Lang Son, one of the mountainous provinces near the border of the country which marks glorious feats of arms and geographic areas in the nation’s history such as Chi Lang pass, Bac Son, heroic Road 4, etc. has become a sacred area in each Vietnamese person’s mind. In the cause of national liberation, building and safeguarding the Homeland, the army and people of all ethnic groups in Lang Son together with the whole country have achieved many glorious feats of arms, firmly protected the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and border of the Homeland.

Bringing into play the revolutional traditions, clearly understanding the roles and importance of the military service call-ups (noted as enlistment from now), the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Military Command have proved their core roles to actively advise the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee to closely implement this task with many suitable reforms and good results. Since 2017, the Province has gained high appreciation when having completed 100% the schedules of enlistment with 68.5% of the enlistees having their health type 1 and 2, 92.8% of them graduating from secondary and high schools; 100% new enlisted men being self-aware of training without any case of deserters and discipline violations.

Youth of Lang Son province excitedly join the Army

To achieve these results, there have involved many factors including the regular and close leadership by the all-level party committees and governments, the participation of the whole political system in the implementation of this important mission. Enlistment is an important defence and military task of all areas in order to meet the mission demands for building the Army, enhancing the national defence and safeguarding the Homeland. As a result, it is vital to create the agreement, and the synchronous involvement of all levels, agencies, unions, the whole political system and people. Keeping this in mind, the Provincial Military Command has directed all-level military offices to closely cooperate with departments, sections, agencies and unions and thoroughly grasp the situations of the enlistment in the area; on that basis, to build plans and advise the executive committees and governments to enhance the leadership, direction and governmental management of the enlistment task. Annually, 100% local executive committees and govenments issue the leading resolutions and plans on the enlistment which are appropriate to the regional reality; complete and improve the working effectiveness of the Council for Military Service; popularise widely the task of enlistment in every party cell, village and street to unify the leadership, direction and implementation. Additionally, in order to enhance the responsibility of all-level committees and governments, the Province has considered the enlistment results as one of the standards to measure the mission accomplishment of all areas.

According to reality, in the enlistment, it is extremely important to create the agreement, the awareness unity and the whole people’s responsibility, and it is even more important for Lang Son – a mountainous border province where nearly 85% of the population are in the ethnic groups, with unequal literacy, huge area and difficult transportation, etc., which seriously affect the work of enlistment in the province. Clearly bearing this in mind, the Provincial Military Command has advised to improve the propaganda and education on enhancing the people’s awareness and responsibility for implementing the Law on Military Service. Thoroughly grasping and implementing the Project on “improving the dissemination and education on the law for cadres and people in the border areas and islands in the period of 2017-2021”; the Project on “bringing into play the roles of the Army and people in disseminating and educating the law, mobilising people to comply with the law at the grass-root level in the period of 2017-2021”, the Provincial Military Command has actively advised the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee about policies and solutions on proving the involvement from grass-root to provincial levels into the implementation. Particularly, in the remote and mountainous areas with less population and less effectiveness of the mass media, all localities have utilised the mobile radio as the propaganda method to each household. Since 2017, the Provincial Military Command has organised over 19,000 sessions with the participation of nearly 900,000 people; provided 78 notebooks on the law education and over 20,000 leaflets on the Law on Military Service. Together, the Province has effectively brought into play the forces’ roles including the Border Guard, especially the border posts in villages and border gates; groups of speakers; local cadres being ethnic people or the ones with prestage among the community, village leaders and patriarches with several practical methods such as helping people develop the economy, eradicate the hunger and alleviate the poverty, rescue, help them overcome the natural consequences, etc., through which to transmit to people, the ones in their service age in particular, the fundamental contents of the Law on Military Service, their rights and responsibility for the mission of protecting the Homeland, etc. With these practical and suitable methods, the awareness and responsibility for implementing the Law on Military Service and the enlistment task by party committees, governments and people in the province has been positively changed with the high increase of people being voluntary to join the army. The Province had 211 newly enlistees in 2021, 214 people submitted their letter to join the army in 2022.

Together with well carrying out the propaganda and education, the Provincial Military Command has also focused on leading and guiding the localities to well register and manage the sources of enlistees, the newly registered in particular. There is a fact that people at their service age often work far from home, study without being separated from their family register, not returning home or not registering the military service, etc., which cause difficulties for the enlistment. To solve this problem, the Provincial Military Command has directed all-level military offices to advise the local committees and governments to cooperate with other departments such as Police, Justice, Health Care to well implement the first military register in order to closely manage the source of people being ready for the service; found the combined re-examination groups consisting of military, police and judicial cadres, veterans, etc. on checking the register and sources management; strictly punish the violations or refusal of the military service, making the equality in doing the duty of protecting the Homeland. Especially, the Provincial Military Command has cooperated with the Border Guard to closely manage the distance working through border gates by men in their service age, at the same time, publically informed the list of men registerd in the enlistment service, the ones in the delay or in exemption, assigned the villages, streets and members of the Military Service Council to well manage these sources.

In order to well carry out the enlistment, making sure the motto that “anyone enlisted can work”, the Province has mobilised all forces, purchased modern facilities, improved the quality of preselection and selection, assuring the objectivity, democracy, clarity and procedure. Together with the approval and careful evaluation of standards on politics, morality, knowledge, etc. the Provincial Military Command has closely cooperated with the Health Care Service to direct and guide the regions to complete the Council of Healthcare for the military service in districts, cities; give further training and guidance on the procedure of health check, special health requirements for specific units; provide more doctors and medical equipment for regions to do the deep health check, making sure the objectivity in the evaluation and avoiding the effects caused by the men not having enough health conditions to the Province’s enlistment. In the implementation process, the Province has directed the “cross check” among regions so that the evaluation is close and serious making sure the accuracy and objectivity; timely discovered the cases of cheatings in the service; avoided the exclusion from the units due to the health condition, at the same time, closely managed the enlistees and issued the order to call for the military service; directed the military offices to cooperate with units to make the list and make sure that the giving, receiving and the handing over are fast, complete and follow the procedure.

Together with well carrying out the above solutions, the Province has especially appreciated the policies on the military families, social policies, the promotion of the movement on “returning somebody’s favour”, encouraged the youth to do their military service. Annually, the Provincial Military Command advises the Provincial People’s Committee to lead all levels, agencies, organisations and unions to visit and give the saving books to enlisted men. All-level military offices, on the accasion of holidays and Tet, often pay visit and give presents to familities of wounded soldiers, martyrs, families having services to the country and families having soldiers serving in the borders and islands; actively create the funds for “houses of gratitude”; buy the health insurance cards for soldiers’ relatives, etc. Besides, the Province has focused on vocational training and job introduction for servicemen returning from the service; given the priority on selecting, cultivating the sources of cadres in the regions. Over 5 years (2017-2022), there have been 79 servicemen returning from the service to the regions with such titles as commanders, deputy commanders in communes, wards, towns; village mayors, secretary of villages’ party cells, contributing importantly to the improvement of the quality of cadres in general and the capability of doing the national defence and military missions in regions in particular.

Bringing into play the achievements and experience, in the next time, Lang Son Province manages to better the selection and call-ups for military service, meeting the mission requirements for building the Army, enhancing the national defence and the protection of the Homeland in the new situation.

Colonel MAI XUAN PHONG, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Provincial Military Command