Forever a soldier

The University of Social Sciences and Humanities currently has 58 war veterans (VW) out of a total of nearly 500 staff members. Many VWs are leading lecturers and scientists or have held key management positions in all activities of the University. Let's listen to the teachers' sharing about the unforgettable time in the army to sympathize with their experiences and thoughts about life and the younger generation... * Mr. Nguyen Chi Hoa(Director of the Training Quality Assurance Center): Believe in the young generation I enlisted on April 19, 1972. At that time, I was 17 years old, in my final year of Hung Yen Town High School. I was specially granted a graduation certificate to enlist in the battlefield. On November 13, 1976, I was discharged from the army and studied at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science. If my university degree in Linguistics is considered important to my life, then an equally important university degree to me is the "practical" degree from the "military university". Although the tuition fee for it had to be paid with bones, blood, health and youth, it gave me the will to constantly strive and the "iron" discipline as a premise for my future life. As a soldier returning to civilian life, the biggest difficulty and obstacle in continuing to study and work is health - which has been greatly depleted after years of hardship on the battlefield. The “gain” is the will to constantly strive and the “iron” discipline – the habit of a soldier – that has “permeated” all my activities. I often keep in mind that “Every day must be a beautiful day”. Of course, I have not been able to do everything as I wished, but basically, will, labor and self-discipline have helped me a lot in life. Those are the qualities of a soldier that have helped me in teaching and scientific research. I have great faith in today’s generation of students and young people, just as I have faith in my generation of students and young people. They are intelligent, strong-willed, disciplined… and every time the Fatherland is invaded, they would rather sacrifice their last drop of blood than lose an inch of the Fatherland’s land… Never lose faith in them, when you see them taking care of their families, individuals… or talking a little nonsense. I love and respect them, because they were us a few decades ago.* Teacher Vu Thanh Tung(Lecturer of the Faculty of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Studies): Keeping oneself intact is a soldier I joined the army at the end of 1970, after 8 days I received the notice of admission to Hanoi University of Science and Technology. At that time, no young man my age could stay in the rear even if there was a legitimate reason. After a year of training, we marched on foot for 6 months to Dong Thap Muoi and became undercover soldiers building local forces. In October 1976, I entered the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science. There are many memories of the war. But I can say that when we were undercover and building bases, we lived with many "bases" who were spies planted by the enemy, which we called "swans" and "phoenixes". Only when our security came to arrest us, were we startled and scared. After the US's "Vietnamization of the war" strategy, most of the revolutionary bases in the Southern Delta were destroyed. Every night, we raided hamlets (secretly entered strategic hamlets) to connect with the base, build up forces among the people. It must be said that the people never abandoned the revolution. Only revolutionary cadres made them lose faith. Luckily, at that time, the people had great faith in Uncle Ho, in the North, just hearing us speak with a Northern accent, they believed. During the fierce war, death happened every day, many people could not bear it and deserted, running to the other side. We survived because we believed that one day we would return. We must believe in the people, be honest with them, do not lie to them, having the people means having everything. During those years, we did not receive any regime. We lived because the people fed and protected us. The biggest difficulty for soldiers returning to civilian life was how to live like normal people. Saying that to see how difficult and arduous our country and people went through the 80s of the last century, when many hopes and beliefs were shaken and broken. We, the veterans, were able to keep ourselves, study and complete the assigned tasks well thanks to the difficult and fierce years of war. I myself often remember my comrades who sacrificed themselves, their advice to keep myself completely as a soldier. As a soldier and a teacher, I have to try many times harder, keep myself from all the temptations of everyday life, live honestly and behave like an honest soldier, a teacher with personality. I am very afraid that after class, students will see me as just a ferryman taking passengers across the river and they will forget everything. During class hours, I always try to make students understand that I have put all my enthusiasm into helping them master professional knowledge and be honest in every lecture to be honest in life. Fortunately, many students wrote to me, thanking me for my closeness and honesty. Perhaps the war gave me this? Someone once asked me to contribute my opinion on political and ideological education for students today? I think that only sincerity can influence each other. Everything in this world is just vanity. Honesty is to help each other preserve ourselves, preserve faith in the future of the country, of the nation. Teachers must be a support, a mirror for students to look up to.* Mr. Pham Dinh Lan(Lecturer of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication): The years of military service are the foundation for today's life. I joined the army after the victory of national reunification in 1975. After 15 years of military service, although there were no fierce battles, there were still many difficulties and hardships, especially the time in Northern Laos on the radar duty to protect the airspace of a neighboring country. Lacking everything, even the lack of the voice and smile of a girl, the soldier's lips were thin, but his eyes were always sharp and alert to fulfill his duty. Then during the years of the war at the northern border, we marched, the enemy's artillery fired from behind, fired on both sides of the road, but it seemed that at that time we were not afraid of death. Perhaps patriotism, love for the homeland, love for parents, love for the sound of roosters crowing... urged me to fight, to fulfill my duty. After 15 years of military service, with the rank of captain on my shoulders when I was not yet thirty years old, I transferred to Hanoi University of Science, now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The new environment with the luggage of the soldier is the spirit of Uncle Ho's soldiers. On the podium, the years of military service are the support, the belief to be able to convey the lecture better to the students. The stories told to the students are the memories, the reminiscences that come back. I - a veteran teacher want you to understand the past better, be imbued with more love for the country and national pride, and appreciate more what your fathers and brothers have contributed. Young people today are studying and training in an open but also challenging environment. Life is now different from the past, with many needs and many pitfalls. You can overcome all difficulties but there is not enough time to contemplate life. You should live, study and work so that history always accompanies you, do not let that distance grow farther. If you do so, history will not forget you and will give you what you want. Right, my friends!