The source of gratitude flows forever

In the 2024 - 2025 dry season, continuing to carry out their sacred mission, the soldiers of Team K51 (Provincial Military Command) set out to carry out their duties on Cambodian soil. Although they are used to the sun, wind, and fog of the forest, each trip is a new challenge. They do not mind the difficulties and hardships, upholding their sense of responsibility, organizing the verification of over 405 pieces of information - a huge number containing many vague clues from witnesses.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Tu, Team Leader of Team K51, shared that the main source of information for the Team is still mainly searching and gathering information through people in the villages and hamlets who go into the forest to find a living, work for foreign companies, or cultivate fields. The main sources of information currently are from young people, who only hear stories, so it takes a lot of time to lead the way to find them. Even when they have directly discovered the burial site of martyrs' remains, in the middle of the wild and vast mountains and forests, returning to search is a long journey.

Major General Hua Van Tuong, Deputy Commander of Military Region 5 and Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council Huynh Thi Chien Hoa and delegates sent the martyrs to their resting place.

For example, during this dry season, Team K51 received information from the people of Betchanđa district that two months ago, while going into the forest, they had seen the grave of a Vietnamese martyr buried in the Nam Nia mountain range. Enthusiastically and aggressively leading Team K51 on the road, however, when entering the vast wilderness, the people could only imagine that the burial place was about 200-300 meters away from the location they were searching for. It took a whole week of clinging to the forest and wading through streams for the officers and soldiers of Team K51 to discover the grave surrounded by rocks. When excavating, the bundle of bones had rotted along with many fragments of bones and relics of martyrs.

Over the past 25 years, 769 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in wars throughout the years in Mondulkiri province - Cambodia have been gathered and buried at the Dak Lak Province Martyrs' Cemetery.

Throughout the dry season of 2024 - 2025, officers and soldiers have always been united, not afraid of difficulties and hardships, upholding a sense of responsibility, surveying and excavating more than 107 concentrated locations and many small locations, excavating hundreds of cubic meters of soil and rock. Thereby, 23 sets of martyrs' remains were collected, the martyrs' graves mainly only had soldiers' relics such as tanks, hammocks, penicillin bottles, rubber sandals, buttons... The remains have been collected, Team K51 brought them back to the center to look after, worship and burn incense every day.

On the afternoon of May 28, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee solemnly held a memorial service and buried 23 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died during the war in Cambodia at the provincial Martyrs' Cemetery. Major General Hua Van Tuong, Deputy Commander of Military Region 5; Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council Huynh Thi Chien Hoa; Ms. Win Si Thuon, Deputy Governor, Head of the Specialized Committee of Mondulkiri Province (Cambodia); Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Tran Phu Hung; Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai, along with leaders of local Party committees, authorities and a large number of people, were present to send off the martyrs to their final resting place.

For the first time participating in the memorial service and burial of martyrs' remains, Sergeant Duong Quang Trung (Battalion 303, Regiment 584) and his comrades rehearsed every move carefully. Everything was performed with the utmost care and solemnity, showing absolute respect for those who have fallen. Sergeant Duong Quang Trung expressed: "The ceremony to send the martyrs to their resting place reminds us to always keep in mind the great things that our fathers and brothers have gone through to protect and preserve peace, happiness and harmony ."

Solemnly send off the heroic martyrs to their final resting place.

Attending the memorial service, Mr. Nguyen Tran Trung (a member of the Youth Union of the Department of Home Affairs) shared: "When we saw the remaining relics of the martyrs with our own eyes, we felt the fierceness of war, of time, the noble sacrifice of the heroic martyrs, and also felt more deeply the patriotism and pride of our nation."

In the eulogy for the martyrs, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Truong Cong Thai proudly affirmed: Carrying out the sacred duty of the Fatherland, millions of young people across the country said goodbye to their most beloved ones to go to war to protect the Fatherland and perform noble international duties in the friendly country of Cambodia. The blood of the heroic martyrs was shed on the battlefield in the friendly land, so that the brotherly country of Cambodia would be at peace, so that the friendship between the two nations would last forever. Our Fatherland and people will forever remember the great contributions of the martyrs.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/chinh-tri/202505/mach-nguon-tri-an-chay-mai-7da152a/