PANO – In my childhood, the first time I heard about General Vo Nguyen Giap was through my father’s stories whenever he visited home. Once, he brought home many pictures of Uncle Ho, leaders of the Party and State, and posted them all on a wall. He introduced to me to each person in the pictures and explained: I am a soldier of Uncle Ho, a soldier and warrior of General Vo Nguyen Giap.
What is a soldier of Uncle Ho and a warrior of General Vo Nguyen Giap like? That is the person who implements every order of Uncle Ho and General Vo Nguyen Giap, determining to fight and determining to win.
Growing up, I gradually understood more about the difficulties and sacrifices of our army, people and Uncle Ho’s and General Vo Nguyen Giap’s spirit of determining to fight and to win.
Then, I joined the army, carrying a gun and a pen during my service. I had the chance to meet and learn from many officers and soldiers of different generations of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and General Vo Nguyen Giap’s warriors. I learned more about General Vo Nguyen Giap through their determination and actions to carry the all-victorious flag to post on the peaks of victories.
Photo: chinhphu.vn
We understand why the General always stressed that he himself and each soldier have to devote themselves to the national work and be loyal to the country and Party and grateful for the people, as Uncle taught. It is the root of virtue, ideology and ever-lasting driving force of each warrior of the General in the cause of liberating the country or building and protecting the country. This also explains why our army is always disciplined, strict and ready to sacrifice for the people and nation. This is also the General’s summary and teachings on the Party building and personnel work that we should bear in mind and follow.
We understand why generals, officers and warriors of the General always grasp thoroughly his summary of “striking and advancing surely”. The spirit of determining to fight and win must go closely with the spirit of taking responsibility at the highest level of a general at the battlefield, as reminded by Uncle Ho and directed by the Politburo in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, the historical battle that offered only one choice of fighting to win.
“Striking and advancing surely” is the bright nature and thinking of the General, who was gifted with humanity, wisdom and bravery. These were reflected right in the first battles under his command, such as holding the French enemy in Hanoi, attacking and preventing the French from advancing to the Viet Bac Base in 1947, Border Campaign in 1950, Dien Bien Phu campaign and the resistance war against the American imperialists to reunify the country.
“Striking and advancing surely” has become Vietnam’s outstanding military thinking, a motto to build and organize Vietnam’s armed forces through General Vo Nguyen Giap’s comrades and soldiers. That is what General Vo Nguyen Giap and his warriors hoped and determined to implement in every decision to make the country develop firmly and sustainably in the cause of building and protecting the country.
Written by Senior Colonel Nguyen Manh Hung (former editor of the People’s Army Newspaper)
Translated by Nguyen Ngoc Hung
Đăng ký: VietNam News
