Building a "bridge" to honor martyrs
Ms. Vu Thi Ly is one of the four daughters of martyr Vu Van Thiep, Lac Van commune (Nho Quan district). Ms. Ly's family was fortunate to have the remains of martyr Vu Van Thiep brought back to rest in their hometown cemetery after many years of searching.
According to Ms. Ly, in 1966, martyr Vu Van Thiep died in Binh Dinh. However, it was not until 1969 that the family received a death notice. During the following months, the family searched and waited wearily for information about their father's grave with the greatest hope of welcoming their father back to rest in his hometown.
Ms. Ly was moved: After many years of searching, finally with the help of the Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs of Ninh Binh Province and many other agencies, units and localities, my family was able to find and receive my father's remains from the martyrs' cemetery in Hoai Hao Ward, Hoai Nhon Town (Binh Dinh Province) to rest in our hometown cemetery. Now that my father has returned to his homeland, we feel more at ease.
Ms. Ly's family is one of many families that have found the remains of their martyr relatives with the effective help of the Provincial Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs.
Mr. Pham Van Hieu, Chairman of the Provincial Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs, said: Since its establishment in 2013, one of the key tasks that the Association has focused on is to support families of martyrs in collecting information, searching for the remains of martyrs who are still lost or have not been identified by DNA testing; and to advise and guide families of martyrs who wish to visit or bring the remains of martyrs back to their hometowns.
Accordingly, during the past term (2018-2023), the Provincial Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs actively coordinated with the Provincial Military Command, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Provincial Association of War Veterans, Associations for Supporting Families of Martyrs in a number of provinces, the Liaison Committee of Veterans of Military Region 7 and Military Region 9, and volunteer organizations... to collect information to search for martyrs' remains, look up, match, verify, decode, and extract records.
Over the past 5 years (2018-2023), the Association has collected and received 3,149 pieces of information about martyrs from Ninh Binh. The Association has reviewed, screened, and notified nearly 1,900 subjects; supported 38 families in bringing remains back to their hometowns; provided legal advice to nearly 100 families wishing to search for martyrs' remains; coordinated and guided 25 families in completing procedures to request identification of martyrs' identities using DNA testing methods.
Connecting resources, caring for martyrs' families
After a period of active construction and completion, the house preserving many memories of martyr Tran Van Hua, Quang Thien commune (Kim Son district) has been completed and put into use.
Ms. Pham Thi Nguyet, sister-in-law of martyr Tran Van Hua, shared that the house she lives in is the old house left by her husband's parents. This is a place that holds many memories of the family, especially of her husband - martyr Tran Van Hua. However, because it was built a long time ago, the house has seriously deteriorated.
"I wanted to repair it to have a place to worship my ancestors and martyr Hua, but because of my difficult circumstances, I have not been able to do it yet. Recently, my family received encouragement and material support from members of the Council of Armored Troops of Ninh Binh Province 1972 and the Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs of the Province to rebuild the house. I am very grateful and appreciate the affection that my comrades have for my husband, martyr Tran Van Huu" - Ms. Nguyet was moved.
Caring for martyrs' families is also a regular task, which the Provincial Association for Supporting Martyrs' Families connects with units, organizations, and individuals to create resources to carry out methodically and effectively. Mr. Pham Ngoc Hieu, Chairman of the Provincial Association for Supporting Martyrs' Families, added: Over the years, nearly 600 regular members have accompanied the Association for Supporting Martyrs' Families, in addition to over 300 collaborators, volunteer groups, philanthropists, etc.
Every year, localities, businesses, schools, associations, unions and philanthropists organize many meaningful and practical activities to show gratitude to the families of martyrs such as: medical examination, free medicine, giving gifts to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, families of martyrs in difficult circumstances on July 27 and Lunar New Year; coordinating to repair houses for families of martyrs with housing difficulties; giving scholarships to students in difficult circumstances who are children of policy beneficiaries... Along with the policies of the Party and State, the attention of the province, the practical activities of organizations and unions have also contributed to improving the material and spiritual life of families of martyrs, especially families of martyrs in difficult circumstances...
During the last term, the Association coordinated with units to organize medical examinations and provide free medicine for 1,500 cases; presented nearly 3,000 gifts with a total value of over 1.5 billion VND. In addition, there were activities to give gifts, build red scarf houses; repair and build gratitude houses; grant scholarships to students, etc., with a total cost of both cash and in-kind worth nearly 9 billion VND. Among them, many agencies, units, businesses, schools, and individuals have coordinated effectively and carried out well the activities to show gratitude to the families of martyrs.
Dao Hang-Minh Quang
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