission of a young soldier to keep the peace of the United Nations.

Journey for peace of the blue beret soldiers

Green Berets - Sowers of Peace, published by Kim Dong Publishing House, is a photo book about Vietnamese soldiers participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations. The book is told by a green beret soldier - Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong, written by journalist Nam Kha . The work is divided into many chapters, including stories and pictures about the life, work, and activities of Vietnamese soldiers on duty in South Sudan.

Cover of the book "Green Berets - Sowers of Peace" (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).

Among them, Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong works at the Examination Department, Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4 at the Juba Compound Bentiu military base (South Sudan) - more than 8,500km from Vietnam. Here, civil war still occurs every day. Choosing to set out and commit, Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong's story has inspired peace and hope. Participating in an international mission, his journey not only completed the work of curing and saving people but also painted the shape of the country, bringing smiles to children and people in Africa.

Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).

His stories are also vivid evidence to help readers visualize more clearly the life on the front line - dangers always lurk every hour. There, the harsh conditions of climate, environment, life and living are all lacking. Soldiers do not directly hold guns, they still have their own way to keep the peace. Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong believes that to show patriotism and contribute to making the country famous in the hearts of international friends, there are many different ways. But the simplest way is that each individual must always try to fulfill their duties and tasks in the most professional way. "Just that much is enough to receive high appreciation from everyone around. I believe this is also a way to promote the image of the country and Vietnamese people in a more authentic and convincing way than any invitation," he said. In the pages of the book, through the stories and images, smiles are always present on his and his teammates' faces. All are like a miracle drug, erasing the hardships and stress on the front line.

Drawing the shape of the country with friends from all over the world

Amidst the vast gray and bitterness of poverty and civil war, the picture of Africa still sparkles with simple happiness from Vietnamese peace messengers. In the base, on the flagpoles or in charity programs, the image of Vietnamese soldiers through the eyes of international friends: active in sports events, military parades, professional exchanges, joint training with other countries to learn from each other... Through the stories and photo series from the Vietnamese Blue Berets - Sowers of Peace, readers will always see the image of the red flag with yellow star fluttering, the proud presence of the country's map, the face of each soldier always beaming with smiles and the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers through beautiful actions. The image of the country is still clearly shown through the Ao Dai costumes, Vietnamese New Year in the military base, the shouts of "Salute the flag", charity events in schools or villages.

The journey of Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong has inspired and given hope for peace (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).

Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong and his teammates pay special attention to children - the young citizens of South Sudan. He confided that peace is not a far-fetched or grand concept, but comes from the little things between people every day. As long as we treat each other with sincerity and know how to share, we will understand each other, and from there we can go in the same direction. "And equally important, if peace is considered a seed, it should be sown in the hearts of children. They will protect and care for that seed with all their selfless purity. And just like that, the seed of peace will grow and be maintained from generation to generation," the young lieutenant confided. Journalist Nam Kha, who wrote the book, said he proactively contacted and wanted Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong to tell about the difficulties and challenges that the green beret soldiers had to face when carrying out their distant missions. "Listening and taking notes - first to satisfy my curiosity and love of discovery as a journalist and then to write it down to share with young readers everywhere, hoping to partly answer the question: "What is peace?". "That contributes to fostering love for the country in the hearts of each of our young people," said journalist Nam Kha. The journey of Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong is also the journey of nearly 1,000 young soldiers who chose to set out and dedicate themselves to participating in United Nations peacekeeping operations at three missions in the Central African Republic, South Sudan, the Abyei region and the United Nations Headquarters. The journey in Vietnam Blue Berets: Sowers of Peace will open up and inspire many generations of readers about a difficult, arduous but extremely proud mission. At the end of the book, the young lieutenant revealed that he had received a decision to continue working in South Sudan. A happy ending but also promises to open up the next beautiful journey.

Recreating a journey full of challenges and difficulties, but also full of pride

As a colleague at the United Nations mission and a companion of Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong on many journeys, Senior Lieutenant, surgeon Vu The Anh expressed that he was "extremely moved to be the first person to read the book". The work seemed to recreate before his eyes the journey full of difficulties and challenges, but also full of pride and containing many beautiful memories in the life of a soldier that he and his teammates had experienced together for nearly 3 years. "From the hardships in preparation and pre-deployment training, the feelings and concerns of the family, the harshness of the environmental conditions, the devastating destruction of war in the host country, the extremely poor life of the local people, to the small journeys filled with love for the children, the emotions of the day of departure and the day of return... all are recounted truthfully in the book", he said.

The book is said to recreate a journey full of difficulties and challenges, but also full of pride (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).

Lieutenant Colonel, obstetrician Bui Thi Thu Trang said that the touching, authentic and humane stories of Lieutenant Nguyen Sy Cong partly help readers understand the difficulties but full of pride, the happy and sad stories that perhaps many of Cong's comrades will only experience once in their lives but will never forget. "This autobiography is a source of pride for our ancestors and predecessors for their dedication to the peacekeeping cause of the Vietnamese army. Through the stories of young people, the sentences may not be polished, but that is the sincerity of the narrator and the writer to the readers," said Dr. Thu Trang. Reading the book, Major Ta Thi Huong had the opportunity to look back on her 15-month journey of doing UN peacekeeping duty in the difficult and harsh land of Africa. "Emotions welled up in my heart as I remembered the times when my teammates studied and practiced English, participated in specialized training courses with foreign military experts, and carried out many missions in South Sudan," she said.

Nguyen Sy Cong , 29 years old, born in Nghe An, is a Lieutenant of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. He works at the Examination Department, Level 2 Field Hospital No. 4 in South Sudan. Journalist Nam Kha , 29 years old, lives in Ho Chi Minh City. Some published works: Travel blogger - Unveiling the behind-the-scenes of 4.0 steps; Content Creator - Unveiling the behind-the-scenes of 4.0 steps; Shooting hearts: teen-standard tips; Puberty is full of stories; Living green is not difficult; Creating ideas, creating success - Keeping your own style, making a difference; Amidst countless dangers, there are still many ways out.

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/van-hoa/hanh-trinh-gioi-hat-hoa-binh-cua-nguoi-linh-tre-mu-noi-xanh-o-nam-sudan-20240528165940486.htm