Tribute to the fallen

The Secretary of Kon Tum Provincial Party Committee and Military Region 5 Command took the martyrs to their final resting place. Photo: DN

Overcoming countless difficulties to carry out their noble mission, the K53 soldiers silently searched for, collected and repatriated the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who sacrificed their lives in three provinces of Southern Laos (Attapeu, Sekong, Champasak) and Ratanakiri province (Kingdom of Cambodia).

Established in 1994, Team K53 has so far searched for and collected 1,393 martyrs' remains, including 938 in Southern Laos and 458 in Ratanakiri. In the 2024-2025 dry season alone, the team found 26 martyrs' remains.

To get these numbers, there is a lot of effort, sweat, tears and blood of the officers and soldiers of Team K53.

In dense forests, steep slopes, high mountains, rugged terrain, and harsh weather, officers and soldiers of Team K53 did not hesitate to face difficulties and persistently searched, surveyed, and verified thousands of pieces of information in all 19 districts of three provinces of Southern Laos and six districts of Ratanakiri province. They dug through hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock to find every trace to bring the heroic martyrs back to the Fatherland, their families, and their comrades.

Soldiers of Team K53 hold the remains of martyrs found in December 2024 in Hat San village, Xay Set Tha district, Attapeu province (Laos). Photo: DN

However, for Captain Tran Viet Dinh, who has spent 11 years directly participating in searching for martyrs' remains in Cambodia and Laos, the difficulties and hardships encountered are nothing compared to the sacrifices of his fathers.

“For the country to be peaceful and unified, you sacrificed your lives, so we have the responsibility and obligation to find you, bring you back to reunite with your family, your homeland, your country. Every time you dig down and see the tents and hammocks, you will see you, all the hardships and difficulties will be forgotten. Hoes and shovels must be replaced every three months because they are worn out or broken; pickaxes and crowbars are also worn out, but the will never wears out,” Mr. Dinh said, choking up.

It is this spirit that has helped Team K53 to continue steadily on its journey of gratitude, despite facing more difficulties each year such as less and less accurate information about the martyrs' graves; the terrain changes a lot, is wide and dangerous, the weather is harsh, and traffic is difficult. However, overcoming all of that, the officers and soldiers of Team K53 are always determined to bring all the martyrs to rest in the bosom of Mother Earth.

To continue to do better in the work of searching, collecting and repatriating martyrs' remains to meet the wishes of martyrs' families and all the people, the Provincial Military Command has developed a plan to organize professional training, physical training and skills for soldiers of Team K53 to train their endurance, good health and equip them with professional knowledge and field skills in deep forests and high mountains.

Along with that, officers and soldiers are fully educated about the laws of the host country, local customs and practices, as well as improving their communication skills in Lao and Cambodian. Thereby, not only carrying out military missions but also contributing to preserving and promoting the traditional friendly relationship between Vietnam and Laos and Cambodia.

According to Colonel Bui Minh Chi - Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command, those selected to join Team K53 are all excellent officers and soldiers with good moral qualities, strong political will and a high sense of responsibility. 100% of officers and soldiers are fully aware of their sacred and noble mission, so they have proactively arranged their personal work well and are ready to set off to carry out their missions.

Searching for and collecting martyrs' remains is an extremely difficult but sacred task; it shows the gratitude of the authorities at all levels and the people of all ethnic groups in the province towards the martyrs in general and the cadres, soldiers, and Vietnamese volunteer experts who sacrificed their lives in Laos and Cambodia in particular, who fought and sacrificed heroically for the noble international mission.

For more than 30 years, the gratitude journey of the officers and soldiers of Team K53 has demonstrated the tradition and morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" and "Repaying gratitude" of the nation. Each trip is a journey back to the roots, a word of gratitude sent to those who fell for the independence, freedom and happiness of the people. Searching, gathering and repatriating the remains of martyrs is not only a duty but also a sacred act, a link between the past - present - future with patriotism and deep gratitude.

According to Duong Nuong (baokontum.com.vn)

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/tri-an-nhung-nguoi-nga-xuong-post323225.html