Major Trần Thanh Bình, a tank driver in Regiment 68, Division 304 of 2nd Army Corps (central) introduced innovations to reduce hardship for soldiers during tank operation and maintenance. VNA/VNS Photo Viết Tôn

HÀ NỘI — Tanks are some of Major Trần Thanh Bình's best friends.

The tank driver in Regiment 68, Division 304 of 2nd Army Corps based in Hà Nội’s Sóc Sơn District joined the army in February 1993 and has spent years working with tanks.

His dedication to learning more about tanks as well as how to operate and maintain them has led to innovations that have helped reduce hardship for artillery soldiers.

Due to his years of experience, Bình knows how hard it is to operate and maintain the giant vehicles, particularly when soldiers mostly do the work manually.

For example, when soldiers assemble or disassemble a gun or cannon barrel manually, they are not only exposed to grease but also health risks as the work takes a lot of time and hard work.

Bình said he thought a grease pumping machine could solve all the problems.

He searched for materials, spent days reading materials and designing and testing some models.

Once he successfully made a grease pumping machine his unit started using it to great effect.

The innovation also helped Bình earn a second prize at a technical innovation contest of the 2nd Army Corp in 2016.

Bình also created equipment to help move the armoured panels at the bottom of the tank.

“Previously, at least two or three people were needed to snake under the tank to move the panel and clean other items there,” Bình said, adding that equipment was used to lift the vehicle but it posed a high risk to the soldiers during the maintenance process.

Moreover, at the bottom of the tank, there was a lot of grease, dirty water and leaked impurities.

In 2018, Bình invented a machine to remove soil and waste from tank chains and equipment, improving safety for tank engines. 

The two pieces of equipment have been used widely in Việt Nam’s military since 2020.

“As a technician, I’m interested in machines that help reduce hardship for soldiers,” Bình said.

Lieutenant Colonel Đinh Quốc Nam, Political Commissar of Regiment 68, Division 304, applauded Bình’s initiatives, saying Bình was a tank driver who always has a sense of self-study and self-forging to constantly improve the level of vehicle control, meeting the increasingly demanding requirements in the training and combat readiness work of the army. 

Bình is usually assigned to perform important tasks such as controlling tanks, disembarking specialised trucks and participating in military drills, Nam said.

Besides working as a tank driver, Major Bình was also entrusted by his superiors to manage the tank warehouse of the entire division, with a large number of weapons and equipment.

“He always upholds a sense of responsibility in managing and preserving the weapons and equipment in the warehouse,” Nam said.

Last year, Bình was commended by the then Minister of Defence Ngô Xuân Lịch and he was named among the outstanding soldiers in the emulation movement of Việt Nam People’s Army. 

Division 304 under Corps 2 was established on 10 March 1950 at Xuân Thọ Commune, Thọ Xuân District, Thanh Hóa Province. 

In the resistance war against the French colonialists, the division was involved in several campaigns and won glorious victories. In the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign, it successfully fulfilled its task of occupying Hồng Cúm sub-region, killing and capturing 2,000 enemy troops. 

In the resistance war against the US imperialists, the division was involved in several major important operations, such as the Siege of Plei Me in 1965, the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968, Operation Lam Sơn 719 in 1971, the Battle of Quảng Trị in 1972, the Battle of Thượng Đức in 1974.

In the Hồ Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, the division worked with local forces to liberate the coastal central provinces and broke the enemy’s defensive line on the outskirts of Sai Gon and headed toward the Independence Palace, captured President Dương Văn Minh and his cabinet, forcing them to surrender unconditionally.

In recent years, the division has been tasked with training the reserve force and recruits, ensuring combat readiness and other ad hoc duties. — VNS