From the trip to find the grave of a martyr who is a relative

Mr. Nguyen Tien Loi's family has two martyrs. His brother-in-law Nguyen Van Suu and his brother-in-law Nguyen Van Luyen both died in the southern battlefield, but their graves are unknown. In 2014, when he retired in Thinh Lang ward, Hoa Binh city, Hoa Binh province, Mr. Loi had the opportunity to look for their graves.

At first, the search was like "looking for a needle in a haystack" which made him very worried. When he accessed the website "The Ferryman" of Nguyen Sy Ho, Mr. Loi found a clue. When he had all the necessary information, he packed his backpack and set off. After many days of searching, he finally found the place where his two brothers died in Thoi Son commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province and in Nam Thai commune, An Bien district, Kien Giang province. Unfortunately, it is still unclear whether both of them have been gathered in the martyrs' cemetery or not?

After 10 years of "looking for a needle in a haystack", Mr. Nguyen Tien Loi has updated the list of 940 martyrs from Hoa Binh province, currently scattered in martyr cemeteries nationwide.

On his journey to find his relatives, he encountered thousands of unknown graves, many of which only had their hometown written on them: Ha Son Binh. "I was tormented. So many people like that, lying here for decades without anyone calling their names. We've come here, why don't we find them?", Mr. Loi confided.

Returning home, he decided to apply to the Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs in Hoa Binh Province. Every day, he researched documents related to the Army, war, and martyrs. He spent days and nights with the computer, looking up and searching on information channels, making a list of unidentified martyrs from Hoa Binh, then dividing them into divisions, corps, and military branches. He learned how to read martyrs' files, organize his own data, compare information on death certificates and tombstones, learn how to make applications, and consult on procedures. No one forced him to do what he did, but he believed: Those who died for the Fatherland should not be forgotten, even in just one name.

Colonel and writer Nguyen Tien Loi went to collect the remains of martyrs from Hoa Binh province at martyr cemeteries across the country and bury them at the martyr cemetery of Hoa Binh province.

Through screening, he provided the Central Highlands Front (B3) with a list of 478 martyrs who died in battlefields along the border with neighboring countries from 1967 to 1975, serving the survey and search at military bases; provided the Liaison Committee of Regiment 20, Military Region 9 with a list of 581 martyrs who died from 1969 to 1984 in the provinces of Tay Ninh, An Giang, Kien Giang and neighboring Cambodia, including 183 cases serving DNA identification at the Kien Giang Province Martyrs' Cemetery; initially clarified the identities of 27 martyrs (including 3 martyrs from Hoa Binh Province).

The man who drafted thousands of free applications

Mr. Nguyen Tien Loi said: Currently, he has the phone numbers of 138/151 cadres working on social work for war invalids in communes, wards and towns in the province. They are his effective collaborators in searching for information and connecting relatives of martyrs in making applications to competent authorities to resolve policies for martyrs, but they rarely come into contact with each type of application according to the prescribed form. Relatives of martyrs rarely make applications, so he has to draft the applications on their behalf, instead of having to do it over and over again, wasting time.

In cases where the martyr's grave has complete information matching the death certificate, in order to move the remains back to their hometown, at least two applications must be made: an application for a death certificate and an application for moving the remains back to their hometown. In complicated cases, with missing or incorrect information, the martyr's family must make from 3 to 6 applications. Over the years, Mr. Loi has helped nearly 600 martyrs' families complete the procedures to identify the identity and move the remains back to their hometown. On average, each case requires about 3 to 4 applications. Mr. Loi has drafted more than 2,000 applications to help the families of martyrs.

Bring the remains of martyrs back to their hometown for burial.

Over the past 10 years, through social networks, Mr. Loi has received more than 800 search requests from relatives of martyrs. He has personally visited 13 communes with many martyrs to advise 376 martyrs' families. He has read thousands of records, compared each death certificate, looked up each line of data and discovered 246 graves with incorrect information. Not stopping there, Mr. Loi also supported DNA testing procedures for 9 cases and so far, 3 of them have matched. He said: "As long as one family receives a relative, I feel that what I did was right."

