From the MiG cockpit to the command vehicle of the September 2 parade: The wings fly without rest

When the troops marched through Ba Dinh Square in 2015, Mr. Vo Van Tuan - then Lieutenant General, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army - held in his heart a sky full of memories: from the MiG-21 cockpit to the patrol flights in Truong Sa, from the battle map to this solemn moment.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff Vo Van Tuan on the command vehicle during the August Revolution and National Day celebrations on September 2, 2015. Photo: NVCC

Man standing on the command vehicle of the 2015 parade

On an autumn morning in Hanoi , September 2, 2015, Ba Dinh Square was filled with flags and flowers and the hurried footsteps of thousands of soldiers in the parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

On the command vehicle leading the army, Mr. Vo Van Tuan stood at attention, his eyes turned towards the podium. Behind that proud gaze was a world of memories, rushing back like the resounding sound of war drums.

He remembers the day President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, remembers the ups and downs of the country's history, remembers the victories on all fronts, and remembers the comrades who fell to have today.

“When I stood on that car, I thought of the millions of soldiers who went through the war, and of the people of the whole country. It was a source of pride and happiness, but also a sacred responsibility,” he shared.

That brief moment in the square that day was the convergence of a long journey: from a boy fascinated by mock battles and military chess to a pilot in the sky of Truong Sa, then becoming a participant in planning national defense strategies.

Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan during his flying training in the Soviet Union. Photo: NVCC

Independent childhood and desire for the sky

Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan was born into a special family. His father - veteran diplomat Vo Van Sung - was an important contributor to choosing Paris as the place to negotiate the Agreement to End the War and Restore Peace in Vietnam. Normally, the son would follow in his father's footsteps. But life led him to a different path - the military career.

Since childhood, he has been away from his parents and has lived independently since the age of 5. Perhaps it was the lack of family warmth that fostered in him a strong will and the ability to stand firm in the face of challenges. He often thought to himself: " In the future, I will become a soldier, and will take up arms and go to battle to liberate my homeland."

At the age of 12, he first heard about pilot Nguyen Van Bay - the man who piloted the small "silver swallow" MiG-17 and shot down 7 American planes. From that moment on, the desire to soar in the sky of the Fatherland became a burning flame in the young boy Vo Van Tuan.

He was fascinated by war games, military chess, and imagining lightning-fast air battles. Deep down, fate had planted in him the dream of becoming a fighter pilot.

In 1973, when the South was still engulfed in flames, young Vo Van Tuan enlisted in the army and became an infantryman of the 308th Division - the first main force unit of the army. Like many of his contemporaries, he considered going to war to be inevitable, the responsibility of a citizen born in the midst of war.

One day, his unit had a pilot recruitment exam. He joined with the mindset of “just to know”, without any expectations. However, out of 600 soldiers, only 3 were selected. He was among the few. The dream of the sky, which seemed so far away, suddenly became strangely close.

He was sent to study foreign languages, then to the Soviet Union for pilot training. In 1979, he returned and became a pilot of the MiG-21 - the legendary fighter that won many victories in the skies of the North. After that, he successively mastered the Su-22 and Su-27 - more modern generations of aircraft, marking a remarkable step forward in the maturity of the Vietnamese Air Force.

“The sky has since become my second home. Every time I take off, I fly not only for myself, but also carry the people’s trust in the wings of the Fatherland,” he recalled.

Pride in the sky of the Fatherland. Photo: NVCC

Truong Sa Memories - Life and Death Flights

In the late 1980s, the situation in the East Sea was tense. The 937th Regiment, where Vo Van Tuan worked, was assigned to fly patrols to protect the Truong Sa archipelago. He and his teammates became the first “Truong Sa pilots”.

Each flight to the island is more than 500 km long, crossing the stormy sea. Radio signals are often lost, and pilots have to handle every situation independently. Fuel is barely enough, and getting lost or having a technical problem can mean death.

“We know that as soldiers, sacrifice can happen at any time. But reaching Truong Sa and flying high in the sky of the Fatherland is an incomparable pride,” said Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan.

There were comrades who never returned. Training accidents, disappearances at sea - those pains were still deeply engraved in his memory. But the loss did not discourage those who remained, but instead motivated him and his comrades to continue flying steadfastly, protecting every island, every inch of the homeland.

In 1995, the Su-27 - a modern fighter - flew to Truong Sa for the first time, and he was one of the pioneer pilots. "The feeling of flying the Su-27 over the sea and islands is completely different. From here, we can fight for a long time, have enough strength to assert sovereignty and protect the Fatherland from afar" - he shared.

From fighter pilot to strategic strategist

After many years of hard work in the sky, Vo Van Tuan was sent to study at the Gagarin Air Force Academy in the Soviet Union - a place that trains the world's top commanding officers. Here, he was exposed to strategic thinking and the art of organizing large-scale operations.

“For me, military career is destiny. From a boy who loved mock battles, I have gone through a whole arc: soldier - pilot - commander - strategic advisor. But in the end, it is still the same thing: dedication to the Fatherland."

Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan

Returning to the country, he successively assumed command positions, then held the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army. In that position, he no longer directly held the steering wheel, but each decision, each plan carried within it the breath of the years of soaring in the sky.

Standing proudly on the command vehicle during the parade on September 2, 2015, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan saw his small life blending into the great history of the country. From the 12-year-old boy who dreamed of becoming a pilot, to the soldier who joined the army in 1973, to the Truong Sa pilot and the staff general, all are pieces in the common picture of the nation: the journey from war to peace, from hardship to integration.

He understood that today's happiness did not come naturally. It was bought with blood, tears, and the resilience of many generations. And the fate of each soldier, each citizen, was closely tied to the fate of the country.

“ Peace is not a permanent gift. Peace must be preserved and protected with the intelligence, courage and solidarity of the entire people. I believe that today's young generation will continue and do better than us, so that the Fatherland will last forever,” Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan emphasized.

In the golden autumn sunshine of Ba Dinh that year, the image of the general standing proudly on the command vehicle, leading the parade, became a symbol not only of military strength, but also of the desire for peace, of the will to protect the Fatherland.

The life of Senior Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan is a vivid proof that: the fate of a person can blend with the fate of a nation. And from that story, we are more deeply aware that preserving peace today is the responsibility of each generation, so that the sky of the Fatherland will always be blue, so that the people can live in happiness, so that history continues to write immortal golden pages.

Vtcnews.vn

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tu-buong-lai-mig-den-xe-chi-huy-dieu-binh-ngay-2-9-canh-bay-khong-nghi-ar961729.html