MEMORIES OF THE "C100" SCHOOL
Colonel NGUYEN PHUC TRI
Deputy Chief of Staff
President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum High Command
After a devastating failure in the strategic air raids on Hanoi, Haiphong, and numerous locations in the North at the end of 1972, the U.S. had to declare an end to bombing throughout North Vietnam and accept a return to negotiations in Paris. On January 27, 1973, the "Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" was formally signed among the parties, simultaneously ending the role of U.S. military forces on the Southern front. However, they did not abandon their long-term plan to occupy South Vietnam. The U.S. increased aid, rapidly reinforced puppet forces, and maintained control over the puppet regime in the South within the orbit of the U.S. empire. Supported by the U.S., puppet forces actively undermined the Paris Agreement, continuously launching offensives to seize liberated areas. The war in the South continued fiercely.
"Vietnam on our chosen path, listening to the wind blowing through our green fields, hearing the waves roaring far to the horizon... We won’t rest until peace comes to our Fatherland..." The lyrics echoed persistently in our hearts, motivating us, the young soldiers, to heed the sacred call of the Motherland and follow in the footsteps of our fathers to fight the enemy.
After three months of training at Battalion 4, Engineer Brigade 144 - General Staff in Gia Lam, Hanoi, some fresh troops from Cho Don district, Bac Thai province, and Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province were chosen for a "special mission." The first meeting place was Nhon, Tay Tuu commune, Tu Liem district, Hanoi. There were also fresh soldiers from other Battalions 2 and 3 of Engineer Brigade 144 from various areas, such as Yen Lap district, Thanh Son district, Vinh Phuc province; Dinh Hoa district, Phu Luong district, Bac Thai province.
After a week of researching the revolutionary scenario, the battalion resumed its selection of around 900 new recruits. Major Do Hai, the Political Commissar of Engineer Brigade 144, and some other party members led the selection. The first condition was height; anyone shorter than 165 cm was excluded. Other requirements included a balanced appearance, military manner, and the absence of any physical abnormalities or verbal difficulties. Although it was kept a secret and not officially stated, we had a feeling that those chosen were intended for the particular responsibility of guarding President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Everyone hoped to be chosen, so the excitement and expectation were apparent.
We were ordered to march to the training area after honoring the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Vietnam People's Army on December 22, 1974.
The training center was in Tam Nong district, Vinh Phu province. The camp was nestled among verdant hills, and the surrounding environment was dotted with sumac trees, a type of tree linked with the proverb "Sumach only kisses what on the face of who they love”. Officers and non-commissioned officers greeted us, youthful but robust in stature, with sun-darkened skin and names like "My uc," "Son lap," "Ba gai"... These were officers who had just graduated from the officer training course and would serve as platoon leaders, squad leaders in charge of training. We were organized into three platoons, and I belonged to Squad 6, Platoon 2. The entire company was equipped with CKC rifles with shining bayonets. Each person was given a pair of Soviet leather boots (Cossack boots) and a new uniform. After two days of preparation work, the opening ceremony of the training course took place succinctly but solemnly. On the podium were the commanders of Engineer Brigade 144, representatives from the General Staff, and the Military Security Directorate. The entire company stood attentively as if absorbing every word spoken by Engineer Brigade Chief Vu Ngach. He stated, "With boundless love and eternal gratitude to the great President Ho Chi Minh, in accordance with the earnest wish of the entire Party, people, and army, especially our compatriots in the South, the Party and the State have decided to preserve the great leader's body and build His Mausoleum. On September 02, 1973, the construction of President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was officially started in Ba Dinh Square. The construction is proceeding urgently, and you, comrades, have the honor of being selected for special training, a mission to protect President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is an honor for yourselves, your families, your homeland, a great honor, but it also comes with immense responsibility. You must dedicate yourselves, study, and train to become excellent defenders representing the heroic Vietnam People's Army, safeguarding His rest. Our army has School 200, School 300, School 400... and today, School 100 is established to train these loyal defenders." In this solemn atmosphere, our platoon leader read the oath, and all echoed the honor pledge: pledging to study and train continuously, to live, fight, work, and study following the example of the great President Ho Chi Minh.
Guarding President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was an entirely new task. Based on references and research on the experiences of Lenin Mausoleum, the training command developed a comprehensive training program suitable for Vietnam's scenarios. Among the training contents, the discipline of standing in formation was perhaps the most challenging, requiring both physical strength and strong determination. We had two sessions of standing in formation every week, starting with 30 minutes and gradually increasing to 45 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, with our record being 5 hours. Before the training session, we were allowed to warm-up and make all preparations, personal hygiene, and then assume the formation position for standing at attention. After checking the proper posture, the command "Attention, begin" was given. The first 20 minutes seemed simple. After martial arts training, gun drills, marching, bayonet drills, and gymnastics, standing at attention like this seemed like a break. At first, everyone thought so, but after 30 minutes, standing at attention became a challenging ordeal, only those who had experienced it could truly understand. To cultivate willpower and determination, the company rule was that under no circumstances were we allowed to leave the formation until the training time elapsed. Thus, from around the first hour onwards, occasional sounds of rifles hitting the ground and the wrestling noises of bodies falling could be heard. We called it being "downed." A medical team was always on standby to provide assistance. To meet the physical demands of the training exercises, physical fitness training was emphasized. Our regular physical exercise was long-distance running; every morning without exception, after the wake-up call, we would go for a 30km run.
August, the historic autumn, those days, all across the country, everyone focused on Ba Dinh Square. Everyone anticipated the inauguration of President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. On August 20, 1975, we received orders to march back to Hanoi. Before that, we had visited Ba Dinh twice to familiarize ourselves with the actual terrain. Sitting on the amphibious truck, we sang loudly the military marches and the song “We have Uncle Ho in the victorious day”. Assembling in Ba Dinh, Company 100 was divided into three teams: Honor Guard, Special Security, and Armed Security. I was assigned to the Honor Guard. From here, my C100 journey, my first military training, came to an end.
The first guard duty at President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was filled with emotions. Even now, I remember vividly that autumn morning. I was tasked with being the second guard on duty next to President Ho's body. The first guard was Ha Van Tang, the third was Bui Thanh Vung from Kim Boi, Hoa Binh (now discharged), and the fourth was Nguyen Trong Nghia (now the team leader of Team 285 Historic Site). The room felt warm and peaceful. President Ho was resting peacefully. Above his head were two flags - the Party flag and the National flag, made from over 4,000 pieces of pink jade. The hammer and sickle and the five-pointed star were crafted from bright yellow vein marble. After the mourning ceremony of Party and State leaders, it was the turn of military units, police, militia, and self-defense forces to participate in the parade, allowing President Ho Chi Minh first to be ready for duty on the Independence Day celebration on September 02.
More than 30 years have passed since those soldiers from C100 stood guard for the first time. Among them, some have grown into high-ranking officers in the military, some have been discharged and become doctors, teachers, lawyers, businessmen; some have returned to a normal civilian life. However, wherever they are, in whatever capacity, they are still worthy of the trust, love, and admiration that the Party, the army, and the people have given to the "Soldiers of President Ho's Mausoleum." As for me, despite attending training in various military schools later on, C100 remains a profound memory in the life of a soldier that I will never forget.
