“I suddenly miss you like winter, I miss the cold
My love is like a yellow flower ant
As spring comes, the forest birds' feathers turn blue
Love makes the land strange to the homeland"
The song of the ship - Te Hanh
Love is personal and private thing. But during wartime, boys and girls from many different backgrounds: students, soldiers, doctors, farmers, etc., have blended family love, couple love into the love of their homeland through the mails. The war ended, peace was restored, many families were reunited, but there were also "boys and girls" who remained forever. Wartime letters thus become beautiful memories, very sacred memorabilia that are kept when they think about each other, and at the same time, a valuable historical source for the next generation to understand more about a war time.
On the 75th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs' Day, let's learn a little bit from this special resource!
Wartime letters are quite special. Especially in that, everyone writes letters, writes letters everywhere, whether they can come or not, they still write letters. The letters from the front line to the rear were imbued with feelings and aspiration for peace. Parents and children or brothers and sisters, husband and wife all write letters to each other as an indispensable part of daily life in the time of war. There were hastily written letters “while writing, the enemy came to bomb, had to stop for a few minutes, now continue… My eyes were wide open, I knew how to think. I understand the mission of a pioneer soldier and try to do it right. I have understood the reason of life more…”.
Or the last line of of Martyr Tran Do hastily wrote to his wife in his hometown while fighting in the Binh Tri Thien front: "I want to talk with you in this sacred moment to determine for me how about ideology of a communist soldier, ready to sacrifice himself for the Party, for the revolutionary cause and for the happiness of yourself and our children. If there is a sacrifice, then everything has been done for the fatherland and the nation…”. Since the Tet Offensive in 1968, Mrs. Nga has not received a letter from her husband anymore. All those nights, she wrote long letters to him, the outgoing letter was there but the letter was not. At the end of 1970, his unit just sent a death certificate: Comrade Tran Do - Lieutenant Colonel, died on February 15, 1968 while on duty at the Binh Tri Thien front.
There are also letters telling the story of the soldier's life when the son left his family for the first time, "I've always been healthy. Tell your Dad: just shot lesson 1, I shot 3 bullets at the target, one hit round 10, one round 9, one round 8, a total of 27 points. Comrade Politician put up a rose, the happiest moment of my life was that time, Dad...".
And perhaps, wartime letters about couple's love are always the most abundant source of emotions. “Dear baby… Currently, due to difficult conditions, we have not been able to accomplish what we want. But our happiness is not only today, and our sacrifices are not only for our own happiness.” – Or “…Between the particular and the general cannot be confused. But I still seem to be missing something for my hometown and family. Thank you for giving me so much sympathy… I believe we will recover quickly, so that we can live together soon.”
There are letters that not only express the love of the couple, but also the beautiful love for the homeland, such as the letter from a husband to his wife announcing the good news on the day of reunification. “You probably didn't expect that on May 7 this year, I would sit down and write a letter to you in the liberated Saigon… Many special emotions, many stories of Saigon before, during and after liberation could not be written quickly for you. I will keep a diary for the past two months, now I have to take the time to record the historical days I lived so that I can come back and tell you later so that you can relive those days with me. .” – “I am overjoyed, since the news of the liberation of Saigon, I have been extremely happy and joyful. However, the joy is not complete because it is still waiting for your letter…. From now on, I have less worries. Worry more often than usual…. The value of independence and peace are familiar and palpable...".
Referring to letters, people often think of paper and writing, but wartime letters are not only sent through pages, but sometimes on pieces of clothing, clothes and even embroidered pictures.
It can be seen in the "letter" that painter Le Dieu sent to his wife - Mrs. Tong Thi Ba through the painting "Lotus" in which he reminded his wife that he still retains the temperament of a revolutionary soldier life and praise the faithful heart waiting for the wife's husband, raising children in the face of many external challenges and temptations. . .
There are "letters" embroidered on pillowcases and towels by political prisoners as family gifts, but they contain many profound and profound meanings... like the message of former female political prisoner Pham Le Tam “I love you! I put all my trust in you - I take care of Mother and Father in place of me - Until the day of national reunification - Mom and Dad are healthy, the family is reunited."
Wartime - not only bombs and sacrifices, their love is nurtured in the distance, separation, harmonious combination between the individual, the privacy with the homeland and the country. The letters written in a hurry, the embroidered picture, although yellowed and old, seems to be outdated, but it never fades in everyone's memory.
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