Secretary of Huong Thuy Town Party Committee lights incense in memory at Huong Thuy Martyrs Cemetery. Photo: Thanh Doan

Through Zalo, Trinh Hai Yen provided me with a paper from the Vietnam People's Army (unable to read the unit name) dated August 30, 1975, sent to Ms. Tran Thi Hiep and her family, informing that Martyr Trinh Khac Thinh died on October 8, 1974 at the "Southern Front". The unit buried him at the "Cemetery near the front".

Exactly half a century later, on August 9, 2024, the Military Command (MC) issued a “Certificate of information on the martyr’s place of death”; which clearly stated: “Initial burial place: Phu Loc, Thua Thien Hue”. Learning about his uncle’s comrades, Trinh Hai Yen learned that after his death, the unit buried Martyr Trinh Khac Thinh at Ong Doi hill!

I called the Party Secretary of Xuan Loc Commune, Nguyen Vinh Phuc, and he told me that on the morning of May 10, 2025, when I saw a car appear at the gate of the agency, I guessed that this might be a relative of the martyrs, so I invited them in. They said that after decades of searching, thanks to the Thai Nguyen Military Command providing information about the original burial place, the family decided to come here to try to find it one last time. Thanks to reading his series of articles "The Death Land of the Tau Mine" in Hue Today Newspaper, I told them that I hoped this journalist would help connect the family.

According to the records, martyr Trinh Khac Thinh was born in 1949, from Van Cu, Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen. Enlisted in the army: August 1967. Unit when he died: C18, E1, f324. Position: Deputy squad leader. Trinh Hai Yen said, through the reports of his comrades, in the battle that day (October 8, 1974) of D5, my uncle and 16 officers and soldiers died. The unit buried him at the foot of Ong Doi hill, near the stream. That area is also the burial place of nearly 100 martyrs of the Liberation Army.

Before writing the travelogue “Mo Tau Death Land”, I was taken to see several locations by former Huong Thuy District Captain Le Huu Tong and veteran Ho Dac Luc, a “local” in this land. Thanks to that, when reading the information provided by Trinh Hai Yen, I could visualize the burial site of martyr Trinh Khac Thinh. This area is not in Phu Loc but has been the territory of Huong Thuy since the war. Ong Doi Hill is located on the east side of Ta Trach River and is the link between Mo Tau base in the north and “Cau” field airport in the south.

The time when martyr Trinh Khac Thinh sacrificed his life was after Mo Tau had fallen into the hands of the Liberation Army (September 28, 1974), the enemy had to use all their strength to retake Mo Tau, a key position in the southwest of the Hue front.

Many fierce battles took place. Regiment 6, Regiment 271 of Tri-Thien Military Region and Regiment 1 of Division 324 took turns counterattacking, resulting in many casualties, mainly due to artillery fire. At that time, it was not known when the war would end, so most of the dead were hastily buried, while because of new missions, the units were constantly moving; in addition, the terrain changed, making the search difficult later on, and that is also the reason why the relatives of hundreds of martyrs have not yet found their remains, including martyr Trinh Khac Thinh.

After contacting veteran Ho Dac Luc, I learned that before Ta Trach Lake was built, his house was near Ong Doi hill, so I knew clearly that in 1980, under the command of Deputy District Commander Duong Van Tuoi, Huong Phu District Commander at that time sent officers and soldiers to the place to collect nearly 100 sets of martyrs' remains and bring them back to the current Huong Thuy town martyrs' cemetery for burial. From this information, I informed Trinh Hai Yen.

After nearly half a century of searching in the provinces of the “Southern Front”, the relatives of martyr Trinh Khac Thinh and nearly 100 of his comrades buried at Ong Doi hill years ago now know exactly where their final resting place is. I hope that when people know this important information, they will soon share it to help the relatives of the martyrs of the 1st Regiment of the 324th Division who died fighting in the “Moil Mine Death Land” in 1974 to come back and pay their respects. The cemetery of Huong Thuy town is not only beautiful and majestic but also conveniently located: close to National Highway 1A and just north of Phu Bai airport.

PHAM HUU THU

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/sau-nhung-nam-mon-moi-kiem-tim-153981.html