Being established in 23 September 1963, the 1st Infantry, also known as U Minh Regiment (the 330th Division, Military Region 9) was the first regular regiment of the liberation troops of the Southwestern region. Over 60 years of foundation, combat and development, generations of cadres and soldiers of the Regiment have been united and overcome numerous difficulties, hardships and sacrifices to gain resounding achievements. The victories connected to battles and famous areas of Cha La, Luc Phi, Co Tuat, Kinh Xuoi, Dam Doi, Vinh Thuan in the anti-US resistance war; Phu Cuong, Vinh Dieu, Bac Dai in the war protecting the Southwestern borders; Ta Keo, Can Dan, Tuc Soc in fighting to help Cambodia revive, etc., have been always historical milestones to beautify the heroic traditions of U Minh Regiment. During the period of building and protecting the Homeland, the Regiment always accomplished their tasks of training, combat readiness and other unscheduled tasks. With these gained achievements, the Regiment was honourably awarded the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces three times in 1973, 1975, and 1989; the Second-class Fatherland Defence Order in 2013 and other noble awards.
In recent years, the task of building the Military and protecting the Homeland has set very high requirements for the Military Region in general, the Division and Regiment in particular. Clearly understanding this task, the Regiment has thoroughly grasped the Party’s military and defence guidelines, closely followed the leadership and direction by the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command and the 330th Division to apply synchronously solutions for building the comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit according to Direction No. 79/CT-BQP, dated 22 July 2022 by the Minister of National Defence, and consider it as the foundation for successfully accomplishing all assigned tasks. From the practice of doing this important task, the Regiment has drawn some experiences, which are, at the same time, solutions to apply in the coming time.
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| Leader of Military Region 9 checks the regiment in 2023 |
Building the politically strong units is a key and decisive solution to build comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units. This is very important for the Regiment when stationing in border areas, the families of some cadres and soldiers have had poor economic condition, which has put serious effects on their feelings and emotion leaving problems in their thoughts. Keeping this in mind, the Regiment has attentively led and directed the promotion of political and ideological education; improved the effectiveness of the Party and political work in all activities, especially the training, combat readiness, focusing on the good implementation of the Project of “Renovating the political education in all units in the new period” and plans of political education, law propaganda, dissemination and education. All units have thoroughly carried out education, focusing on the fundamental contents of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thoughts, the Party’s guidelines and policies, the tasks of safeguarding the Homeland in the new situation; enhanced the task grasping and the education of traditions, plots and tricks of “peaceful evolution” of the hostile forces; the political security, social order and safety in the locality; the targets, requirements, contents and solutions for building comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” offices and units, etc. Through the implementation process, the Regiment has combined a variety of forms and solutions in the motto of being detailed, practical and relevant. In order to hold, manage, and orient soldiers’ thoughts, timely solve the difficulties and problems raising in grassroots levels, the Regiment has directed the implementation of the motto of “being close to soldiers, understanding soldiers and trusting soldiers”, at the same time, brought into play the pioneering and exemplary roles of cadres, party members; actively propagandised the examples of good people and good work, “making the good defeat the bad”, “making the positive push back the negative”; firmly struggled against the wrong awarenesses or the thoughts of hesitation of difficulties and hardships, formalism and satisfaction in building the units. Hence, the whole regiment has been a united bloc with high unity and strict discipline with 100% cadres and soldiers having stable political spirit and high determination, without any expressions of degradation of political thought, morality and lifestyle; all cadres and soldiers have raised their awareness, responsibility, and spirit of self-reliance, resilience to overcome difficulties and successfully accomplish the assigned tasks.
On deeply understanding that building the Party is a key and decisive solution to build politically-strengthened units, the Regiment’s Party Committee has attentively consolidated and improved the leading ability and combat strength for all-level party committees and cells, especially the skills of grasping, organising and implementing resolutions; focused on the improvement of the quality and process of building regular leading resolutions; implemented the principle of democracy in the party meetings, and proved the effectiveness in inspecting and supervising the resolution implementation, at the same time, heightened the roles and responsibility of all-level leading cadres and brought into play the exemplary role of each party member in doing the tasks; combined the construction of new party members with the construction of cadres; connected the evaluation standards of the pure and strong party cells to the results of building the comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” units. The party committees and cells at all levels have attentively reformed their working style and methods, heightened the responsibility and activeness of the leading cadres; taken the working results to evaluate and classify party members, arrange and appoint cadres every year; kept improving the quality of cadres and party members through their annual plans of self-improving and training combined with the construction and rectification of the Party, etc. As a result, the leadership quality of the party committees, party cells, the responsibility, activeness and creativity of each party member have been improved. Annually, over 90% of the party members have well finished their tasks (20% of whom excellently finishing the tasks); 100% of party committees have excellently finished their tasks; over 88% party cells have excellently finished their tasks. The Regimen’s Party committee has excellently accomplished the tasks for several consecutive years.
