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Almost 100 hours lying in the cabin, sharing every box of rice, shifts of water, wading mud and mud on dark nights on the southwest border, I witnessed all the difficulties of hundreds of border guards. – Heroes unite in front against invisible “enemies”: the Corona virus.
Soldiers here await repulsion as soon as possible from the COVID-19 pandemic.
***
Thong slowly draws a towel. A still fresh scarf, folded in four, was carefully hidden in a green pocket on the left chest.
“You guys take military clothes to mourn for me. I will go wherever I go, as if I have a father by my side, protecting me.”
“How do you plan to use it later?” – I asked for
“I hope to end the epidemic sooner. On that day, I will take the first flight, return home, send this mourning scarf to my father’s altar …”. He turned around, his eyes red behind the mask that had been bathed in rain.
It still rains four surface waters. The night is cold.
Now that the south is in the dry season, the paddy fields around point 3 are stubble, they evaporate hot, like fire falling on their heads.
Latch 3 (Hamlet 1, Thanh Tri Commune, Kien Tuong Township, Long An) is located in the middle of a field, a hut of coconut leaves half crowded on the road, half against the column erected on the hillside. Around, less than 10 km, except some sharp palm trees, almost all fields with fields, cracked. Behind, just where the buffalo hole was, the farmers plugged in the fishing hooks, the soldiers began to wash and wash dishes.
Every time when it was time to eat, the brothers took turns driving to the station, remembering to bring a can of clean water to drink all day. Walk about 7 km, go to the market, meet people, buy noodles, vegetables, duck eggs, another 14 km.
Pin number 3 is in the middle of the field.
The red star with the yellow star always shines in the border area.
The latch was held on March 28, 2020, consisting of four soldiers: Lt. Vo Chi Bao, Soldiers Vo Hoang Phi, Tran Tan Sang, and Lt. Chief, Lt. Nguyen Dinh Thong, patrolling, guarding, and protecting. 7 km border.
The entire Long An province has 132 km of border boundaries with 2 provinces of Bray Cung and Svay Rieng, Kingdom of Cambodia. Since February, when the Covid-19 epidemic appeared in Vietnam, implementing Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16, the Long An Border Guard Command fixed 44 key points, avoiding traces, opening and controlling. , detecting and deploying isolation of illegal immigrants.
On the way from Tay Ninh to Long An, every time I saw a hut of leaves and baries like that. The pegs lie crouched at the top of the slope, hooked alone in the middle of the field, behind the barn, in the Cajuput forest or even at the sewer mouth … Day and night, hundreds of soldiers directly guard the border.
Pine bridge to the water well to get water to wash, wash dishes.
In the afternoon when I arrived, Bao and Sang went on patrol. Near the border, there are still a few acres of fields that are beginning to mature today. People want to harvest, pass the pin, measure body temperature, send the identity card and equipment to the field. People working in the fields, ground guards, wading 18 km around the border to remind people from the two countries not to meet this season, “The disease is very contagious” – Bao smiled and reminded everyone.
The work is repeated, 24 / 24h, sunny and rainy still regularly.
“In the dry season, the ground is dry, the car can still run in the field, but when the rainy season calms down, the brothers simply walk down the armpits. People have finished the harvest and the hamsters are running a lot Sometimes people in Cambodia still through the capture of mice, but this time it is strictly prohibited. We do not know the language of the people, we all meet: “Crown, crown … Crown”, they understand what they mean and no longer come to us. “Bao said.
24 / 24h, hundreds of soldiers day and night defending the border of the Covid-19 pandemic
Bao, 25, was a backup soldier from Cua Dai Border Guard Station (Ben Tre) to position number 3 for more than half a month. On March 19, he was inspecting protective forests in the province when Bao received a directive. Just in the day, he was about to leave.
“The first day he called, it was dark, I was very sorry! But I was a soldier, I already suffered, I understand, so I just sent a text message: Remember to take care of your health …”
Phi and Sang are 19 years old. Particularly, Chief Nguyen Dinh Thong was a little older, 27 years old. 4 children are in their twenties, who graduated last year, the following year went to the border, the elderly also attended 2-3 prestigious universities, but in the end they decided to leave it alone because “You know how to love being a soldier!”
