Keeping the flame of gratitude alive in the Ba Long War Zone.

Every year, the people of Xuan Lam village, Ba Long commune, Quang Tri province, hold three major ceremonies: worshipping the village guardian deity (on the 16th day of the 6th lunar month), and ceremonies marking the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. In particular, along with the rituals at the village center, the villagers also prepare elaborate and thoughtful offerings for a separate ceremony at the commune's Martyrs' Cemetery to "invite" the heroic martyrs to witness the event. For the people of Xuan Lam, the commune's Martyrs' Cemetery – the resting place of 116 sons and daughters from all over the country – holds a special sacred meaning. This is because they voluntarily contributed to searching for and excavating many martyrs' remains from deep in the forests and mountains to be buried here.

Mr. Luong Thanh Phuc searches for the name of the fallen soldier engraved on the memorial plaque - Photo: TT

Ten years of persistent searching for teammates.

The Ba Long War Zone is considered a key strategic area with a geographical position that allows for both offensive and defensive operations. Throughout the two wars of resistance against France and the United States, many outstanding individuals from all over the country perished in the mountains and forests of the Ba Long War Zone.

Mr. Luong Thanh Phuc, former Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Trieu Nguyen commune (old), thoughtfully recounted: "When the war ended, the people of Ba Long returned from evacuation areas to rebuild their lives. In the 1980s, life was still incredibly difficult; people mainly made a living by going into the forest to collect firewood, processing timber, or even digging up war scrap metal to sell."

From those expeditions into the forest, they discovered many remains of fallen soldiers and voluntarily collected and brought them back. In response to this situation, since 1984, the local government has launched a movement to form teams to search for the remains of fallen soldiers, which has been wholeheartedly supported and voluntarily participated in by the people. This movement has been continuously maintained for more than 10 years.”

Despite the lack of support, the movement to find the remains of fallen soldiers has been widely embraced by the villagers, especially the youth union members. Some trips last for weeks or months, with only rudimentary tools like hoes and shovels, and packed meals. But difficulties cannot stop them; the people's only thought is to find their brothers and sisters so they can bring them back for burial.

According to Mr. Phuc, during the years he participated in the search for the remains of fallen soldiers, although unwillingly, he and many others in the team had to believe in spirituality. “Once, we received a report about seven graves located on the edge of the Lang An ravine, a branch leading to He Dao. However, when we arrived, we only found six graves. It was dark, so the whole team decided to sleep in the forest.”

The next morning, two people coincidentally recounted the exact same dream, that someone had appeared to them in a dream revealing that there was still a fallen soldier whose remains had not been found. After lighting incense and offering prayers, the team continued the search and indeed, they found the remains of a female fallen soldier along with an artifact: a comb with carved patterns,” Mr. Phuc shared.

Veteran Le Huu Cau (63 years old), one of the first members of the team collecting the remains of fallen soldiers, cannot forget the story from the end of 1992. “On that trip, we found two sets of remains of fallen soldiers, but due to heavy rain, they were trapped in the forest. The next day, the whole team planned to leave early, but one of the men, with a premonition, stayed behind and persistently continued searching about 20 meters away, where he discovered another set of remains.”

"I remember the accompanying relics were a small plaque made from a ration box, clearly stating the information of Nguyen Dinh Chau, from Hung Phuc, Hung Nguyen, Nghe An , who died on May 12, 1972. When we found this comrade, we were speechless, because if we had been even a little less patient, we would have left him behind in the mountains," Mr. Cau recalled.

Ba Long War Zone is an important historical site associated with the two resistance wars against France and the United States. With its rugged terrain, it served as a resilient revolutionary base, witnessing the heroic sacrifices of countless outstanding individuals from all over the country. Today, Ba Long has been recognized as a central safe zone, continuing to uphold its status as a sacred land, preserving the glorious memories of the nation.

The miraculous construction of a cemetery from a barren hill.

Exhuming remains from the deep, treacherous jungle was already a difficult journey, but an even more challenging problem for the local authorities and people at the time was choosing a location to respectfully bury the fallen soldiers.

This question troubled Mr. Phuc and successive generations of commune leaders. “The only way was to mobilize the people to level the hills and mountains using rudimentary means to build the commune’s martyrs’ cemetery. That was a task that had to be completed, no matter how difficult,” Mr. Phuc recalled this bold decision.

Mr. Phuc regularly visits and offers incense to the fallen heroes resting in the commune's cemetery - Photo: TT

Through sheer human effort, willpower, and extraordinary determination, an entire hillside was leveled to create a burial ground for 116 martyrs. The land was prepared, but the cemetery still lacked a dignified memorial.

“The local authorities assigned the youth union to lead this task. The young people, undeterred by difficulties, mobilized their forces to dismantle damaged bridges, salvage the iron cores, and utilize all available materials to build the memorial. Because of these salvaged materials, the initial triangular plaque commemorating the nation's sacrifice at the memorial was designed, and it was only later that it was rebuilt and renovated,” Mr. Phuc’s story became increasingly interesting.

Looking at the spacious, clean cemetery grounds, with graves neatly arranged in rows, surrounded by lush greenery and fragrant flowering frangipani trees, we couldn't help but admire those who contributed to leveling mountains and hills to build this resting place for the heroic martyrs.

Mr. Tran Ba ​​Du, head of Lam Xuan village, carefully prepares the offerings at the cemetery memorial area. Besides the elaborate meal, there are also 120 sets of paper clothing for the fallen soldiers. This offering is prepared along with the ceremony honoring the village's guardian deity on the 16th day of the 6th lunar month every year.

“The soldiers remain on the village land, revered and worshipped by the villagers as a token of their gratitude and respect. The people here pledge to care for the martyrs' graves as if they were their own flesh and blood, so that the heroic martyrs may feel comforted,” Mr. Dự shared.

Together with Mr. Phuc, we lit incense at the graves of the fallen soldiers resting in the cemetery, searching for each name engraved on the memorial plaque at the martyrs' monument. Although the war ended more than 40 years ago, many graves remain unidentified. Our uncles and brothers still lie in this land, unable to return to their families, but their spirits are comforted by the thoughtful care and grateful incense offered by the people of Ba Long.

The story of the people of Ba Long searching for the graves of fallen soldiers is not only a testament to their profound gratitude but also a symbol of the noble spirit of "drinking water, remembering the source." More than just a cemetery, this place has become a common home, where the outstanding sons and daughters of the nation are sheltered and rest in the loving embrace of their fellow citizens.

Each incense stick lit, each ceremony held, is not only a remembrance but also a sacred promise that Ba Long will always cherish the past, preserve and promote fine traditional values, so that the heroic martyrs will forever live in the hearts of the nation.

Thanh Truc

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/giu-lua-tri-an-o-chien-khu-ba-long-196342.htm