It's not simply a homecoming.

50-Year Mission

During the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Rabbit, the story of former American soldier Peter Mathews searching for the owner of a notebook he possessed belonging to a fallen soldier in Ha Tinh province appeared in the press. At that moment, journalist Vu Duy – Head of the News Department of VOV1, Voice of Vietnam Radio – assigned journalist Thu Hoa to investigate.

“I was really confused at the time, not knowing how I could contact Mr. Peter Mathews. Immediately, I contacted reporter Pham Huan – Vietnam Radio's correspondent in the US. That was February 16, 2023. Just two days later, reporter Pham Huan managed to contact Peter Mathews and offered to visit his home. I was overjoyed!” , journalist Thu Hoa recalled.

Journalist Thu Hoa and her colleagues connected with Mr. Tran Nhat Tan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Ha Tinh province. Through friends in the US, Mr. Tan contacted Mr. Mathews, requesting that he photograph the pages of the notebook belonging to martyr Cao Van Tuat. They discovered information about the martyr on the last page of the notebook. All the information was recorded, cross-referenced, and confirmed by relevant authorities in Ha Tinh province, confirming that the owner of the notebook was indeed martyr Cao Xuan Tuat from Cao Thang village, Ky Xuan commune, Ky Anh district.

“From VOV’s exclusive interview with Mr. Peter Mathews, we learned that he would be coming to Vietnam, specifically to Ha Tinh, to return the notebook to the family of a fallen soldier on March 4, 2023. We immediately planned to go to Ha Tinh before that date, to visit the soldier's home, light incense, record stories from the family of fallen soldier Cao Van Tuat, and prepare for the meeting with Mr. Peter Mathews there,” said Ms. Thu Hoa.

Reporter Pham Huan interviewed Mr. Peter Mathews at his home.

Recalling the emotional encounter, reporter Pham Huan – Vietnam Voice Radio's correspondent in the US – shared that contacting Peter was not easy because there was absolutely no information about him.

“Luckily, I stumbled upon his email address in an online article, which was the website Peter created to talk about the notebook he found and his time fighting in Vietnam. Peter doesn't usually use social media and rarely checks his email, so it took me several days to receive his reply. As soon as I got his response, I asked to visit his home for a face-to-face interview. Peter agreed and warmly welcomed us,” Pham Huan shared.

Peter and his wife lived in a small house in the suburbs of New Jersey. The first thing that struck Pham Huan upon entering the house was the neatly arranged notebook on the table that Peter had found and kept for over 50 years, along with related articles and information. As he spoke with the reporter, emotions from his years in Vietnam welled up in Peter, and his eyes welled up with tears as he recounted the details of how he found the notebook.

"Slowly and tremblingly, Peter opened each page of the notebook, telling us how he found it, how much he admired the drawings within, and his journey to find its owner, his desire to return the notebook to Vietnam—something he considered a life mission after more than 50 years," journalist Pham Huan recalled.

An emotional reunion.

“When reporter Pham Huan reported that they had contacted Mr. Peter Mathews, we were overjoyed! And all our worries were dispelled when we received a continuous stream of information about Mr. Peter Mathews' plans to visit Vietnam, specifically Ha Tinh,” journalist Thu Hoa shared.

The challenge for journalist Thu Hoa and her colleagues on this assignment was that, in Ha Tinh, they had anticipated that obtaining a private space to interview the subject would be impossible. Therefore, she and her colleagues tried to gather as much information as possible by conducting the interview at Peter Mathews' private residence in the United States. In Ha Tinh, the team had to travel back and forth multiple times from the city to Cao Thang village to obtain the most valuable materials.

Journalist Thu Hoa (far left) pictured with Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mathews in Ha Tinh.

The person who left the deepest impression on journalist Thu Hoa was the martyr Cao Van Tuat. What could be more joyful and heartwarming than, after exactly 60 springs since he "left his humble thatched house," he "returned" to reunite with his family and loved ones!

Through his writings in his notebook, the poems, and the letters he wrote to his mother and younger sister, his older and younger sisters felt as if they were reliving moments from peaceful days gone by. “Those were truly incredibly moving moments for anyone who witnessed that scene in Cao Thang village – Ky Anh commune – Ky Xuan district on the morning of March 5th, 2024,” Thu Hoa recalled.

Remarkably, precisely on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries, in Ha Tinh province, a former "hotbed of conflict" during the war against the US, many war relics were returned. Among them is the story of the notebook of martyr Cao Van Tuat, which was returned to his family after a journey of more than half a century, traveling halfway around the world to the United States and back to Vietnam, offering solace to relatives who had not yet found the martyr's grave.

Telling a story through sound that truly touches the listener's emotions is no easy feat, but for journalist Thu Hoa, it's thanks to her love and passion for her profession. "Love, enthusiasm, and passion for the job will surely create beautiful works of art. From the heart, it will touch the heart! " - journalist Thu Hoa expressed.

Hoang Anh

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/khong-don-gian-chi-la-su-tro-ve-post299599.html