“After studying in Saigon for half of the semester, I didn’t feel like crowded streets. At that time, I was close to military registration, so I went back to my hometown to take the exams. My mother cried, it was very fierce! passion from an early age, how difficult it is … ” – Bao smiled.
4 children in their 20s directly guard the border.
The borders of heaven, alas! Right now, it was still sunny, a little stormy with lightning, and the rain was as strong as water. Momentarily an area of rain cleared. The bureaucratic hut caused everything to collapse.
Bao and Sang arrived on time and quickly tied 6 zinc coconut leaf doors. Clear the rain, run away, and insert a tent on the roof. Phi drop 2 manh covering the front door, gently rolled up in lumps, piled up. Now, except for the front door, the latch had been turned into a locked room, buckling.
In the afternoon, the rain fell endlessly on the station.
The cabin fought before the storm.
In the open air, the wind continued to whip the latch. Just a few minutes later, the water along the path of the leaf flows, dripping. This leak, you get towels, there is rain, the towel is already wet. Leave it alone. Brothers and sisters looked out the door, praying the sky would stop.
Bao said, 2 days ago, the key can not forget the rain of the southern season. That day, lightning flashed like firecrackers, the brothers protected themselves all night from the fear of not letting them go.
When the storm was too strong, Captain Vu Duy Ngoc (Politburo member from Thanh Tri Border Station) yelled: “Lower the rain shelter. The clay here is very easy to attract.”, 4 new brothers agreed to remove the key, fleeing from the rain.
During the early evening of the rainy season, pin number 3 fortunately “survived”. But the temporary dowel that Thong built after Tet became a heap of damp straw and broken wood. At that time, as the new epidemic entered, he and Phi went to break the tight branches of cajuput glue on the sewer pipe to make a pin.
Living on the border is very difficult, but everyone is full of determination.
In the access mouth, two brothers covered tarps, straw to keep cool, the ground is covered with mats, and all afternoon they enter the fan of leaves to protect. “I did not know that this epidemic was so harsh! During the day it was as hot as an oven, at night the mosquitoes were so dense that they could not sleep. Brothers and sisters occasionally took turns opening the sewer mouth to call their families for fun. ” On March 28, there was a new latch, they just asked for more solar cells to be installed, so now it’s better. “
At that time, as the new epidemic entered, he and Phi went to break the tight branches of cajuput glue on the sewer pipe to make a pin. Now it has collapsed.
All the key points in the Thanh Tri commune share the same “5 no” criteria! Without electricity, without lights, without people, without telephone reception, and never a break.
“When I returned to my hometown, a friend told me to go to the senior army, and all the phone calls were timid. I don’t know if anyone here knows who will receive a regular reception on a regular basis.” Thong said only pointed at the muzzle. He called it a “no,” that is, up there, if the patrol, the family can never contact.
Another 10 km away, there was an additional pin 1 (Binh Bac village, Binh Hoa Tay commune) controlled by Lt. Dang Tieu Binh.
“People went to the fields to release buffalo, compost, dried the buffalo dung behind them, so it was only sunny, the breath was full of the smell of buffalo dung. In the rainy season, the flies had many difficulties and food was scarce. ” here often pushing, eating rice and buffalo dung is also common. “ Lieutenant Binh laughed.
Without electricity, without lights, without people, without telephone reception, and never a break.
9pm, patrolling, Thong in front of the latch, holding the phone to answer the call home. For him, in a remote place, the happiest time is those long calls to see such a family.
That Thong in Ha Tinh. In August 2018, after graduating from the Border Guard Academy, Thong was assigned by the Border Guard High Command to work in Long An province. More than 1.5 years away from home, on New Years, Thong asked to go home to his family.
Let’s remember the day Dad died while holding the border.
