Silently guarding the 'sleep' of thousands of martyrs

Mr. Pham Viet Tinh (Hoa Tien commune) has been attached to the Hoa Tien commune martyrs cemetery for more than 16 years.

Work from the heart

At Hoa Tien Commune Martyrs Cemetery, we can always see the image of the old caretaker diligently burning incense, cleaning and taking care of each grave of heroic martyrs. That is Mr. Pham Viet Tinh (born in 1954), with more than 16 years of experience working at the commune martyrs cemetery. Local people as well as relatives of martyrs who come to the cemetery are familiar with his image and work.

Mr. Tinh said he started working as a caretaker when the cemetery was still quite shabby, with simple cement graves and overgrown weeds.

Later, thanks to the investment of the authorities at all levels, the cemetery was renovated and upgraded to be spacious, the graves were covered with stone, clean and beautiful. He himself also went to find green trees to plant, decorate and create shade for the martyrs cemetery. Not only that, when incense burners, light bulbs, flags, etc. were damaged, he also repaired and replaced them himself.

More than 16 years of "watching" his teammates sleep.

Every day, Mr. Tinh spends many hours cleaning, watering plants and weeding the graves of martyrs. Along with that, he regularly comes to burn incense, check the lighting system, incense burners and support families who come to visit the graves of martyrs. Regardless of the sun or rain, Mr. Tinh's quiet work seems to bring warmth and comfort to nearly 1,200 heroic martyrs who are resting here.

After so many years as a caretaker, Mr. Tinh knows almost every martyr's name, grave location, hometown, and place of gathering in the cemetery. He even knows the faces of the martyrs' relatives who come to visit their graves. With anonymous graves, where no relatives visit, he considers them as his own and always takes good care of them. Mr. Tinh's dedication and responsibility for his work shows his gratitude for the contributions of those who died for the independence and freedom of the nation, a touching, beautiful, and humane image.

“I myself was once a soldier, and being able to live and return is a blessing. Therefore, I always respect and am grateful to my comrades and teammates who fell so that I and everyone else can live in peace today. My father and brother were also martyrs in the war and are now lying in this cemetery. Because of that personal feeling, I do this job with all my heart, considering all the martyrs here as my relatives; I do not feel that this job is hard or boring, but on the contrary, I consider it an honor to be able to watch over their sleep,” Mr. Tinh emotionally expressed.

[ VIDEO ] Mr. Pham Viet Tinh shares about his work

“
“I myself was once a soldier, and being able to live and return is a blessing. Therefore, I always appreciate and am grateful for
comrades and teammates have fallen so that I and everyone today can live
in peace”
Mr. Pham Viet Tinh

Do it while you can

Like Mr. Tinh, Mr. Ho Sy Luong (born in 1951, disabled soldier of class 2) has been working as a caretaker for nearly 20 years. Mr. Luong said that in 2005, with the trust of his superiors and fellow soldiers (Reporter - veteran), he was elected as Chairman of the Veterans Association of Hoa Quy Ward (old). Since then, he has been the person directly managing, looking after, cleaning and taking care of more than 1,300 graves of martyrs and heroic Vietnamese mothers at the Hoa Quy Ward Martyrs' Cemetery.

His house is only a few dozen meters from the cemetery, so it is convenient for him to look after and care for the resting places of the martyrs. Mr. Luong's daily work is to clean the cemetery grounds, check the graves, and take care of the trees. On the first and fifteenth of every month and on holidays and Tet, he regularly lights incense on the graves of the martyrs. When many groups of guests and former comrades come to visit, he also takes on the task of introducing them to the guests.

Mr. Ho Sy Luong emotionally told about the arduous fighting process of the previous generation.

Returning from the bombs and bullets of war, Mr. Luong believes that he is luckier than his comrades to continue living in peace and independence. Therefore, even though he is old, weak, has difficulty moving around, and is often sick, he still sticks to his job because of his heart for his comrades and teammates. Once, he had to stay in the hospital for a few days, and he was worried so he asked his wife and children to take his place in taking care of, cleaning, and burning incense for the martyrs' graves.

“Before, when my son was healthy, there were nights when I slept here to watch over him, to prevent theft and vandalism of the cemetery’s facilities. Now that I am old and no longer have the strength to do so, I still come here every day to sweep, clean and take care of the trees. Some people say that thanks to my dedication, I have been blessed by the martyrs, and many times I have been seriously ill but survived. I believe that and remind myself to continue to try my best and do this job well as long as I can,” Mr. Luong confided.

Mr. Luong considers taking care of the "eternal sleep" of heroes and martyrs as a form of gratitude and repayment.

More than 20 years is a long time to test Luong's perseverance in this difficult task. What makes Mr. Luong feel warm and comforted is that more and more young people, students, and pupils come to the cemetery to pay their respects to the heroic martyrs.

“That is also the motivation for me to continue my work, contributing to spreading the activities of 'remembering the source of water when drinking', to show gratitude to those who fell for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland,” Mr. Luong shared.

Page manager - a very ordinary job but it contains a whole heart of respect to show gratitude and repay the sacrifices of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for national independence. Many people who work in this profession, despite the current difficult life, old age, and weak health, do not lose their enthusiasm and responsibility for the job.

They still silently “take care” of the heroic martyrs resting in the cemetery day and night. This work conveys a deep gratitude, demonstrates the tradition of gratitude, “remembering the person who planted the tree when eating the fruit” of our ancestors, and at the same time reminds young people of the spirit and responsibility to society and the people.

[VIDEO] Mr. Ho Sy Luong shares about his attachment to Hoa Quy martyrs cemetery