The one who warms the souls of martyrs

Mr. Bui Huu Tuan prepares offerings for martyrs at the foot of Cau Nhi bridge, Hai Chanh commune - Photo: TU LINH

The Liaison Committee for Policy Work of Division 308, together with the Hai Chanh Commune government and Mr. Tuan's family, have just held a groundbreaking ceremony to build a memorial stele for nearly 100 martyrs of Regiment 88 of Division 308 who died at the above location. Thus, the wish of Mr. Tuan and the veterans of Division 308 to have a sacred place to burn incense for the martyrs who died in the resistance war against American imperialism and for national independence is about to come true.

Mr. Tuan said that when the country was newly unified, through research from veterans, he learned that the battle on May 26, 1972 aimed at collapsing Cau Nhi Bridge across National Highway 1, cutting off the US-puppet counterattack to retake Quang Tri town. Unfortunately, the target was exposed, so nearly 100 soldiers of the 88th Regiment sacrificed their lives right in his parents' garden, about 100 meters west of Cau Nhi Bridge. Due to the harsh circumstances at that time, the unit had not yet brought the bodies of their comrades to the rear, the Saigon government army used bulldozers to bury their bodies in a deep hole.

Therefore, Mr. Tuan and his parents did not build a house at the old location where the martyrs sacrificed their lives, but left the 1-hectare garden with only sparse Melaleuca trees, waiting for the government and relevant agencies to have the conditions to search for, exhume and bring the martyrs to the martyrs' cemetery for rest. His family moved to build a house about 100 meters away from the old garden. Every month, on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, Mr. Tuan takes care of the incense for the martyrs. Every year, on War Invalids and Martyrs Day, July 27, the traditional national New Year, his family also prepares a meal to offer to the martyrs with full rituals.

Thanks to many sources of information from veterans, Mr. Tuan learned that the unit that participated in the battle that day had 12 lucky survivors (of which 6 were seriously injured), most of them were from the northern provinces and cities. To date, many of these people have died due to old age and poor health. With all his efforts to connect, Mr. Tuan helped the local government coordinate with the functional agencies to search for and recover the remains of 17 martyrs who died at the above location and brought them to the Hai Lang District Martyrs' Cemetery for burial.

Mr. Do Duy Chinh and Mr. Tran Ngoc Hien, representatives of the Liaison Committee for Policy Work of Division 308, said that they admired Mr. Tuan's heart for the martyrs and the Liaison Committee. Thanks to Mr. Tuan, for over 50 years, the martyrs, although still buried underground in Hai Chanh, have been able to receive warm incense and feel less sad.

These days, Mr. Chinh and Mr. Hien from Hanoi came to Hai Chanh commune and from the South stayed there, together with Mr. Tuan, to build a memorial stele for the martyrs with the money raised by the liaison committee of 350 million VND. The memorial stele is designed to be placed on a 2-meter high stone pedestal, the stele is 3 meters high, engraved with the full names, units, and hometowns of the 61 martyrs who died in the above battle, which have been fully verified with documents and martyr records. There is still a blank space on the stele, which will later be filled with the names, hometowns, and units of more than 30 martyrs, and the liaison committee is currently continuing to add information.

It is expected that on April 27, 2025, the Policy Work Liaison Committee of Division 308, in coordination with Mr. Tuan's family and local authorities, will inaugurate this meaningful project on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day on April 30 (1975 - 2025).

Chairman of Hai Chanh Commune People's Committee Bui Van Sinh said that Mr. Tuan is always exemplary, has many positive activities in many fields in Nam Chanh village, and is always trusted by the people. He lives dedicatedly for the community work, ready to sacrifice his own interests.

In particular, for the past half century, Mr. Tuan and his family have cared for and burned incense for the martyrs who sacrificed their lives above, touching many people. Every time he searches for and exhumes the remains of martyrs in his garden and brings them back to the Hai Lang District Martyrs' Cemetery for burial, Mr. Tuan organizes a three-day ceremony for the martyrs.

This time, Mr. Tuan donated a large area of ​​land near Highway 1 to build a memorial stele for martyrs, an action of great significance that should be commended. Mr. Tuan's actions warmed the hearts of many families of martyrs across the country.

Tu Linh

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nguoi-suoi-am-anh-linh-cac-liet-si-192798.htm