After many days actively searching for the missing, Private First Class Chau A Thanh from Company 7, Battalion 8, Regiment 98, Division 316 had his skin turned dark and his eye sockets sunken. Asked about his tasks, the soldier was determined that “even if there is a glimmer of hope, my comrades and I will be ready to do. We will never surrender to difficulties and challenges.” To prove his determination, Thanh showed a bamboo stick, a tool used to dig the ground to search for victims, with the words "Not afraid of hardship,” written with a correction pen. He said that “Clearly aware of the mission of “combat in peacetime,” my comrades and I always keep steadfast in thinking. We will do our best to complete the assigned tasks. All for the people of Nu village.”
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Officers and soldiers of Regiment 98, Division 316 unanimously exert all-out efforts to search for victims in Nu village, Phuc Khanh commune. |
Thanh’s home town is in Trung Chai commune, Sa Pa township, Lao Cai province so he gets used to hill climbing and forest crossing. However, he has never witnessed such a disastrous storm as Typhoon Yagi, the third storm hitting Vietnam this year. A few days before the flash flood and landslide devastating Nu village, his comrades and he were active in the flood prevention and control in Ha Hoa district, Phu Tho province. When the disasters occurred, they were ordered to immediately march to the scene to carry out search and rescue missions. Faced with the huge losses of their compatriots, they told themselves to exert all-out efforts to help ease the pain of local people. Wiping the sweat running down his muddy face, Thanh said, “This Mid-Autumn Festival, I do not have time to send a gift to my daughter. I will strive to fulfill the mission as a gift to her.”
The family of Private First Class Chao Lao Su from Company 6, Battalion 8, Regiment 98 has also faced many difficulties by the storm and prolonged rains. His house was flooded with rocks and soil from a landslide. Luckily, all of his family members are safe. He gave his father, Chao Duon Lua, a call and informed him that he was conducting a search and rescue task in Nu village and encouraged his parents to overcome the consequences of the house collapse. He felt sorry for not being able to assist the family in this difficult time.
Knowing about his son’s task performance in a hard place, the father encouraged Su to keep a good health condition, ensure safety, and strive to excellently complete his duties. The encouragement from the father became a driving force for Su and his comrades to brave weather, wade through mud, and cross streams to search for victims.
It is difficult to describe the hardships facing the officers and soldiers of Division 316 taking on search and rescue missions in Nu village. But none of them has faltered. Many have soaked themselves for hours in mud and stagnant water. Many have groped along streams for dozens of kilometers a day to search for victims.
Two soldiers, Private First Class Phung Nhu Quyen from Company 7, Battalion 8, and Corporal Do Tien Nam from Company 6, Battalion 8, Regiment 98, have just left Bao Yen district’s General Hospital though their wounds have not yet fully healed. They were stabbed and cut in the foot by sharp objects and were hospitalized for treatment. As soon as they could walk, they volunteered to continue the searching mission.
Lieutenant Colonel Luong Vinh Phuc, Deputy Political Commissar of Regiment 98, expressed the pride of the unit’s officers and soldiers. In difficult times, the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers shine even brighter. “This is a great spiritual asset of Regiment 98,” the officer said. He confirmed that the regiment will continuously develop to be capable of undertaking and excellently completing all assignments.
Translated by Mai Huong