Faces of death
Talking about his career milestones over the past 22 years, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh said that there were times when he and his teammates had to stand between life and death, carrying out many extremely difficult missions.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh. Photo: PC07
One of the most painful missions in the memory of Lieutenant Colonel Thanh and his teammates was the fire at the International Trade Center (ITC) building (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) in 2002, which took the lives of 60 people.
“My teammates and I participated in the rescue, then joined in the fire fighting and searching for victims’ bodies in the fire. This incident caused a huge loss of life – 60 people died and over 200 were injured, this is a truly tragic number” - Mr. Thanh said.
In particular, Lieutenant Colonel Thanh also participated in a rescue case in Ha Giang province in 2020. This was an unprecedented case, and no local forces or vehicles could reach the victim.
Lieutenant Colonel Thanh and his teammates participated in the search for victims who fell into a deep cave in Cao Bang in 2019. Photo: PC07
According to Thanh, the area where he and his teammates carried out the rescue work was considered extremely dangerous. The victim fell into a cave (geological crack) about 300 meters deep. “This is a primitive cave, no one has ever been down there so we don’t know if there is oxygen down there or not. We had to discuss and come up with many solutions to both bring the victim’s body up and ensure the life of the rescuer.” Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Thanh volunteered to go down into the deep cave to explore and pull the victim up.
“I was going down the cave when it started to rain, flash floods poured down from above, the radio signal was lost due to the rain, the rope puller that helped me go up and down also stopped working. I was suspended about 2 meters above the bottom of the cave, rocks and soil poured down from above, hitting me back and forth. I thought I was going to die at that moment, because the rope tied to my back could not be untied by myself.
After that, luckily I was able to untie the rope around my back, hide in a hole in the cave, wait for the rain to stop, the radio signal to return, then continue the mission, bringing the victim's body up" - Lieutenant Colonel Thanh shared.
"Forget yourself for the country, serve the people"
Not only with the goal of completing the tasks assigned by superiors, but for Mr. Thanh and his teammates, the most sacred mission of a firefighter and rescue soldier is human life: "When a relative goes missing, the family's greatest wish is to save their family members, or at least bring them back to their families. So when we work in this profession, stick with it long enough and are passionate enough, we will naturally have sympathy and understanding for the pain of the victim's relatives. That is what motivates us more than ever."
In early 2023, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh and his teammates also directly participated in the search and rescue support work after the earthquake disaster in Türkiye of the Ministry of Public Security. Photo: PC07
According to Lieutenant Colonel Thanh, for firefighters and rescuers, in addition to experience, health, and courage, luck is also a factor that helps them complete their tasks.
“After many years working in the fire prevention and rescue industry, I feel that this is a very humane and meaningful profession. So whenever we receive a task, we try to do it well, without refusing or being reluctant to do anything.”
In response to the respect and praise his colleagues have shown him, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh humbly said that it is only the duty, responsibility and heart's command of a CNCH soldier. He affirmed that he would still choose this profession if he could choose again, even though the job always faces difficulties and dangers.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Chi Thanh said: “I also thought there would be a time when I would sacrifice myself. But "living by the profession, dying by the profession" is a very normal story, we have to accept it. When we carry out the mission of rescuing people or bringing them back to their families, that is our greatest happiness."
Source: https://laodong.vn/nguoi-viet-tu-te/trung-ta-nguyen-chi-thanh-voi-nhung-cau-chuyen-thap-tu-nhat-sinh-1203115.ldo
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