Len Ha: Memories of a time and forever

In July, when the whole country was looking forward to the 78th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day with sincere gratitude, we - those working in information and propaganda - had the opportunity to go up to the mountainous region to visit the National Historical Site of Len Ha Cave, in Tuyen Lam Commune, Quang Tri Province. This place, 53 years ago, marked the silent feats and heroic sacrifices of 13 officers and soldiers on duty to ensure communications of Information Station A69, Company 9, Information Regiment 134, Information and Communications Corps at Len Ha Cave on July 2, 1972.

The national historical site of Len Ha cave is a red address where people often come to offer incense in memory - Photo: T.MAI

Following the village elders and members of the Tuyen Lam commune youth union, we went to offer incense at the Len Ha cave national historical site. This is where 13 officers and soldiers of the A69 Information Station sacrificed their lives and devoted their youth to protect the TTLL bloodline, contributing to the cause of liberating the South and unifying the country.

58 years ago, to meet the requirements of ensuring the TTLL, on January 7, 1967, the TTLL Corps decided to establish Company 9, Information Regiment 134, consisting of 129 comrades organized into 3 platoons and 3 information stations. The information stations were tasked with protecting and exploiting 385.35km of power lines from Giang Son - Do Luong - Nghe An (old) to the 316 Vinh Linh - Quang Tri (old) peak and Information Station A69 located at Len Ha, Thanh Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province (old).

A69 Information Station was organized into a squad of 3 switchboards, a power squad, a line squad and a logistics unit with 19 comrades. After being established, A69 Information Station chose Len Ha cave as its base. This was a favorable location because Len Ha cave was located in the forest in the West with overlapping mountains and forests, so it was easy to camouflage. Halfway up the mountain there was a large cave used to install machinery, radios and to store weapons, equipment, food, provisions, military uniforms and military supplies for the southern battlefield.

Communication equipment of A69 Information Station at Len Ha Cave - Photo: T.MAI

With an important geographical position, ensuring the information flow from North to South, the A69 Information Station's line is connected to the information network of Group 559, so this is a key area where the enemy focuses on fierce attacks. With the slogan of action "The station is the battlefield, the wire is the weapon", "As long as the heart is still beating, the information veins are still open", the officers and soldiers of the A69 Information Station fought bravely to ensure that the information flow was "timely, accurate, secret, and safe".

13:05, July 2, 1972 - the historical moment marking the heroic sacrifice of 13 officers and soldiers (including 10 female soldiers aged from 16 to 20) in the fierce attack on the A69 Information Station. The blood, sweat and tears of these brothers and sisters have blended together in the sacred land of Len Ha so that the information veins will continue to flow forever.

Their names have merged into rivers, carved into mountains, imprinted in the hearts of every Vietnamese person and will last forever with the nation. The noble sacrifice of the officers and soldiers of the A69 Information Station has shocked the entire front, increasing the strength of officers and soldiers on the entire line.

Turning grief into revolutionary action, generations of youth volunteers and frontline laborers on the front lines fought bravely and maintained the information bloodline until the day of total victory. The heroic fighting and sacrifice of the brothers and sisters of the A69 Information Station became the heart command of the information troops, forever a shining symbol of revolutionary heroism, further brightening the glorious tradition of the TTLL Corps, and beautifying the Vietnamese revolutionary flag.

Youth Union members learn about the historical significance of Len Ha cave relic - Photo: T.MAI

Promoting the spirit and achievements of the officers and soldiers of the A69 Information Station, generations of Quang Tri people always uphold the glorious revolutionary tradition, promote the will of self-reliance, self-improvement, the desire to rise up and constantly innovate and create to build the homeland to develop more and more.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union Dinh Trung Hieu said: “The national historical site of Len Ha cave is a red address for generations of union members and young people. Every year, we coordinate to organize activities to commemorate the officers and soldiers of the A69 Information Station; promote the historical significance of Len Ha cave, the tradition of “When drinking water, remember its source”, and pay tribute to the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland... From there, the spirit of initiative, creativity, and dedication of the youth's talents and intelligence to the cause of national construction and development is aroused”.

The war has long gone, but we are forever grateful for the great contributions of our heroes and martyrs. The more we respect and are proud of our history, the more deeply we are aware of our responsibility to strive to preserve the revolutionary achievements that our ancestors have built, and from there, we vow to study, work and contribute in a way that is worthy of the noble sacrifices of our heroes and martyrs.

Leaving the Len Ha National Historical Site as the afternoon gradually disappeared over the Truong Son mountain range, each of us carried with us an emotion when remembering the heroic historical event of the nation. The sound of the Len Ha epic with the flow of national history is the luggage and motivation for the people of Quang Tri today and tomorrow to continue writing the song of building a rich and beautiful homeland, confidently rising up with the nation.

Nhat Le

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/len-ha-ky-uc-mot-thoi-va-mai-mai-196308.htm