Heroic Yen Ninh battalions

Responding to Uncle Ho’s call, facing the demands of the large front line, requiring increased human and material resources in the South, military recruitment is now more necessary than ever, with the slogans “There is no shortage of rice.” one pound, the army is not missing one person”, “All for the front line”, “All for the Southern region”, “The front line calls, the rear responds”, “Ninh Thuan calls, Yen Bai responds”, “Even if we have to burn the entire Truong Son range, we must win independence,” Yen Bai Provincial Army was assigned the task of organizing and building a battalion to train troops going to B.

The new task was very urgent, so the province had to withdraw officers from agencies and urgently recruit troops. In just 2 years from 1967 – 1968, the Party Committee and people of Yen Bai province built 4 battalions named Yen Ninh. with nearly 3,000 troops trained in Tan Huong commune, Yen Binh district to support the southern battlefield. Among them, Yen Ninh Battalion 1 was established in July 1967, with over 700 officers and soldiers, mainly children of ethnic minorities in Yen Bai province.

In this enlistment, most of the soldiers are only 18 – 20 years old, with a few being 25 – 27 years old (comrades at the agency called to enlist). In particular, some comrades as young as 17 years old have also applied to volunteer to join the army, such as: Vu Xuan The and Hoang Dinh Van in Viet Cuong commune; Nguyen Duy Them in Bao Dap commune…

After 5 months of training, at 5:00 p.m., December 10, 1967, also at the location of the unit’s establishment, the Battalion held a departure ceremony to fight in the Southern battlefield with 635 comrades, 85 remaining. Willing to stay as a frame officer to prepare for the next Yen Ninh battalions. Soldiers of Yen Ninh Battalion 1 were assigned to two different battlefields in the Central Highlands and the Southeast region and participated in major campaigns of the entire South such as: The Mau Than Uprising General Offensive Campaign in 1999. 1968; Spring – Summer Campaign in 1969, against enemy raids and raids on the corridor of warehouses and rear stations along the Cambodian border due to the Lonnon coup in Shianuc in 1970…

In 1975, many comrades were honored to participate in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, completely liberating the South and reunifying the country. Urgent training, urgent operations, and timely replenishment of the fronts are outstanding characteristics of the Yen Ninh armies. Yen Ninh Battalion 2 trained for 3 months. In May 1968, they went south to supplement the North Saigon Gia Dinh division with the main area being Long An.

Yen Ninh Battalion 3 trained for 8 months. In December 1968, they went South to supplement the Thua Thien Hue front. Yen Ninh 4 trained for 7 months, and in January 1969 went to the South to supplement the Southeast front. This shows that the feet of Yen Ninh soldiers were present on most of the main fronts in the South, the places considered the most fierce. During the process of participating in combat, Yen Ninh soldiers in the permanent formations of new units participated in hundreds of battles, destroyed thousands of enemies, burned many tanks, shot down many planes, contributed a worthy share in the common victory of the troops and people of the fronts.

Recalling those years, to this day some officers and soldiers of Yen Ninh Battalion 2 still praise themselves: “I didn’t expect that back then my endurance was so good and I quickly got used to the battlefield.” strange”.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Thuan in Nguyen Thai Hoc ward, Yen Bai city – a soldier of Yen Ninh Battalion 2, remembers the first battle, he said: “Entering Long An land, still with wet feet, the Battalion already had At that time, the enemy was organizing a major raid, and before they had time to familiarize themselves with the terrain, the Battalion opened fire to fight the raid and protect the people. The battle lasted until late afternoon, when the enemy retreated The unit returned to the gathering place, checked the number of soldiers, and found that soldier Phuong Van Luong, from Ngoc Chan commune, Yen Binh district, was missing Enemy helicopters came in groups. They searched and searched. Enemy artillery fired fiercely at the place where the battle had just taken place. Suddenly, a series of AK helicopters burst into flames Because Luong was still alive, everyone was worried about him being alone in the middle of the evil enemy. The plane swooped down on the field to capture Luong alive. Immediately, the unit opened fire to support, 4 12 mm 8 guns simultaneously opened fire gun”.

“The battle destroyed 300 enemies, shot down 3 planes. After the battles, many examples of brave soldiers fought and sacrificed their lives such as: heroic martyr Tran Xuan Lai; martyrs Phuong Van Luong, Le Van Minh, Hoang Huu Thang… In those battles, hundreds of soldiers sacrificed heroically, hundreds of other soldiers were injured. That is a shining example that will forever remain in the memory of the people and comrades “, Mr. Thuan continued.

It has been 49 years after the South completely liberated and unified the country, but for the soldiers of the old Yen Ninh battalions, although they still have shrapnel and wounds on their bodies, they are still excited. An indescribable joy and happiness when walking under the forest of flags and flowers, amidst the cheers of “Long live Vietnam’s reunification”, “Long live Uncle Ho”, “Long live the Liberation Army” of the people on the roads. heading to Saigon in April of that year. Now, even though their hair is gray and their health is no longer strong, they are still a “solid fortress” on the front of preventing “peaceful evolution” in the new era, engaging in corruption. contribute to socio-economic development, serving as a shining example for the younger generation to follow.

Nguyen Hong