Mr. Nguyen Van Son (Phuong Lam ward, Hoa Binh city) is one of hundreds of families that Mr. Loi has helped find martyrs' graves. He shared: "Mr. Loi not only helps find information but also enthusiastically advises on procedures, petitions, and helps contact the facilities to resolve procedures for martyrs' relatives to soon bring their remains back to their homeland."

Struggling to "return names" to graves

From the list of martyrs on the Portal of the Policy Department and the main army divisions that he obtained through different channels, he contacted the localities and veterans to verify and clarify the sacrifice places of more than 1,000 martyrs from Hoa Binh province. For many years, he traveled through hundreds of martyrs' cemeteries from North to South, at each place he visited, he followed the names, ages, hometowns, dates of sacrifice... to compare with death certificates, family records and data on the system.

There were many times when Mr. Loi and his companions had a glimmer of hope, then were disappointed because the information provided by relatives did not match the information on the grave. Mr. Loi affirmed: "If one word is wrong, it is considered impossible to accept. We have to find more death certificates, death certificates, information from the cemetery, everything must match absolutely to be recognized."

After 10 years of "looking for a needle in a haystack", he updated the list of 940 martyrs from Hoa Binh, currently scattered in martyr cemeteries nationwide, and discovered many tombstones with errors or missing information. He guided and helped more than 600 martyrs' families with procedures to search for martyrs, or identify martyrs. In particular, he advised on procedures to identify the remains of martyrs with missing or incorrect information at the request of 212 martyrs' families; searched and discovered many tombstones with incorrect information, informed the families and helped with procedures to return the correct names and hometowns to 187 martyrs.

Do good deeds from the heart

Mr. Loi said: “After retiring, I spent all my time searching for martyrs’ graves. Because once I started working, I couldn’t give up because more and more martyrs’ relatives were asking for help. That’s the reality, but not everyone understands, some people even blame and slander me, saying that I was “digging up the past” just to become famous, or even to make a profit.” Speaking of this, Mr. Loi’s voice suddenly became tense: “I’m not afraid of gossip, because what I do comes entirely from a pure heart. I’m just afraid that the information about martyrs’ graves that I post on Facebook will be taken advantage of by bad people, using my name or that of the Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs of Hoa Binh Province to extort money from martyrs’ families...”.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Loi is not on the payroll of the policy agency, nor does he receive any remuneration for the work he is doing. He travels with his own money, prints his own documents, looks up and studies the regulations himself.

“Some people ask why we don’t charge a fee? But if we do, what’s the point of what we do?”, Mr. Loi shared. His journey has included 5 trips to military zones, corps, divisions, and martyr cemeteries in the southern provinces to search for the graves of martyrs in Hoa Binh province. He has helped nearly 400 families find the graves of martyrs. After that, he provided accurate advice on the records and, using his pension, he has made 12 trips to take the martyrs’ families to receive and move 153 sets of martyrs’ remains to Hoa Binh province safely and thoughtfully. Thanks to his meaningful and responsible work, over the years, Mr. Loi has been awarded many certificates of merit by the People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province and the Vietnam Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs.

Towards the 78th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), Mr. Loi has completed two major "projects", namely the topic "Standardizing information on martyrs of Hoa Binh province" with complete data of 5,775 martyrs of Hoa Binh province, posted on the website "Needle Seeker". He has also just introduced to readers a collection of memoirs titled "Needle Seeker" including 8 short stories, 12 memoirs, published by the Vietnam Writers Association Publishing House, telling about profound memories during the process of more than 10 years of searching for martyrs' graves.

There are still many stories I want to hear about the journey to find the martyrs' graves of Colonel and writer Nguyen Tien Loi, but I had to take the initiative to ask for permission because his phone rang again: Uncle! I am a relative of a martyr...!. When we parted, I clearly remembered what he said: "For me, this search will never end because there are still many martyrs' graves that need to be returned to their correct names and many martyrs' families need to know where their fathers and grandfathers are buried so that they can exhume them and bring them back to their homeland, making it easier to pay their respects."

Article and photos: DUONG THI HONG THUY

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/dai-ta-nha-van-nguyen-tien-loi-hanh-trinh-di-tim-mo-liet-si-831571