We read in the file of the Hero of the Armed Forces of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh the extremely admirable feats that are little known to outsiders. The feats of a silent Hero.
In February 2023, when Türkiye suffered an earthquake, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh was one of 24 officers and soldiers of the Ministry of Public Security who went to support the neighboring country in overcoming the consequences of the disaster.
It was a nearly 10-day journey in Türkiye, in which Colonel Nguyen Minh Khuong - Deputy Director of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department, said that through the Ministry of Public Security's task of carrying out rescue operations in Türkiye, it affirmed that Vietnamese people can do all jobs related to rescue operations in the world.
During the rescue mission, the Vietnamese team saved the life of a 17-year-old boy and found and brought out 14 victims' bodies.
The Vietnamese delegation was also recognized and highly appreciated by the people, forces of Türkiye and international friends for its capacity and working spirit.
As the person who directly pulled the surviving victim from a depth of 7 meters under the rubble in Türkiye, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh said: I was assigned the task of approaching the victim. At that time, it was impossible to use machinery to approach because it would be dangerous for the victim. The only way was to dig a hole and crawl in, although it was very dangerous, it had to be accepted.
"I accepted the option of crawling in. I used my hands to dig out the dirt and rocks, avoiding strong impacts," he said. Regardless of the circumstances, he always chose saving people as his top priority. After a few meters, he talked to the victim and received a response, which further motivated him to dig with his hands continuously to save people, even though his hands were scratched and bleeding profusely.
There were times when he was crushed by rocks and soil, but he did not give up. Finally, he approached and rescued the 17-year-old boy from the rubble, to the joy of the victim's family, local authorities and international rescue forces.
Captain Vu Duy Hung, a member of the working group, recounted the moment the victim was brought out, "the overwhelming emotion was indescribable."
After that, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh and his teammates continued to search for 14 bodies.
Originally from Thai Binh, but born and raised in Cu Chi (HCMC), graduated from grade 12, due to family difficulties, Nguyen Chi Thanh did not take the university entrance exam but stayed home to work for a living. In 2001, he joined the People's Public Security force, then was assigned to work as a firefighter at the Fire Prevention and Fighting Team, Fire Prevention and Fighting Center 23, HCMC Police.
Perhaps, one of the most memorable events of his life was when, as a young soldier, in April 2002, Nguyen Chi Thanh was mobilized to carry out firefighting duties at U Minh Thuong National Forest in Kien Giang.
30 officers and soldiers, 20 pumps and 3 fire trucks set off for U Minh Thuong forest. The forest terrain was rugged, the area was large, the trees were dense, the mud was deep, there were many dangerous animals and plants..., while firefighting tools could not be deployed, fire trucks could not reach the scene, they had to use manpower to dig a 4km water channel into the forest, placing a fire pump every 200m.
For more than a month, Thanh and his teammates volunteered to work continuously without changing shifts, and the fire was finally completely extinguished. There were times when his life was close to death, mosquitoes were everywhere, there was no water to bathe, and living conditions were extremely difficult, so he had a high fever and had to go to the emergency room. However, after leaving the medical station, he volunteered to return to put out the fire.
He and his teammates bravely completed their mission, protecting 700 hectares of primary forest and preventing the fire from spreading to 10,000 hectares of planted forest.
In October 2002, Nguyen Chi Thanh participated in firefighting and rescue at the International Trade Center ITC (HCMC), persistently standing on a ladder truck for more than 4 hours despite slipping and falling many times. He and his teammates rescued hundreds of trapped people, then continued to do firefighting work. When the fire was out, they went inside to search for victims in the terrible heat and thick toxic smoke, it took a long time to find and bring out 54 bodies.
In 2007, he participated in diving to search for 7 victims of the sinking of the Hoang Dat 36 ship in deep river, fast flowing water, the ship was over 100m long, had many floors, and a huge amount of cargo, causing chaos and danger.
In 2008, he participated in rescuing victims of the CR4 scaffolding collapse in Phu My Hung Urban Area. At that time, above was a female victim who had died and was stuck on the scaffolding. Her family requested that she be taken down immediately. Below was a victim trapped in the rubble of collapsed concrete, still alive but her life was hanging by a thread.
Lieutenant Colonel Thanh decided to carry out the task for a maximum of 20 minutes. In the cramped space, he used his hands to lift each stone, sand, and gravel that was covering the victim, while using his body to support himself on the scaffolding. After about 17 minutes, the victim was brought out safely.
In 2019, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh participated in the search for the remains of a young man who fell into a deep abyss in Cao Bang, a rescue operation considered the most difficult in Vietnam, without precedent. The victim had been lost in a cave for nearly 3 years, with no means of getting down. The cave was over 220m deep and very narrow, with some places only 50-60cm wide, requiring a person with enough courage and determination to go down. After some thought, Thanh volunteered to go down.
This choice was very difficult because once he accepted the mission, he accepted sacrifice, and his life could be in danger. It took him about 2 hours to get down to the cave, going down meter by meter, breathing deeply. The cave was very dark, lonely and filled with extreme fear, especially when he thought about his family, wife and children, but he calmly carried out his work.
The victim was buried under nearly 1 meter of rock. He had to dig with his hands, pick up each of the victim's bones, put them in a bag, and spend more than an hour cleaning up the scene before going back up.
In February 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Thanh was mobilized to participate in the rescue operation in a cave about 280m deep in Ha Giang. The victim had fallen in 13 days earlier. Due to the rain that lasted all night, making the cave even more humid, the cold seeped into his bones. The cave was pitch black, the only source of light was a flashlight the size of a chicken egg attached to the front of his helmet.
The deeper I went, the harder it was to breathe and the more nervous I felt. There were times when I thought of giving up halfway through. The deeper I went, the sharp rocks pointed out in all directions as if they were about to cut my skin.
"Never, while on duty, have I missed and longed for the moment of returning home to my hard-working wife and two little daughters like this." - Lieutenant Colonel Thanh later confided to the press. After nearly an hour of "brain-weighing" and mental challenge, he was able to bring the victim up in a way that went against the procedure, the victim up first, then he up.
Nguyen Chi Thanh's talent lies in being able to do things that no one else seems to be able to do.
Despite being known as the “Hero of Firefighting, Rescue and Relief”, few people know that Lieutenant Colonel Thanh’s family still has many difficulties. For a long time, the four members of this brave and courageous soldier’s family still had to rent a place to live.
When the media reported a lot about his achievements, some philanthropists and businesses with golden hearts offered to join hands and support Mr. Thanh's family by giving them a social housing unit.
In response to the community's affection for him, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department Command reported and asked for permission from the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department to present him with a house in March 2023.
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In 2023, a terrible fire occurred, killing 56 people. It was a nightmare not only for the people, but also for the fire prevention and fighting (PCCC) and rescue forces (CNCH).
In recent years, there have been many cases of fire police officers and soldiers being injured, even sacrificed while on duty. In times of peace, there are still brave examples who take on dangerous tasks, ready to "jump into the fire" to keep every home safe, to protect the lives, property and peaceful lives of the people.
Source: https://daidoanket.vn/trung-ta-nguyen-chi-thanh-chet-thi-ai-cung-so-nhung-nhiem-vu-can-la-lai-xung-phong-10271977.html
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