In the midst of memories...

“Finally found you two”

In the days of July, in the atmosphere of gratitude to war invalids and martyrs, we visited the family of Mr. Le Khac Mao (73 years old, Dau Lieu residential group 6, Nam Hong Linh ward), the younger brother of two martyrs Le Khanh and Le Duy Tri. We heard him talk about the "journey" of bringing his two brothers back to their homeland, to rest in the bosom of the motherland, with his heart filled with so many emotions that are difficult to express in words.

Mr. Le Khac Mao with the medals of his two brothers, martyr Le Khanh and martyr Le Duy Tri.

Martyr Le Khanh (born in 1946) died in 1971 on the Laos front, martyr Le Duy Tri (born in 1948) died in 1971 on the Quang Tri battlefield. Both martyrs were buried in the unit's cemetery near the front. It is difficult to express in words the pain of loss when in the same year, Mr. Mao's family lost two children forever. "We know that war is a loss, but the pain of losing loved ones and not knowing where their bodies are buried is even more tormenting" - Mr. Mao sadly shared.

After the country was reunified, Mr. Mao's family began searching for his two brothers who had sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland. However, due to difficult circumstances, Mr. Mao worked far from home and the search conditions at that time were not favorable, so his family could not collect much information. By 1988, Mr. Mao's family knew where martyr Le Duy Tri was buried at the Truong Son National Martyrs' Cemetery and brought him to rest in the family cemetery.

Since the day the remains of martyr Le Duy Tri were brought back to his hometown, Mr. Mao's family has been struggling to find the remains of their eldest brother - martyr Le Khanh. Although Mr. Mao's family has always followed the information and stories of Mr. Khanh's comrades to search, their efforts over many years have not yielded results. Nearly half a century has passed, as the war has receded, clues about martyr Le Khanh have become increasingly blurred, and the search for the remains of the martyr has become increasingly difficult, at times seemingly hopeless.

Nearly 50 years after his heroic sacrifice in Laos, in 2018, the remains of martyr Le Khanh were brought back to rest in the motherland by the Steering Committee 515 of Ha Tinh province and his relatives.

Then, in those chaotic times, in early 2018, Mr. Mao's family received information from the Martyrs' Remains Collection Team (Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command) about finding the burial site of martyr Le Khanh in Bolikhamxay Province (Laos). Mr. Mao's family hurriedly packed up and went to the neighboring country to coordinate with the Collection Team to collect his brother's remains.

After many days of excavation, the remains of martyr Le Khanh were found. With that search result, the Steering Committee 515 of Ha Tinh province solemnly held a farewell ceremony to send the remains of martyr Le Khanh and a number of other martyrs to rest in the motherland of Vietnam. "The joy was overwhelming. So, after many years of searching, we finally found the two of them" - Mr. Mao recounted with overflowing emotions.

Mr. Le Khac Mao at the grave of his brother - martyr Le Khanh.

Since the day the two martyrs were "reunited" at the incense altar in their hometown, Mr. Mao's family, brothers and relatives have felt even warmer when they regularly take care of their resting place. Mr. Mao said: "The first time I visited my brothers' graves, my emotions were hard to put into words. Since they were laid to rest in their hometown, every July 27, the family has always gathered to offer incense and prepare a meal in memory of the two brothers. We consider it an opportunity for family reunion to forever remember them, be proud of them and educate our children and grandchildren to be proud of the Fatherland and proud of their family."

"I know that many families have not yet found their loved ones who sacrificed for the Fatherland. After many years of searching and spending a lot of effort, I understand the feelings and moods of the martyrs' relatives and always hope that the families who have not found the remains of their martyrs will soon have a day of satisfaction like my family," Mr. Mao confided.

Warm every grave

July - the month of gratitude and appreciation to those who sacrificed their youth and blood for the independence, freedom of the Fatherland, and peace for the People. Like many other martyrs' cemeteries, at Nam Martyrs' Cemetery (Tu My commune, Ha Tinh), people come here to offer flowers and incense to show their respect to the martyrs who died for the Fatherland.

Every July, Mr. Nguyen Hoa (Dong Da ward, Hanoi city) brings his family back to offer incense at the graves of his two uncles at Nam Martyrs Cemetery.

Among the crowd, Mr. Nguyen Hoa (67 years old, living in Dong Da ward, Hanoi) with his wife and children came to the graves of his two uncles, martyr Nguyen Cong Mau who died in the resistance war against the French and martyr Nguyen Tien Suu who died in the resistance war against the Americans. Everyone quietly swept and dusted the tombstones.

Mr. Hoa shared: “My hometown is An Hoa Thinh commune, now Son Tien commune. My two uncles who sacrificed their lives were gathered by their family at Nam Martyrs Cemetery in 1990. Since then, every year, my family and I have returned here to burn incense for our uncles in July. This is also an opportunity for us to educate our children and grandchildren about gratitude for the sacrifices of heroes and martyrs for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland today and to inherit the family's patriotic tradition to live a truly exemplary life and make positive contributions to society.”

Nam Martyrs Cemetery is the resting place of more than 1,200 martyrs.

The Nam Martyrs Cemetery is over 3 hectares wide, the resting place of more than 1,200 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the cause of national liberation, defending the Fatherland and the noble international cause. Here, the martyrs' graves are currently being looked after by Mr. Ho Thanh Hai, who offers thoughtful incense. Every day, Mr. Hai cleans the cemetery grounds, inspects the graves, and takes care of the trees. Even the simplest tasks such as cleaning the graves, changing the sand, cleaning the incense burner, and preparing flowers and fruits for incense offerings on the 15th and 1st of the lunar month, he does them meticulously and with all his respect. Thanks to that, the graves here are carefully cared for, with full incense, bringing peace of mind to the martyrs' relatives.

Mr. Hai shared: “Witnessing many elderly and weak parents, relatives of martyrs traveling from other provinces and cities to come here to find their children or visit their loved ones, I feel so sad and touched. I wish I could do something to help them. I tell myself to take good care of the martyrs' graves so that the martyrs' relatives can feel warm and ease the pain of losing their loved ones.” With this in mind, Mr. Hai still protects the peaceful “sleep” of the heroic martyrs day and night, contributing to keeping the cemetery clean, beautiful and dignified.

Every day, Mr. Ho Thanh Hai always looks after and carefully burns incense at each grave of the martyrs.

Every journey to find loved ones who sacrificed for the Fatherland, every silent act of caring for each martyr's grave is a continuation of deep gratitude, a concrete expression of the endless longing for those who fell for peace today.

July, therefore, is not only a month of gratitude, but also a sacred moment for each person to reflect on themselves, reminding themselves to live up to the noble sacrifices of previous generations - those who sacrificed their flesh and blood so that the country could have independence, freedom and a bright future like today.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/giua-mien-tuong-nho-post292475.html