These days, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hieu - wife of martyr Tran Trong Vuong (born in 1940, died in 1966), in Dai Lu village, Hong Loc commune, feels warmer in her small house. Because, not only has the house been renovated, but every small corner, every wall, every tiled roof has left an emotional mark and gratitude from the young people who are cadres, lecturers and students of Ha Tinh University.
More than 2 months ago, dozens of Youth Union members of the school together rebuilt the fence, repaired each tile, and repainted each wall for her house. For them, it was not just a volunteer activity, but also a way to express deep gratitude to those who have fallen and those who remain. The encouragement and caring presence of today's generation has given Mrs. Hieu more strength to overcome her illness and live happily in her old age.
“I feel happy and warm. Looking at the house that has been renovated, I feel like the laughter and enthusiasm of the students are still with me,” Ms. Hieu emotionally shared.
On the journey of gratitude, we followed the delegation of the Provincial Youth Union and the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee to visit the family of the People's Armed Forces Hero - Martyr Tran Van Dan in the old Xuan Pho commune (now Dan Hai commune). Martyr Tran Van Dan (born in 1948), formerly a soldier of the 5th Special Forces Company, Group 10, Special Forces Command, sacrificed in 1971 in Sac Forest, Southeast during an enemy sweep. More than a month ago, through the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, we received information from the National Archives Center III (Vietnam) and the University of Texas (USA) about the discovery of valuable documents, especially the handwritten achievement report of the People's Armed Forces Hero Tran Van Dan, a son of Ha Tinh homeland, and the Provincial Youth Union decided to plan to collect, translate, restore photos... to create a publication to present to the martyr's relatives.
Ms. Nguyen Ny Huong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, Secretary of the Ha Tinh Provincial Youth Union expressed: "The publication is not only the newly updated information that clarifies the contributions of the People's Armed Forces Hero, martyr Tran Van Dan, but it is also the heart and responsibility to show gratitude and the morality of "remembering the source of water" of today's generation, for the ancestors who fell for the peace of the Fatherland. This is also a stick of incense for the deceased and a deep thank you to the martyrs' relatives".
In front of the hearts of the Youth Union members, Mr. Tran Thanh Tan (brother of martyr Tran Van Dan) was moved: "After nearly 60 years, my family has learned more information about my brother's heroic fighting and sacrifice. This is an extremely meaningful gift, bringing great encouragement to us."
The story of Mrs. Hieu and the story of People's Armed Forces Hero and Martyr Tran Van Dan are just two of thousands of stories of gratitude that are quietly taking place in the July days in Ha Tinh. During the two resistance wars against the French and the Americans, Ha Tinh had tens of thousands of its sons volunteering to go to battle to protect the country. Among them, tens of thousands of people fell, some returned with injuries, thousands of mothers "crying silently"...
I still remember, at the 2023 National Conference to honor outstanding people with meritorious services, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed: “With great responsibility and deep affection, our Party, State and People pledge to continue to take good care to soothe the pain, absorb the tears, and ease the nostalgia…”.
For Ha Tinh, that promise has become a call to action. Up to now, the whole province has confirmed and implemented policies for 303,379 people with meritorious services, including 2,946 veteran revolutionaries, 849 pre-uprising cadres, 26,656 martyrs, 1,997 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, 35 Labor Heroes and Armed Forces Heroes in the resistance war, 37,793 wounded soldiers, 10,129 sick soldiers, 6,700 resistance fighters infected with toxic chemicals, 663 resistance fighters imprisoned by the enemy, 172,275 people awarded Resistance medals, 43,337 families with meritorious services to the revolution. Currently, the whole province has more than 38,122 people with meritorious services receiving monthly allowances, with an annual payment budget of nearly 1,500 billion VND.
In addition, from 2020 to now, the province has supported the construction and repair of more than 11,700 houses for meritorious people, poor and near-poor households. Notably, in the program "Eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses" launched by the Prime Minister at the end of 2024, Ha Tinh is one of the localities that completed it the earliest in the country. The whole province has built and repaired 2,281 houses, of which 871 are for meritorious people and relatives of martyrs, with a support level of up to 70 million VND/house. Preferential policies not only come from the central budget, Ha Tinh also proactively supplements from the "Repaying gratitude" Fund, mobilizing people, businesses and organizations to expand coverage, so that no one is forgotten.
These days, gratitude activities are becoming more and more profound in every village and residential group. From Party committees, authorities, socio-political organizations, enterprises to each residential community, gratitude activities are taking place widely and meaningfully. Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Ha - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, Chairman of the Ha Tinh Women's Union said: "We have widely deployed the month of gratitude at all levels of the grassroots association, with hundreds of programs and tasks such as: environmental sanitation of cemeteries, martyrs' memorials, raising funds for "Repaying gratitude" to give gifts to families with meritorious services, people with meritorious services, cooking meals for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, people with meritorious services in difficult circumstances... All of these are not only expressions of gratitude to those with meritorious services but also spread awareness of the role and responsibility of each women's union member towards the sacrifices of previous generations".
The Provincial Youth Union has also organized many meaningful gratitude programs such as: coordinating the organization of the art program "Dong Loc - Forever grateful words" at the Dong Loc T-junction relic site; candle lighting ceremony to pay tribute to Heroic Martyr Ly Tu Trong; offering incense and flowers at martyrs' cemeteries and red addresses across the province... In addition, mobilizing social resources to present more than 1,300 gifts with a total value of nearly 1 billion VND to Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, wounded soldiers, martyrs' relatives, and policy families...
The month of gratitude in July is also lit by those who have contributed to each homeland. For them, when they are still "red" and "green", each action is a contribution, a gratitude to comrades who have fallen on the battlefield. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thien - a 1/4 class disabled veteran, in village 7 Xuan Hong (Nghi Xuan commune), currently the head of the village Farmers' Association, expressed: "Although we carry painful shrapnel or have lost a part of our body, we are still luckier than many comrades who have fallen on the battlefield. Living in prosperity today, I will never forget those who have fallen. Even if it is just keeping the village roads clean, beautifying the village corners... it is also expressing gratitude to the generations who fought to protect this country".
July comes, rows of candles are lit shimmeringly on martyrs' cemeteries. That light is not only an expression of gratitude, but also a profound reminder: only when we look into our roots can we understand ourselves, can we clearly see why this country has borne so much fruit, rising strongly in the sky of independence and freedom.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/soi-minh-vao-nguon-coi-post292543.html
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