resounding feats
After a short time of mobilization and selection, nearly 2,000 miners and young people from other occupations in Quang Ninh province were gathered into three battalions: Battalion 385, Battalion 386 (including more than 1,100 miners in the Hon Gai - Cam Pha area), Battalion 9 (nearly 900 people from other occupations).
Although not an official term in the army, with the proactive organization of Quang Ninh province and the Coal industry, the name "Coal Corps" was born to put this force together - expressing the identity and pride of the miners wearing military uniforms.
On July 30, 1967, the Coal Army held a training training launching ceremony - marking the largest garrison in Quang Ninh's history.
After 35 months of training in Dong Trieu and Hoa Binh, the soldiers continued to travel to the South, participating in the most fierce battlefields such as: Khe Sanh, Central Highlands, Southwest, Saigon, Cambodia...
Bringing the spirit of "discipline and concentric - we will definitely win!", The soldiers of the army fought courageously, creating many feats such as: Nguyen Xuan Hung (worker of Hon Gai coal recruiting factory) and his teammates fired 2 tanks, 1 mechanical vehicle, was awarded the title of "The Brave Destroying American"; Nguyen Duc Binh (Deo Nai mini miner) participated in fighting Nha Be petrol and destroyed tens of thousands of liters of petroleum; Tran Thanh Phong (Hon Gai mini miner) - Specialist soldier - and his teammate raided Pac Chung Hy army base (South Korea); Le Xuan Ba (Thong Nhat Miner) destroyed the Banana Bridge (Long An).
battlefield daysbook
Through the connection of the Propaganda Department of the Quang Ninh Coal Party Committee, we went to Mr. Bui Duy Thinh, 81 years old - one of the veterans of the Coal Corps (Cao Thang Ward, Ha Long City).
He brought out two small, edge-fitting books, gold-plated paper with nearly 500 pages of the battlefield diary that he wrote hand-written during his 10 years in the army. Each line of text contains homesickness, commemorative memories of comrades, the journey through Truong Son, the battlefields of Khe Sanh, Dac To, the Southwest and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign...
Mr. Thinh confided: "On the day of my military training, I was 23 years old, and had only been married for 10 days. After 4 months of training, I had 10 days off to visit my wife and family, then set off to fight in the South. Only returned to meet his wife ten years later. She still waited for me... and we had 4 children together, they were all grown up.
When mentioning the historical moment of April 30, 1975, Mr. Thinh said: “At 6:30 am, my unit was present at the Seven Hien crossroads, capturing the commissioned officer of the Wei officer and the headquarters of the Saigon General Staff.
A part of the history of the Coal industry
Mr. Bui Khac Truc - Deputy Head of Propaganda Department of Quang Ninh Coal Party Committee - shared: "The coal army has become an integral part of the coal industry. The old miners in the past wrote a voluntary application to enlist in the army for the Southern battlefield, showing the love of burning water - dedicating the full age of the country's reunification.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), the story of 58 years ago of the soldiers of the Coal Corps revives in the memories of today's veterans.
That was the oath on the day of the launch: "Scipline and Unity - We will definitely win!"
