Fulfilling the oath "Bringing you back to our beloved motherland"

Lighting the flame of gratitude, the Repatriation Team of the Military Command of Ha Tinh province did not hesitate to face difficulties and hardships, determined to search for and repatriate many martyrs who sacrificed their lives in Laos, keeping the oath "Bringing you back to our beloved motherland".

Carrying on their shoulders a heavy mission, a noble and sacred responsibility, over the past 4 years, Major Nguyen Van Son, Major Hoang Van Hong, Captain Nguyen Huu Thanh, Captain Le Van Thang... have silently overcome all hardships and dangers to search for and gather the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos and return them to Vietnam.

Soldiers braved the sun, crossed rivers, climbed passes, and waded through streams to search for the remains of martyrs in Laos.

The footprints of these soldiers and their comrades were imprinted throughout the villages, fields, hills, rivers and streams of Bolikhamxay province and the capital Vientiane of Laos. The sweat, effort, and even blood of the soldiers who had gathered were shed in the hope of finding and bringing the martyrs back to their homeland.

Major Nguyen Van Son - one of the most senior members of the Gathering Team, shared: “Each time we go out to war, we are faced with many hardships, difficulties, shortages, dangers and pressures. However, with the heart, love and responsibility of those who are carrying out a sacred mission, we never waver in spirit and are determined not to retreat before anything. If there is information or signs of martyrs' graves, whether they are in streams, riverbanks, steep slopes, on hilltops or under bamboo bushes, dense tree roots, or even minefields left over from the war..., we are determined to find them.”

Instant noodles eaten in the middle of the forest during the gathering journey.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Huu Tien - Political Commissar of the Collection Team shared: "The war has ended, but there are still thousands of martyrs' remains in Laos whose graves have not been found, and thousands of relatives are waiting day and night for them to return. Meanwhile, the search journey is facing many difficulties because the quantity and accuracy of information about martyrs' graves is decreasing, the graves are scattered in remote and dangerous areas; the remains do not have grave maps, the discovery and guidance mainly rely on the people of Laos, but those who know the exact information are no longer there due to old age, memory loss or death... However, determining this as a sacred task, deeply demonstrating the good morals of the nation, all generations of cadres and soldiers in the team have never been discouraged in the face of any difficulties or circumstances."

The Collection Team of the Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command carefully dug and meticulously searched for every trace anywhere.

Implementing the direction of the National Steering Committee 515, the Military Region 4 Command and the support of Laos, over the past 24 years, the Collection Team - Ha Tinh Provincial Military Command has always diligently carried out its noble mission and responsibility. With a backpack on the shoulder, a floppy hat on the head, and digging tools in hand, the collection soldiers defied harsh weather, epidemics, makeshift accommodation, lack of clean water... through forests, wading streams, crossing rivers to locations where Vietnamese soldiers had fought to collect information, search for, and recover martyrs who heroically sacrificed for the noble international duty.

With the tireless efforts of the soldiers, from 1999 to now, 810 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Bolikhamxay province and Vientiane capital have been searched for and brought back to the motherland. In the 2022 - 2023 dry season alone, the unit has searched for 10 sets of remains. The Collection Team is urgently preparing to set off for the 2023 - 2024 dry season with the determination to find more martyrs.

Each hoe stroke, each edge of the land of the gathered soldiers is full of hardship and toil but full of love and responsibility.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Khac Dong - Team Leader of the Gathering Team said: “Because we have to operate independently in a friendly country for a long time, before the operation, we have fully prepared means, medicine, and equipment. The search participants are all soldiers with strong political will, good moral qualities, responsibility, good health, knowing how to create collective strength, ready to share hardships, and consciously fostering Vietnam - Laos solidarity. During the mission, we also actively help our Lao compatriots with medical examination and treatment, free medicine, gifts, harvest crops, clean villages, repair houses, open roads for people...”.

Tien Dung - Duong Hoang

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chinh-sach-xa-hoi/tron-loi-the-dua-cac-anh-ve-dat-me-than-yeu/251823.htm