Forest ranger in Quy Mong

On the journey to rise up in life after the war, many veterans are not only brave soldiers of the past but also shining examples in economic development and environmental protection today. In the vast green forest of Quy Mong, there is such a person, Mr. Trieu Tien Chau. From his hands of labor, he has risen to become rich legitimately on his homeland, and moreover, he has contributed to preserving the forests, to make the "lungs" of his homeland greener.

Receiving us in his house built in An Phu village, Mr. Chau said: "Not counting the 155 hectares of forest we are receiving for protection, my family has nearly ten hectares of cinnamon."

Following the memories of a 72-year-old veteran with over 50 years of Party membership, in the 70s of the last century, following the sacred call of the Fatherland, when he was just 18 years old, the young Dao man Trieu Tien Chau said goodbye to his hometown Y Can (now Quy Mong commune) and joined the army.

In 1972, he was transferred from the Viet Bac Military Region to the 7th Regiment, Truong Son Engineer Corps, with the task of opening roads and protecting traffic at key points of Military Station 42. In 1973, he was added to the formation of the 3rd Corps fighting in Gia Lai and Kon Tum . In a battle on Route 19 at the foot of Mang Yang Pass, he was wounded and had to be hospitalized. When the wound had not fully healed, he insisted that the doctor let him return to his unit to continue fighting. During the 1975 Spring General Offensive Campaign, he and his unit quickly liberated Phan Thiet, then boarded a boat to cross the sea to liberate Truong Sa Island. After participating in the fight to protect the southwestern border, in early 1978, when the northern border was tense, he was transferred to work as a combat assistant for Lao Cai City Team, then became the commander of Company 3, Battalion 5 of the Kien Cuong Regiment. Having been trained and matured in combat, he commanded the unit to fight steadfastly, bravely, and flexibly, taking advantage of the terrain and terrain to fight against the enemy army that was many times larger. From there, he blocked, wore down, and hindered the advance of the main enemy army, protecting the safety of the Lao Cai people as they retreated to the rear.

Through many campaigns and battles from the South to the North, with special achievements in combat, Mr. Trieu Tien Chau was awarded by the Party and the State with the First, Second and Third Class Medals of Military Exploit; First Class Medal of Resistance; Second and Third Class Medal of Liberation; Second and Third Class Medal of Glorious Soldier; the title of Determined to Win Soldier, Brave Motor Vehicle Destroyer...

Veteran Trieu Tien Chau actively participated in social work and was Secretary of the Minh An village Party Cell for many years.

After nearly 20 years of military service, due to the after-effects of his injuries, in 1986, he returned to civilian life amid numerous difficulties when the country had just emerged from the war years and abolished the subsidy regime. "I always thought, if I am not afraid of difficult, arduous, and fierce battles, why should I accept poverty?" - Mr. Chau confided.

The resilient nature of a soldier who refuses to back down in the face of hardship has urged him to do all kinds of work to support his family. From working as a forest guard, to purchasing forest products, raising livestock and planting forests... all the work that can bring income. At its peak, he raised nearly 200 hybrid wild boars, dozens of buffaloes, and hundreds of chickens to supply the market, earning hundreds of millions of dong each year. After a period of hard work and diligence, he and his family have stabilized their lives, built a house, their children have been educated, and are growing up.

Not only doing well in business , veteran Trieu Tien Chau also actively participated in social work such as being the Chairman of the Veterans Association, the Farmers Association of Y Can Commune (formerly) and continuously being the Secretary of the Minh An Village Party Cell for many years. The villagers where his family lives are mostly Dao ethnic group, every household lives off the hills and forests. When the family's economy is stable, he always does a good job of charity work to help the villagers with piglets, seedlings and experience to develop the economy.

Like many people in his generation, choosing forests as friends, land as a source of life and perseverance as a guiding principle, Mr. Chau's wish came true when in 2007, the government had a policy to reorganize forest farms, including Viet Hung Forest Farm. Together with some friends in the commune, Mr. Chau boldly received nearly 200 hectares of forest in Dong Song village to protect. Since receiving the forest to protect, most of Mr. Chau's energy has been devoted to the forests. Every day, he travels dozens of kilometers to patrol and prevent illegal exploitation.

We Dao people have a custom of clearing forests for farming or planting economic forests. Now we have to protect them, the contract is low, the brothers in the protection team gradually quit, so we took over to protect them. The most difficult thing was the first years, many people wondered, all forests are forests, why not convert them to grow cinnamon or acacia - Mr. Chau shared.

With his will and experience, Mr. Chau has persistently campaigned and convinced people about the benefits of forests for their lives and climate. The most important thing is that he has proven to everyone that he received the forest to take care of, protect and nurture, not to exploit it to convert it into an economic forest.

The rain soaks in slowly, people gradually understand, the result after only over ten years of protection, the trees are lush. The protected forest is not only a source of water, environmental protection, peaceful life for the people but also a source of livelihood to increase income for his family and many local households when there are bamboo shoots, medicinal plants... to serve daily life or supply to the market.

Despite his old age, veteran Trieu Tien Chau still encourages his children and grandchildren to protect the forest and support villagers with trees and seedlings.

“After reviewing, the official area has been reduced to 155 hectares. Now that I am old, I will no longer do business, but will switch to medicine, and at the same time, I only encourage my children and grandchildren to protect the forest well. Previously, precious forest trees such as: lat, sen, tau, doi... were all exploited, I am collecting them to plant more for the forest to develop sustainably,” Mr. Chau added.

"Comrade Chau is a prestigious party member in the Party cell, actively participating in work and contributing to the development of the locality. Not only are he good at economics, he and his family also do a good job of charity work by supporting the villagers with trees, seeds and experience to develop the economy and eliminate poverty; especially the forest protection has brought many benefits to the locality to develop green and sustainable", said Secretary of the Party cell of An Phu village Trieu Tien Hoa.

Through his work, veteran Trieu Tien Chau is a living testament to the noble qualities of a soldier in peacetime: resilient, creative and responsible to the community. From the fierce battlefield to preserving the green "lungs", he still maintains the spirit of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" - living with ideals, working with heart and always aiming for the common good. He is the flame that inspires today's young generation in the work of building Quy Mong homeland to develop green and sustainably.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/nguoi-giu-rung-o-quy-mong-post881974.html