Wartime letters

During the war years, letters and diaries became a bridge between the front line and the rear, a place to express the soldiers' thoughts, feelings and wishes for peace on the battlefield, and when the past is over, those letters become memories that last forever.

In addition to weapons and backpacks, the luggage of soldiers in the past when entering the battlefield also included a pen, a diary and paper to write letters. The letters at that time became the strength, encouragement and added spirit and will to those who stayed behind and those who went to battle.

Like millions of outstanding young people, when he was just 18 years old, Mr. Bui Dinh Chien (in hamlet 3, Khanh Tien commune, Yen Khanh district) wrote a volunteer application to join the youth volunteer force, then became a Liberation Army soldier on the southern battlefield.

In 1973, taking advantage of his vacation time, he married his next-door neighbor Pham Thi Hong An and then went back to the battlefield after only 12 days of marriage. Therefore, all his memories and thoughts were sent to him in letters. "At that time, handwritten letters were the only way to communicate between me and my family. Due to war conditions, sometimes letters took months to arrive, so each time I received a letter, I felt like the frontline and the rear were a little closer. Receiving letters from my wife gave me confidence and more motivation to fight," Mr. Chien recalled.

Wartime letters — Letters Mr. Bui Dinh Chien sent to his wife.

The soldier wrote each letter carefully, telling his wife about the battle situation, expressing his feelings of separation and always believing that one day the country would be unified and the North and South would reunite as one family. In the letter he wrote to his wife on July 2, 1974, he wrote: "... An! How time flies so fast, it's been 6 months since we've been apart. Those 6 months passed quickly but also took a long time, the days and months felt so long, do you know why? I'm sure you understand and your thoughts right now are similar to mine... Every time I think of you, I just want to have a magical power to push back all the American invaders, Thieu's lackeys and traitors to the sea, at that time our country will be unified, the people of the North and South will be reunited under one roof. Both regions will be free and independent, I firmly believe that you and I will be together forever, do you think that's true? So don't be sad, be happy and don't think about me anymore, work hard, be enthusiastic about your work and be happy to make your parents feel at ease".

He hoped his wife would be optimistic and take care of her health. In a letter dated July 12, 1974, he wrote: "I just want you to have no doubts and I don't want your mind to be sad and depressed all the time. I just want you to always forget everything in life, like a bird that always sings and flies on a fragrant flower branch, under the bright morning sunlight, to forget everything, only then will your health be guaranteed for a long time."

For Mrs. An, her husband's letters of encouragement were a joy and a comfort during the years of separation. In response to his affection at the front, she shared with him the situation of her family and hometown, expressed her longing when the couple was apart, and reminded him to strive to complete his mission, hoping he would return victorious. Each letter written from the battlefield to the rear had its own context, mindset, and state, but in general, they all expressed life, fighting, thoughts, feelings, and deep longing for loved ones.

Exactly 50 years since his son's sacrifice, Mr. Ta Van Ruong (92 years old, hamlet 4, Khanh Thuy commune, Yen Khanh district) - father of martyr Ta Van Minh still remembers every line of the letter he wrote. In 1972, the war was getting more and more fierce, responding to the call of the Party Central Committee, the young man Ta Van Minh (born in 1954) although not old enough, still enthusiastically wrote a volunteer application to join the military.

In early 1973, while on a mission, he heroically sacrificed himself on the battlefield in the South of Quang Tri. Memories of his first son, for Mr. Ruong, are the letters he sent home. The first letter he sent home on September 21, 1972, informed him of his residence, his studies, training, and his longing for his family, the upbringing of his parents; encouraged his grandmother and parents: "... We have entered Thanh Hoa for more than two weeks, we are currently studying urgent tactics. In just over half a month, I will have to leave the North and temporarily leave my parents and grandmother. I will have to leave my five beloved and innocent younger siblings... Grandma and my teachers, please rest assured and do not worry about me and affect my health. Although I am far away from the battlefield, I believe that I will return...".

In the letter sent at the end of 1972, he wrote: "Although I did not get to enjoy Tet in my homeland, I still enjoyed my first Tet in the army and also my first Tet away from home... My unit is preparing to go to war, if possible, early this spring. My dear brothers and sisters! Surely you are looking forward to Tet right now and also looking forward to Tet this year when I can come back, but because of my duty I cannot come back, I miss and love you all very much, especially Luyen and Bay - the two youngest. I miss you all very much, I promise that when reunification is reached I will come back and buy you many gifts."

The youth of martyr Ta Van Minh is forever 19 years old, but his mementos are still preserved and cherished until today. The stories through the letters of veteran Bui Dinh Chien or martyr Ta Van Minh are pieces in thousands of common pieces of the lives of those who overcame the war to bring independence, freedom and happiness to the nation. Those letters, to this day, still retain the value of the extraordinary will, determination and noble ideals of the previous generation, contributing to the great victory of the nation.

Ninh Binh Museum currently stores hundreds of letters and diaries written by officers, soldiers of the armed forces and their families and relatives during the war. Ms. Pham Thi Nhu, Deputy Director of the Provincial Museum, said: "Since 2010, we have started a project to collect war relics, including letters and battlefield diaries. Since then, hundreds of letters and diaries have been collected by the Museum or donated by veterans and families of martyrs. These are valuable historical documents that the Museum always preserves, maintains and displays, introducing to visitors."

The letters stained with time not only have sacred meaning to the families of martyrs and veterans but also have significance to society, being a link connecting the past with the present, helping the younger generation feel more deeply and understand more fully about a time of bombs and bullets, about the people in the war.

Article and photos: Hong Minh

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