The Ministry of National Defence on March 28th held a solemn ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the traditional day of the civil self-defence and militia force and receive the Golden Star Medal conferred to the force and the title of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces for the Department of the Civil Self-defence and Militia.

An art performance at the ceremony (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Addressing the event, Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army briefed the participants on the establishment, development, brilliant feats of arms and great contributions of the force to the national construction and protection cause.

80 years ago, the National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam held in Macau (China) from March 27th to 31st, 1935 issued the first resolution on building and training the civil self-defence force and March 28th has been observed as the traditional day of the force since then.

In the anti-French colonialist war, the civil self-defence and militia force strongly developed and cooperated with guerillas and local troops to annihilate more than 230,000 enemy troops. In the anti-American war, the militiamen shot down 424 aircraft of different kinds, taking alive hundreds of enemy’s pilots and destroying many enemy’s battleships. The force also did make great contributions to the success of the 1975 Spring Offensive to liberate the South and unify the country

In peacetime, the civil self-defence and militia force has joined efforts with other forces to firmly defend national sovereignty.

For all these contributions, 370 groups and 248 individuals of the force have been presented with the title of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces over the past years.

President Truong Tan Sang awards the Golden Star order to the Self-defence and Militia force (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Speaking at the ceremony, State President Truong Tan Sang praised achievements recorded by the force over the past time, stressing that over the past 80 years, generations of militiamen have been loyal to the Party’s revolutionary cause and obtained brilliant feats of arms, contributing to the efforts of the whole Party and people to liberate, reunify, and defend the country.

President Sang aslo affirmed the necessity to strengthen the civil self-defence and militia force in the new context, and asked party committees, authorities, Fatherland Front and socio-political organs to pay attention to building the force at sea to join hands with other forces to protect the country’s sovereignty over sea and islands.

The President believed that the force would inherit and promote glorious traditions built by previous generations to successfully fulfil assigned missions, deserving the love and trust of the Party, State and people.

On behalf of leaders of the Party and State, President Truong Tan Sang presented the Golden Star order to the Civil Self-defence and Militia force and the title of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces to the Department of the Civil Self-defence and Militia in acknowledgement of their great contributions to the national construction and protection cause.

Source: qdnd.vn