In order to build the adept, compact, strong unit, the Regiment has enhanced the consolidation of the organisation and staff; improved the quality of training and combat readiness under the leadership by the Division; resolutely reduced the redundant personnel in supporting organs, given priority of staff, weapons and equipment to units doing their task of combat readiness. Hence, the Regiment’s organisation has been highly appreciated by the Division. In order to improve the training quality, the Regiment’s Party Committee and all-level ones have annually made specific resolutions leading the implementation of training tasks with targets, requirements, contents and methods which are scientific and suitable with objects, localities and units’ tasks, focusing on selectively building the fields that the units are weak. From the experience, the Regiment has directed the preparation for training, from making plans and schedules, organising further trainings for cadres to preparing materials and training grounds; maintained the regulation of approving on-site lesson plans and using the model teams. In training, the Regiment has strictly adhered to the “basic, practical and solid” motto, improved the technical and tactical skills to be close to the combat reality, terrain features of localities and combat objects; combined training with physical practice for soldiers; enhanced the extra-curricular training for soldiers to move by boats; practiced live-firing lessons on boats by using infantry weapons, etc. At the end of each training period and lesson, the Regiment holds competitions and contests to evaluate the training results. As a result, 100% of cadres have been trained as assigned, of which, 80% of battalion cadres, 75% of platoon and company ones have gained good and excellent results. The annual training results have been recorded with 100% of training contents being passed, 84.23% of which being good and excellent. The organisation of unit-commanding exercises, all-level tactical and live-firing exercises has gained good results and absolute safety. Together with the training, the Regiment has attentively strengthened its combat readiness. All units have regularly educated and grasped for cadres and soldiers to well understand the combat-readiness directions and orders; closely upheld the on-duty regulations, troop numbers, weapons and equipment as assigned; regularly checked, complemented and completed the combat -readiness documents, and carefully practised all combat plans to meet the task requirements in the event of situations.
In order to create the solidity in building the comprehensively strong units, the Regiment has enhanced the construction of regularity, discipline management and training, and considered it as an important breakthrough. Accordingly, the Regiment has promoted the working responsibility, the actions under regulations, the seniors being examples for the juniors, offices being examples for units and cadres being examples for soldiers. Cadres and commanders have attentively followed soldiers, enhanced the grasp and education of soldiers’ self-awareness of complying with the State’s law, the Military’s discipline and the units’ regulations; at the same time, strictly kept the regulations of meetings, learning and working and managed the weapons and equipment; closely combined between prevention and strict punishment of any discipline violations. Offices and units have combined the regularity building and discipline training with the building of the cultural environments and the “regular, green, clean and beautiful” barracks so that soldiers stay committed to the units. Therefore, in recent years, the regularity building and discipline training of the Regiment have gained active and stable changes, the Regiment has been awarded the title Unit of Safety in all aspects.
Together with the above solutions, the Regiment has considered well giving the logistic and technical support for all tasks. Among all, the Regiment has attentively adjusted and complemented the store of logistic materials and equipment; strictly implemented the Campaign of “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment in a good, durable, safe, economical manner and traffic safety”; kept the rule of daily and weekly maintenance, strictly managed the quantity and quality of weapons and equipment, ensured safety, avoided the damages, losses and fires; promoted the researches, technical initiatives and improvements supporting the tasks of training and combat readiness.
Bringing into play the traditions of the Unit gaining the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces three times, generations of cadres and soldiers of the 1st Infantry Regiment continue to try to improve the quality of building the comprehensively strong, “exemplary and typical” unit, contributing to the successful accomplishment of all tasks.
Lieutenant Colonel LY KHAI DIEN, Regiment Commander