kisah nyata dari seorang tentara VN part 1

I try again...
Story of a VN-Sino war 1979 veteran, at Ha Giang frontline.
In 1979, I was a soldier of 5th battalion, 692th Regiment, 301th Divison, Capital Military Zone. We were sent to
support militia troops in the frontline. When we arrived Bac Quang, 80km away from Ha Giang town, half of my
regiment deserted. So scary... I was 17 then, so still agressive. From Ha Giang town, turn right to "Sky Gate"
Quan Ba. This place was call "Gate of Death", cos China bombarded this place all day and night. We went to
assemble place by walking. In the evening, all regiment stopped to have dinner. After finishing my meal, I and
Toan brought canter and went to a spring nearby to get water (We wanted a hot tea cup). Suddenly, everythings
were blown up... That was the bombardment of Chinese arty. I and Toan fell to the ground. I was so scary...
could not breath. The bombardment stopped after 15'. Toan lied beside me, but he did not move anymore. He
was gone...
Then, I had to lived there six months. We replaced the Dac Cong (VN special unit force), M113 Battalion. The
terrain there was so odd. In chinese side, it was very sloping with a lot of big rocks. In our side was flat and
empty. That was the reason why Chinese organized their troops in "3 men group" formation. That made our
infantry crying...
In military tactics, each country chose their own strong force. USA chose airforce to control battlefield. Soviet
chose missile. And China chose arty (artillery). Their tactics was arty, arty, arty and then, tank and infantry. Arty
bombarded accummulately in important places. After 30' of arty's bombardment, infantry troops assaulted. That
was the reason why Chinese like arty very much. In our army, there were some stories told that Chinese arty
men were quite good, they could fire a bullet in to our arty's barrel. That was ridiculous. While firing, arty's
reconnaisance men must be near target, to navigate. Sometimes, their arty fired at their reconnaisance men's
hiding position. after the first arty's bombardment, I understood what a battlefield is. We quickly move to
assemble position.
When I went to our position, it was weird! We, the new recruit, well-equiped, well-wearing, well-discipline. But in
this place, the "old men" here looked like "jungle men". They have "3 NO":
1. No wearing new clothes (new clothes for dead only)
2. No haircut, no shaving beard (that meant "unlucky")
3. No hand-shaking, No saying goodbye (fearing that "no coming back")
We quicly moved into cellar. It was call "cellar", but I guessed if an arty's bullet fall into 10 "cellars" like this, we
had no way to survive. My "cellarmate" was Chinh. He came from Hai Hung province. His only ambition was
eating pig tripes... that was a dull men, I thought, hehe...
Chinh came here 3 months ago. He fought 5 battles. I asked him "Are you scary?". He said "Very. In the first
battle, I was so ----ing scary that could not fire. Hide in the trench, sticked my AK out, fire all cartridge..."
Chinh was 3 years older than me. He joined the army 3 years ago. He must be at his home, to be a farmer
then. He said, in the day he finish his soldier time, he stayed at his platoon, to organized a "goodbye party",
after 3 years "eat together, sleep together, traning together". No one can imagined Chinese could made trouble
that night. All regiment turned to be ready for fighting. Everyone must stayed for fighting. So he must stayed
here, in this "A-Cellar", with me, and the opposing mountain was Chinese land...

I was a rockie, a lot of things that I didnt know. Chinh told me everything. For exmaple, when I went out of my
cellar, I had to wear a electric rice-cooking pot (VN call all kind of heads helmet like this this was steel
helmet), it was 1,4kg weight. My head was small, while this pot was too big for me (it was a Soviet helmet
Western man, all kind of Western things are big, lol)... so it could not fit. I thought that if only a small piece of

