Last call…
During the funeral of Major and pilot Tran Ngoc Duy, which took place on the afternoon of February 2 in his hometown of Thai Nguyen, Mr. Vo Tien Dung (60 years old, residing in Ninh Thuan province) held his grandson named Cam, 13 months old, quietly standing. from far away. The child plays innocently, unable to understand the sudden departure at the age of 31 of the pilot’s father.
“I still can’t believe Duy died,” said Dung choked. Two days since pilot Tran Ngoc Duy “returned to the sky”, he has not had a full sleep.
Recalling on the afternoon of January 31, Dung’s family received news that his son-in-law had an accident while flying a Su-22 combat training flight at Yen Bai airport. Second Lieutenant Vo Hoang Minh Phuong (26 years old, Duy’s wife) immediately booked a plane ticket for his family from Ninh Thuan to Hanoi. He just thought that his son had an accident and was being treated at the hospital.
“On the plane, Phuong read the newspaper and learned that Duy’s Su-22 plane had an unexpected incident in the air. Duy was ordered to parachute but tried to save the plane. The Su-22 crashed, Duy died at 12:27. I am deeply saddened, do not want to continue the journey to the North because it is too painful,” the man said.
Mr. Vo Tien Dung, the father-in-law of Major, pilot Tran Ngoc Duy holds his 13-month-old grandchild. (Photo: Manh Quan).
Near 22:30 on the same day, a 16-seat car carrying Mr. Dung’s family arrived in Yen Bai city. They expressed their desire to see Mr. Duy’s face one last time before entering the military, so they were picked up by his teammates to Yen Bai Provincial General Hospital.
At 0:00 in the main building of the hospital, dense frost covered. Inside, many soldiers quietly prepared funerals for their comrades.
“On the evening of January 30, Duy made a video call to meet his wife and two daughters, then told him to go to bed early to train tomorrow. But I didn’t expect it to be his son’s last flight and call,” Mr. Dung confided. .
Three years ago, Second Lieutenant Minh Phuong followed her husband from Ninh Thuan to the 921st Airborne Regiment in Yen Bai to work. At the end of 2022, they saved up, bought a house next to the office and repaired it. After settling down, Duy plans to bring his wife and children back to his hometown to celebrate Tet with his parents.
Every time he returned to Ninh Thuan, he only had time to stay for a day or two. But this year, his vacation lasted for 10 days. The house, which is normally deserted, is suddenly bustling with the laughter of children and grandchildren, and Mr. Dung and his wife are very excited.
Duy said that he is cherishing many plans and ambitions for the future, but now he has no chance to do it anymore, “said Mr. Dung.
The day pilot Tran Ngoc Duy died, little Chip (6 years old), the first daughter of the couple, understood the story, turned to ask her mother: “Father is dead, how can we become a family?”.
After listening, Phuong cried and choked, not knowing how to answer her daughter. As for Mr. Dung, hearing him say that was like breaking his intestines, loving his granddaughter because he lived with his grandparents since childhood, so he rarely saw his father.
Local people, relatives and teammates at the last moment saw off Major, pilot Tran Ngoc Duy. (Photo: Manh Quan).
…And the unfinished promise of reunion
At the age of 18, while studying at Luong Ngoc Quyen High School (Thai Nguyen City), student Tran Ngoc Duy was the only person in the area who met the strict criteria for recruiting pilots of the Air Force Officer School.
He became the pride of the village, the family threw a big party before his son enlisted in the army in September 2010.
“We often tease Duy’s 95-year-old grandmother, trying to stay healthy and waiting for the pilot to return to take the plane,” said Nguyen Thi Suu (84 years old, living in group 6, Quang Trung ward, Thai Nguyen city). To share.
After graduating from Nha Trang Air Force Officer School, soldier Tran Ngoc Duy returned to work at Regiment 937 stationed at Thanh Son military airport, Ninh Thuan province. Here, he met and fell in love with his colleague Minh Phuong.