The remembrances of a general
"The matter of the homeland and the sympathy with the South Vietnamese comrade. I joined the army to the Ho chi Minh's call." The veteran, who had participated the combat against the French, returned to the army with full determination, courage and enthusiasm, to a new challenge, to the camp of the iron discipline. The questioned general was a member of section 559, which task was the maintenance of the supply and aid lines for South.
The military camp was in the heart of the jungle, burrowed in a mountainside. Everyone lived there, from the commanders to the soldiers. The dense, many-leveled foliage of the jungle provided the soldiers protection against the gimletlike eyes of the enemy. Apart from some randomly dropped bombs, life was normal. Hygiene and sanitary service was solved, the everyday life was well-organized.
After breakfast, soldiers cultivated lands to have more foods. Although the Soviet Union and China offered foodstuffs, clothes and medicines, nay the Vietnamese stayed at home gave everything for the soldiers, the American bombing prevented the transportation. In addition, they could only transport canned foods since fresh foods would go easily off. Drinking-water was obtain from brooks but had to be boiled since it was dirty. In spite of these, they didn't always go to bed full. When the sun had gone down, the soldiers went to work. The task of transporters was supplying South, the others shot at enemy aircraft, sometimes swooped down. At dawn, they returned to their camp and had a rest.
Beyond the bombs, there were more dangers ahead for them, the same that protected them: the jungle. The wild animals of the forest threatened their life. That's not only the tigers, but the mosquitoes spreading malaria. Those, who caught the disease were carried home.
"The strife on the battlefield were very fierce. The American bombardments were much heavier than the French. They have advanced technology weapons." But he didn't fear. "I got a determination: if I die, I'll die for the homeland. One needs determination to make it well." He had some chances to die, but these occasions deterred him from nothing. "I was near to the death three times during the war. First, when B-52s bombed my bed from where I had just got up. Second, a bomb hit a ford where I was about to go. The explosion threw my car away, fortunately I didn't get injured. Third, I was at a supervision. The aircraft came and started firing. Soldiers retired to the shafts. I only got time to lie close to a trunk with a comrade. A bomb exploded beside us and tons of earth fell onto us. I fainted. Fortunately I could breath since there was a hollow as the trunk was rounded. After 45 min of bombing, I was dug out. We were escaped, but my pal couldn't continue the fights. I recovered after some days."
According to him, American prisoners weren't tortured and weren't beaten heavily. They were detained, talked to that their ruining a foreign country is an unjust thing. "Torturing is an extreme way of crude brutality. The North Vietnamese just bound me, beat me a bit but that wasn't torturing at all." - claim a former American prisoner. However, if the enemy is not a prisoner, he must be killed whether he's an American or a South Vietnamese, otherwise he'll kill you. "The US is a tyrant conqueror, an oppressor and South Vietnam is their henchman. Both are our enemies.
Those, who survived the war founded clubs, meetings. The 559 club's reunion takes place on 19th May annually, the date of the formation of the section and the birthday of Ho Chi Minh at the same time. Members discuss with each other, recall their adventures, make a speech. The family members of the fallen turn up. The needy got subsidies. There is a mother, whose husband and five-six sons deceased during the war.
To sum up, the generation that participated the war actively is proud of themselves, their achievement and the success of the country. The high officers live on their pension but soldiers, who completed hastily the military school during the war to join the forces, they come to a bad situation since they may be unemployed fast.