rock fell into my helmet, I could be die cos my brain would be broken!
At the top of my cellar there was a 60mm mortal, with 2 mortal round coffins. Chinh told me must take all free
time to sleep, sleep everytime if I could. Chinese didnt wait us awake and attacked then... Chinh checked his
AK, rounds, cartridges, locked the safety lock, and then lie down, held his gun... Little moment later, I heard his
snoring sound.
I walked out of my cellar, looked around other cellars... All cellars linked by tunnels and trenchs. I ran to some
trenchs, seeked some friends. I saw some boy was crying... Hmm, I was scary, too, but not like them. My officer
told me back to my trench. His voice was so gentle (I thought all officer always say loudly, but he didnt). I knew,
in this situation, no one knew they could survive till tommorrow, so everyone needed each others, relied each
others, so there was no militarist officer here...
That night, I could not sleep Not because of fear, cos I felt time was so precious. If I fell asleep, could I wake
up in the next morning? I thought, and tried to open my eyes widely.
A silent night passed by.
Chinh woke up in early morning. He stood up and made water infront of our cellar. One hand hold his bird,
the other hand threw mortal ball into 60mm mortal barrel. I startled at The sound of exlosion, took my steel
pot, rushed outside my cellar. Chinh laughed loudly, he told me this is sporadic fire!. I said Why do you do
that? What a waste of mortal ball! If Chinese attack, we have no ball to play He said I must tell Chinese know
this position is Vietnamese terriory. I looked around and see that all cellars did the same thing. That was funny!
When the sun rose, I climbed on top of my cellar and watched Chinese land. Their mountains, their forest look
alike our mountains, our forest, why do they want to invade? Why do they want to get more? I thought.
8am. Assemble! My officer told us Chinese might attack. A platoon was required to move to opposing side,
attack enemys back if they assault. I was one member of that team. Chinh looked at me, maybe he worried
about me then. He did not say goodbye, just told me Be careful!
We started going with a reconnaisance man. Our equipments were dried foods, 2 grenades, AK with 100
rounds.
Our reconnaisance man was Son Turtoise, from Dan Phuong, Ha Tay province. His nick name came from his
character Think slowly, do slowly I wondered how he could be a reconnaisance man? He was in 72th
Regiment before sent to our regiment. He came here some days ago. He was the only one who had map and
compass and knew assemble place.
In the afternoon, we stopped, ate dried food. Son face turned grey, I did not know he was tired or hungry? Then
he told us moved on quickly. He told me going in back of formation and delete our trace. F* it out, why do I
have to do that? I did not have any combat experience but I doubted something wrong happened.
It was midnight. We stopped in a valley. Our platoon distracted. No smoking, no cooking, no loud talking. I
found Son Turtoise. He was watching his map, holding a flash-lamp, which were covered by a black cloth, the
light was so weak, just enough to see the map. I asked him We are lost, arent we?. Son surprised How do
you know?. I said When you told me delete our trace and I saw your face, I doubted. He said F*it out, we are
in Chinese land, about 5km away from the border!. I was about to make water on my pant. If we faced Chinese
then, we would be roasted meat! Son asked me Should we told the truth to everybody? I said We must!
Everybody must prepare!. Our platoon members, most of them were rockie, like me There were 4 or 5 guys
fought some battles, we could not compare to anti-US veterans. Everybody was panic but after that, they
became calm. I told them try to sleep. If we had to fight, we would fight, If we had to die, we would die. Mans
life, one is green glass, two is red chest (VN old proverb, means: a man should live and die in honor).

Luckily, a quiet night in China mainland passed by

In the next morning, we decided to move to the south. No compass, no map, just move to the south, we could
go back to VN. Platoons officer gave orders: Complete Secret, try to avoid facing enemy. If we contact them,
distract at once! If we are discovered, rockie must hold their fire, veterans fire first. Two hours later, we hear the
sound of falling rock from a moutain nearby Everybody distracted immediately. We did not know Chinese see
us or not Time may be stopped, everybody was nervous.
The sound of AK explosion torn the silence. What a pandemonium! Tao, a soldier from Phuc Tho province, was
so scary that stuck his finger in his AK. Chinese discovered us. We and they didnt know about enemy force,
how many of them? Who were they? Border guard, Infantry, or Mountain Infantry? After that AKs sound, we
answered strongly. That time I understood why veterans must shoot first. When we hear the sound of AK firing,
we know the shooter is a rockie or a die hard man. If shooter fires all cartridge, they must be rockie. If shooter
fires just 2 rounds a time, not slow, not fast it must be a veteran.
Chinese formation became confused. That was a Chinese company, garrisoned on flatside of this moutain.
They were washing faces, cleaning teeth then. Maybe they came here last night, cos we dint meet them in the
afternoon. I fired and moved continously. Ten minutes later, I wasnt scary anymore. I brought only 100 AKs
rounds so I must save them. Taking enemys weapons was impossible mission.
Chinese became stablize their formation. They knew we were outnumbered, so they started to attack. They
shouted Ta khoai, ta khoai (Chinese: move quickly), the sound liked a crowded market.
We fired back and retreated. We had to rush, cos Chinese was moving to block our road. If they could do that,
we would be killed one by one. We ran under, they ran on the side of moutain. That situation was very much
alike American Action films. I, Luyen, Tao and 2 men stayed behind, to support others retreat. They gave us
their weapons, so I didnt worry about lacking rounds. Tao threw his AK, held a RPK fired without aiming target.
Luyen used his AK and a M-79. I used my AKM and B-41 (VN called RPG-7 as B-41). We fought Chinese in 1
hour. Luyen was hit in his arm. My steel pot was crush, I did not know when I was hit. How lucky I was, without
my steel pot, my head would be broken
=============