The Signal Brigade 604 (the Military Region 2) whose forerunner was the Signal Regiment 604 was founded on September 9th, 1978. Over the past 40 years of building, fighting and maturing, under the leadership and direction of the Military Region 2’s Party Committee and High Command, with the support of local party committees and authorities, generations of cadres and troops of the Brigade have taken the initiative in overcoming difficulties and successfully fulfilling the task of maintaining smooth communications in all situations, thereby building up the tradition of “Loyalty, proactiveness, unity, creativity, firmness”. With those achievements, the Brigade was given the Second Class Feat-of-Arms Order, 2 Third Class Feat-of-Arms Orders, and First Class and Second Class Fatherland Protection Orders by the State, a Certificate of Achievement by the Prime Minister, as well as many other noble awards by the Ministry of National Defence and the Military Region 2.
Those achievements have been mainly attributed to the Brigade Party Committee and Command’s leadership and direction over the comprehensive reform in political education, which has contributed to building the political-spiritual factor and political stuff to encourage troops to accomplish all assigned tasks. First, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have focused their leadership and direction on effectively implementing the Project “Renewing the work of political education in units in the new period”. Annually, the Brigade Party Committee has issued a special resolution on leading the training work associated with political education in units with detailed measures to renew the work of political education comprehensively, synchronously. Grounded on the resolution, the Brigade’s political office has cooperated with advisory offices in developing plans to renew the work of political education for each group of troops as well as with Zone 1 Military Investigation Office in legal propagation, dissemination and education for troops. Party committees and commanders at all levels have issued leadership resolutions, formulated plans to renew the work of political education in their units. During the course of implementation, the Brigade has promoted the role and responsibility of party committees and organizations, especially political cadres at all levels to ensure its units’ reform in political education has been carried out on a comprehensive, synchronous, focalized, effective basis.
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| Sr. Col. Duong Quang Trung presents awards to typical examples of the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, ethics and lifestyle |
Reform in contents and method of political education has been seen as the key by Brigade. As its units, posts and stations are stationed in a scattered manner, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have required the units to attach importance to selecting contents of education which are relevant to each group of troops, particularly units which are performing the task in remote, isolated, border areas, independent posts and stations, and those stationed in difficult areas. Adhering to the Brigade’s direction, units have held training courses for cadres and troops to study and grasp the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policy and law as well as directives, resolutions and regulations by the Ministry of National Defence and the Military Region 2’s High Command. Focuses of reform in the work of political education have been placed on special topics for officers, annual political education program for non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Significance has been attached to educating troops on the unit’s tradition and task, hostile plots and artifices; to aligning political education with legal education, regularity building, discipline management, as well as the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle, emulation movements and campaigns by the Party, State, Military and Unit. Moreover, the Brigade has included some contents related to training, combat readiness and communication support (it compiled 8 special topics for political education within the unit). At the same time, lectures have been made compact in terms of contents and included documents for illustration so that troops could grasp the main points and act in accordance with their assigned function and tasks. As a result, it has contributed to raising cadres and troops’ awareness and responsibility, equipping them with political, cultural, social, military, defence, legal, military discipline basic knowledge and regulations on signal maintenance as the basis for applying these to their performance of the task. The results of annual examination of political knowledge have witnessed considerable changes.
Units have employed combined forms of political education in an “open” fashion with a focus on learners, proactively conducted the work of political education via political education courses, political-ideological meetings, news briefings, newspaper reading, TV watching, implementation of the Grass-Roots Level Democracy Regulations, activities to celebrate national holidays and traditional days of the Military and units as well as cultural and artistic activities and exchanges, etc. Besides, units have also combined adopted various methods for education, such as presentation, explanation, analysis, images, models, visual aids, documentaries to draw the attention of learners. Consequently, soldiers always find it easy to read, understand, and remember, thereby creating a pleasant atmosphere for learners and achieving the high effectiveness.
Furthermore, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have directed units to stringently maintain the order of political briefing for their staff in accordance with regulations. Battalions and companies organize political briefings for their staff and soldiers on a weekly basis. Contents of the briefings have been selected and combined with mass media, internal information and regular operations of the units. Focuses of the briefings have been placed on the situation in economic, political, military terms worldwide, great political events of the country and the Military as well as acts of sabotage by hostile forces. Political briefings have contributed to orientating cadres and soldiers’ ideology on socio-political issues and the situation, rendering them fully aware of socio-political events, building up a sense of unity to overcome difficulties in performing their task.
Adhering to realities, monthly, offices and units have proactively developed plans for the Political and Cultural Day and the Legal Day while assigning leaders and commanders at all levels to take part in direct dialogue with soldiers. Focuses of these meetings have been put on informing and clarifying the economic, political and social issues; propagating and disseminating the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policy and law, the Military’s regulations, the unit’s task and regulations; on discussing and addressing the issues related to policies, entitlements, and material and spiritual life for soldiers; and on organizing cultural and artistic activities in units. During these meetings, unit commanders have engaged in direct dialogues with cadres and soldiers in order to achieve a sense of unity and make changes in soldiers’ thought and actions. As a result, democracy has been promoted within the units; soldiers’ thought and aspirations have been opportunely handled and realized, thereby contributing to the units’ successful fulfillment of the assigned tasks.
Fully aware of the role of cadres and instructors in political education, the Brigade Party Committee and Command have paid due regard to training and consolidating this staff. At present, the Brigade has consolidated the contingent of political instructors both qualitatively and quantitatively to meet the requirements of renewing the work of political education (1 team of instructors at Brigade level, 3 teams at battalion level). Importance has been attached to selecting those who graduated from colleges and have comprehensive knowledge in political, military, economic, cultural, social terms as well as good teaching method and scientific working style. Annually, the Brigade has organized on-service training courses for all party committee members and political cadres to achieve the unity of contents and methods for political education. Focuses have been placed on preparing lesson plans and lectures, studying documents and news updates, rehearsing lesson plans, particularly electronic lesson plans with selective images and clips to enrich the lecture. Teams of political instructors have strictly maintained the order for approving lectures every Friday to supplement and improve the quality of lectures. Besides, the Brigade has held the contest “Good political instructors” and the teaching contest according to the Regulations on Political Education while implementing the Project “Renewing the work of political education in units in the new period”, thereby improving knowledge of political cadres and instructors at all levels, contributing to effectively carrying out the work of political education in units.
Bringing into play the attained results, in the upcoming time, the Brigade Party Committee and Command will continue to lead and direct units to regularly stay close to realities and actively renew and improve the quality of political education, contributing to building strong Brigade politically as the basis for enhancing the synergy and maintaining communications rapidly, opportunely, secretly, and safely in all situations.
Sr. Col. Duong Quang Trung, Political Commissar of the Brigade