Fighting in a bombing period

The small house of veteran Duong Nguyen Thong located on the pathway to the martyrs’ cemetery of Da Mai ward is always warm and happy thanks to kind-hearted and friendly hosts. Thong and his wife are nearly 80 years old but they look younger than their ages with pleasing and funny conversations and smiles on their faces. Not many people know that this veteran suffers from 8 wounds on his body and a piece of shrapnel in his head.

Thong and his wife carefully clean the martyrs’ graves.

As commandoes, Thong and his comrades used to undergo hard and tough trainings. Then, they got into fierce fights in battlefield B. In the sequential battles, the line between life and death was very blurred where the soldier was wounded for many times with lifelong sequelae.

Thong suffered from the most serious wound in 1969 in the battle at Cam Ranh gulf when he was shot in his right leg and fainted at the bombing. When he woke up, he tried to creep to find his comrades. During a week, he ate wild vegetables on the road to survive. When he was found by the locals, his wound was seriously septic.

Wounded veteran Duong Nguyen Thong and his wife visit and clean the cemetery everyday.

He was brought to his combat unit to cure. Luckily, his leg was remained but is was cut 18 centimeters and connected with an intramedullary nail. However, he thought his wounds could not be compared to the deaths of many soldiers in the battlefields.

The comradeship

After being seriously injured, Thong left the military and he was cared and cured in Nam Sach district, Hai Duong province according to the State’s policy. He returned his homeland in 1971 and benefited the policy for wounded soldiers. When the weather changes, he suffers from awful pains while the remaining piece of shrapnel makes him in a whirl and face memory impairment.

With his bravery as a warrior, he has tried his best to overcome the pains to do useful works for the society. Because he was living near the martyrs’ cemetery, he thought he could care for the graves as a way to pay tributes to his comrades. Thus, he proposed to the people’s committee of Da Mai commune (now Da Mai ward) to assign this task to him.

For nearly 20 years, he has cleaned up and cared for the graves to beautify the cemetery. Regardless of age or movement difficulty, this wounded veteran comes to the cemetery everyday to weed, clean the cemetery and graves, take care of the trees, plant more flowers and mobilize people to grow areca trees on the pathway to the cemetery.

Thong often talks about his wife with love. His wife named Lau used to be an enthusiastic cadre as Chairwoman of the communal people’s committee and Chairwoman of the communal Women’s Union for years. After she retired, she still actively joins the activities of the village. When Thong is sick or tired, she will take over the meaningful work of her husband.

The scene of the cemetery.

At first, there were only tens of graves at the martyrs’ cemetery of Da Mai ward. Now it is home to 104 graves after the locals sought and gathered martyrs’ remains here. Thong and his wife recommended the local government to provide fund and mobilize resources from the society to embellish the cemetery with ceramic tiles, building auxiliary items and assembling light system.

Thanks to good care of Thong and his wife and attention of local government and people, the cemetery looks like a green park with year-round flower blossom. Martyrs’ relatives and local people regularly visit the cemetery with warm incense burning.

Veteran Duong Nguyen Thong shared, he and his wife will continue to care the cemetery for the comradeship and tributes to the comrades despite their ages and weakness

The stories he told to students and young people about the years of struggles and his good deed to care the martyrs’ graves contribute to educating young generations to memorize a tough but glorious wartime period.

Detail construction planning of Phuc Son industrial park published

(BGO) – The People’s Committees in Phuc Son and Lam Cot communes, Tan Yen district (Bac Giang province) have cooperated with Le Delta Joint Stock Company and consultant Phuc Long Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company to announce the Detail Construction Planning of Phuc Son industrial park (ratio 1/500).

Bac Giang successfully grows seedless lychees

(BGO) – In late 2019, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Bac Giang province cooperated with relevant agencies and farmers to grow 500 seedless lychee trees in Tan Son commune, Luc Ngan district.

Resolution to establish Bac Ly town announced in Bac Giang

(BGO) – On June 29 afternoon, the Party Committee, People’s Council and Committee, Fatherland Front Committee in Hiep Hoa district, Bac Giang province held a ceremony to announce the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on establishment of Bac Ly town in Hiep Hoa district). The event was attended by Member of the provincial Party Committee Standing Board, Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council Lam Thi Huong Thanh.

Vietnam’s new passport promotes images of Vietnam

The Ministry of Public Security issued a new ordinary passport for Vietnamese citizens on July 1.

Finance ministry proposes tax cuts on gasoline

The Ministry of Finance has apprised the government of its plan to reduce special consumption tax and value-added tax on gasoline to bring its prices down.