Thong’s father has cancer. While her son was away, she came and went between Bach Mai Hospital and Ha Tinh, and Thong’s younger sister studied while caring for her father.
After Tet, Thong asked permission to take his father to the hospital. Doctor listening: “The tumor has shrunk a little bit.”My father cried in the middle of the room! Throughout Tet’s season, his father ate the porridge, walked the garden, and collected some pots.
After Tet, when the unit arrived shortly before the Covid-19 outbreak, border guards were fiercely fighting the epidemic.
0h, 1/4, get a phone call from mom. “Your father has gone to the emergency room.”he said and wept. All night, he was like sitting on a campfire, calling his house forever without being able to contact.
2 pm, April 2, Uncle Thong called again. By phone, he choked: “My father is about to leave”. I cry.
That night, Thanh Tri Border Guard Command installed an altar to pray to Father Thong in front of pin 3.
Father Thong passed away at 14:00, one afternoon, while his son was still on the southwest border, protecting each “golden” land for the Homeland.
“I probably won’t make it in time. There’s only one flight left in this, and the social isolation is very limited. The first trip is over time. You help my mother and sister …” – Responds crying.
“Take care of your health, complete your mission early! Wait until the end of the epidemic to burn incense for Dad …”Uncle encouraged. In the old days, when Grandpa Thong died, his uncle also due to the mission in the Ha Tinh Border Guard, he did not keep up that year.
The cabin was hidden in the dark.
Just at night, at 7 p.m., with the permission of the superiors, the Thanh Tri Border Guard Command established an altar for Dad to announce it in front of pin 3.
Phi, Bao carried the table or used it as a place to measure body temperature in the middle of the road, to place the altar, add fruit plates, some flowers and obituaries. Commander Pham Van Nhan brought a white piece of military uniform to Thong to put on his head. That scarf, still holding her side, “Every day I am attentive as if my father was by my side, protecting me.”
During the night, each of them silently incense, they all cry.
Each of them silently incense, they all cry.
On this remote border, Captain Vu Duy Ngoc, Major Pham Van Nhan have told me many times about Mr. Muoi, Uncle Hai Doi, Tu Tu, Ms. Tu Dinh … – countless farmers “face to face “, along with border guards, before and during the Covid-19 season.
Like Uncle Hai Doi, on a rainy day, pin 1 was broken, he cut through his coconut grove and delivered the leaves to the roofed soldiers. The soldiers are thirsty, then they drink coconut water, wash themselves, eat rice, charge the phone battery … just go home if necessary.
Or Mrs. Tu sticky, there are five, her sister has supported the team with more than 1,000 loaves of bread so that the team becomes stronger. Now, he has installed a small post on the border, day by day, he buys some bags of vegetables and fish to sell to the soldiers and people in the area.
“Sell a little, give a lot. In the day, the cardboard, the duck eggs, the vegetable packages, the signed rice … In the village there is a piece of copper fish, the milk breast also has sun for the soldiers”. – Commander Pham Van Nhan shared.
“On the border, suffering is miserable, but attachment is like a family.”
Even in the military, comrades even shared half a lunch box, a medical mask, a small phone battery to call the family on nights that awaited the moon. “On the border, suffering is miserable, but attachment is like a family.” Major Nhan laughed.
The patrol light illuminated an area.
***
At night, Thong and I went on patrol along the R river. There, on the big black screen on the edge of the Homeland, the folds of the house finally fell asleep.
“What are your plans later?” – I asked for
Thong slowly draws a towel. A scarf that was still white, neatly folded into the left breast pocket.
“I look forward to the early end of the epidemic. I will take the first flight, return home, bring this mourning scarf to my father’s altar …”
On the pin, Phi was spinning the radio, hoping to catch a stray wave. For a long time, music played, like accidental or intentional in the middle of a lonely night.
“I patrol the road to town …
How many eyes await you expectantly …
You bring joy to the business people …
He is a literacy teacher.
He is a doctor to keep people healthy.
Love on the border, love in people’s hearts.
My brother, my soldiers!
Dear soldier, my brother! … ”
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