Journey themed: Visiting red addresses

The back-to-the-roots journey themed “Visiting red addresses”, recently organized by mass organizations of Dong Nai Provincial Military Command to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, National Day September 2, and other major holidays, has left good impressions on the participants.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Van Hoan, Deputy Head of Political Affairs, Border Guard Command, Provincial Military Command, introduces the national border marker to the delegation members. Photo: Nguyet Ha

Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Chanh, Deputy Head of Political Affairs, Provincial Military Command, and head of the working group, stated: The " Visiting red address" journey was organized for the first time to allow cadres, members, youth union members, and women of the provincial armed forces to participate and gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and value of peace and independence today.

Impressions of Ta Thiet Base

Participants in the “Back-to-the-roots” program had to travel a considerable distance to reach the border commune of Loc Thanh - home to the special national historical site of the Headquarters of the Liberation Army of Southern Vietnam (Ta Thiet Base). The majority of nearly 70 members of the working group were visiting Ta Thiet Base for the first time, and they were all excited and eager to hear, see, and learn about the many documents and revolutionary traditions of the area.

Professional Major Hoang Thi Thuy, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of the Provincial Military Command, shared: "This Back-to-the-roots journey coincided with a major national anniversary and was also a meaningful trip that every member wanted to participate in, wanting to visit the revolutionary base where our ancestors once operated, fought, and defended the Fatherland."

Thuy and many of the delegation members were visiting this meaningful location for the first time, so they all took the opportunity to research, learn, and listen to introductions about the revolutionary historical site - Ta Thiet Base - a place that left a deep mark in the history of our military and people's resistance against the American imperialists, especially during the 1973-1975 period.

Ta Thiet Base was where many high-ranking leaders of the Party, State, and Army, such as Senior General Tran Van Tra and Central Bureau Secretary Pham Hung, worked and made important decisions for the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Nowadays, the base has been restored and preserved to retain its original historical value.

Members of the working group explored the relics within the Ta Thiet Base complex, such as: the working house of the Regional Command; many sturdy bomb-proof shelters; and the logistics area with camps storing food and necessities for the forces at the base...

Soldier Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Battalion 208, Regiment 736, Provincial Military Command, expressed: "This journey was truly meaningful to me. Through it, I understood more about the indomitable fighting tradition of our ancestors and the duty and responsibility of the current generation to resolutely protect the revolutionary achievements for which our ancestors fought and sacrificed."

Moved by the national border marker

The members of the working group were deeply moved when they paid a working visit to Loc Thanh Border Post, located between Loc Thien Border Post and Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Post. Lieutenant Colonel Pham Quang Nga, Head of Loc Thanh Border Post, stated: The unit is managing and protecting a border line with a length of over 14.52km, with 11 positions, 26 auxiliary border markers (13 markers on the Vietnamese side, 13 markers on the Cambodian side), and 1 sandbar center; the border runs along the Ton Le Cham River, bordering Cambodia.

Also according to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Quang Nga, Loc Thanh commune today was established by merging the two communes of Loc Thanh and Loc Thinh (formerly part of Loc Ninh district, Binh Phuoc province). The commune has an area of over 193.5km2, 3,640 households with over 15,300 people, and 12 ethnic groups living together. Of the 15 hamlets in the commune, Loc Thanh Post is responsible for 9 hamlets; the remaining 6 hamlets are managed by Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Post. The border line in the commune is 29.527km long and managed by Loc Thanh Border Post and Loc Thinh Border Gate Border Post. The people in the area strictly abide by the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws, and work together with border guards and functional forces to firmly protect the border line in the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Ngoc Chanh, Deputy Head of Political Affairs of the Provincial Military Command, Head of the working group, said: The visit to Loc Thanh Border Post allows members of the group to see and touch a specific border marker. Through this, they gained a deeper appreciation, affection and somewhat understand the silent work that the provincial border guard officers and soldiers have been carrying out day and night.

Some officers, members, union members, youth, and women of the provincial armed forces who touched a national land sovereignty marker for the first time all expressed emotion. Mai Thi Bich Ngoc, Logistics and Technical Department, Provincial Military Command, confided: "The Back-to-the-roots journey is very meaningful and practical. Through the trip, I have come to better understand and feel greater sympathy for functional forces, directly the border guards who have been guarding every inch of the Fatherland's border day and night..."

Throughout the "Back-to-the-roots" journey themed “Visiting red addresses”, in addition to performing tasks such as paying tribute to martyrs at Ta Thiet Base; visiting the living and working places of the Southern Liberation Army Command and many other activities, the delegation also visited and presented gifts to Phan Hoang Bao Long, the adopted son of Loc Thanh Border Post...

All members of the delegation believe that the journey is extremely meaningful, especially for those visiting the Fatherland's border markers or Ta Thiet Base for the first time, as it allows them to truly feel the meaning and value of independence and peace. Though unspoken, all members of the delegation show their determination and efforts to strive even harder to complete their tasks, contributing with the frontline forces to firmly protect the Fatherland's border region.

By: Nguyet Ha

Translated by: Mai Nga – Thu Ha