April 30 – DNUer tells stories about his days of “enlistment”

Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong – Class QHCC 11 – 01

All the pictures of military service day will become the most beautiful and memorable memories.

On a chilly day, we, the students of Class 11, received notice about the military training period. The training period would be 4 weeks, living and working in the company. The faces of the students showed anxiety and confusion. How would we face this period when we had to eat together, sleep together, and live in the dormitory? A series of questions appeared before our eyes.

National defense and security education training area of Dai Nam University.

The feeling of preparing to join the army was nervous, anxious, and a little curious, just like the first day of school. It was that curiosity that made me look forward to the day of enlistment.

On the first day, we packed our backpacks and went to school to receive our military equipment including clothes, books, blankets, etc. and found our teammates to check in. There would be 10 people in a room, with unfamiliar faces from different majors. We began to think more. Would we be able to get along and have fun while living together? Then we were informed about the plan to study and train seriously here. Life began to get into a routine, which was really too difficult for students who were growing up and used to freedom like us.

Those were days of having to wake up early, go to school, eat, train and live according to the military schedule. Surely the first crazy night was an extremely difficult and long night, the sighs of the girl lying on top, or the whispers talking softly with the mother of the girl next to me, or my own rolling over because of the unfamiliar bed. All of them brought a very strange feeling.

And our independent life began....

At 5:20 a.m. the wind was blowing outside, the whistle blew, we had to quickly get there to do exercise, eyes half-closed and yawning helplessly trying to run out to the field as fast as possible. Probably because many of us didn't sleep last night, waking up early became even more difficult.

We were dressed in blue uniforms, not the most beautiful color but very sacred. A color that both symbolizes love and hope.

Image of command lesson

If outside we call each other friends or by names, here we call each other "Comrade", very close. In the army, students will be trained in discipline, punctuality, learn how to fold the internal affairs in a square and correct manner. They will be educated about the tradition of patriotism, the will of soldiers, foster political ideology and ethics... and valuable practical lessons such as learning to crawl, crawl, throw grenades, assemble guns,... and you cannot imagine how heavy the gun is when you first practice, but gradually you will feel excited and shooting will probably be a quite attractive experience.

Guns and targets for teaching and learning

After a long day of studying, you will enjoy a military meal. Actually, it is the first day so we are not yet familiar with the menu here. Many of you could not eat because it did not suit your taste.

I will never forget the siren calling the roll call, or the alarm for marching at night, just like real soldiers. And night watch is both fun and scary, because sometimes you have to be on guard at 1 or 2 am and maybe the mosquitoes will come and chat with you.

The first day passed, then the seventh day passed, we started to get used to military life, automatically getting up to do exercises, getting used to the whistle for roll call, the commands or punishments and even the meals here. Everything was like a dream, on the first day it was strange, unfamiliar, I just wanted to go home, but today I felt like this place was my home. Teachers and friends were like blood brothers, the feeling was extremely warm.

Leaving the crowded city, we blended into a simple life together, playing shuttlecock and soccer together in the afternoon, and in the evening we did activities together, singing military songs and many other genres of music. Together we built a strong and united collective. And that unintentionally brought the members of our room in general and the whole company in particular closer together.

Members who seemed to be strangers became close

In the army, there were days of hardship, difficulty, joy, good experiences, new friends and especially we became more mature, understood more about the difficulties of the army, knew the heat of the training ground, the cold of the morning at 5am... We overcame and lived more consciously, stronger through the challenges of learning and training in the military environment.

Hugs full of nostalgia and sadness…

Military time - is not a very long time but the memories it left me still make me feel nostalgic and emotional every time I think about it. Because there we are no longer little girls or beloved sons of our parents but we are ourselves, real soldiers. Thank you teachers and friends for leaving me the most complete memory of my youth.

Among the countless memories of our students, perhaps the experiences during the military semester are the most beautiful and unforgettable. Later, when time passes, we will remember that time, the time of eating together, living together, marching at night, unforgettable memories.