Page 219 - Thorn In The Heart

Chinh Nguyên

trees felt by the storm if her spouse lost in the battle. The
thunder struck on her family that she knew with struggling
suffering, waited for it in the painful and prayed for safe any
time she could be after Trung-Thanh was a soldier. He had
rolled into the war as he said: To be a good leader, a man must
go into the war looking for peace by the honest and duty for the
country. Do not look for peace by using the war to destroy the
domestic living society of the people.

Cho-Noi large firebase was about 40 kilometers South-West
from Hanoi Capital, 5 kilometers in North-West from Hung-Yen
city, and closed High way 5th on its western. The firebase rose
among the Red River delta between and aside of the High way
35th. It was often communicated from High way 5th, connected
to High way 19th in the North, then passed a part of High way
1st to Hanoi Capital.

The Red River had been running from Hanoi capital to
nearby Hung-Yen city and was on the Eastern of Cho-Noi
firebase. Vietminh wanted this river to move the troops to cross
the delta at night into the countryside, and near the cities as Hai-
Duong, Hai-Phong, Thai-Binh, Nam-Dinh, Ninh-Binh, and Phu-
Ly. Those cities located as the haft cycle and about 30 or 40
kilometers from North-West-South of the Cho-Noi firebase.

The central of firebase was Vietnamese 10th Movable
Battalion troops, and two heavy artillery Companies with the
solid bunkers, shelters, and dump of munitions. Around the
center was the 3rd French Union tank company, and most the
soldiers came from Africa. Three Security Region platoons
secured them, and most soldiers of those platoons were the
region people who volunteered to be the Vietnamese Security
Region troops to fight with Vietminh for the nationalism.

Captain Cao-Van-Vien and Lieutenant Tran-Duc-Do were
commanders of the 10th Movable Battalion. They deployed the
headquarters consists of the commanding officer staffs in Hung-
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