Mourning the fallen comrades.

Approaching eighty years of age, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung still maintains a nimble demeanor. He is particularly healthy and possesses a sharp memory. In his office, stacks of papers meticulously compiled with information on fallen soldiers are organized scientifically , allowing for immediate retrieval. A veteran of a rare age, he readily travels from North to South to carry out activities honoring fallen soldiers and to conduct policy work for those in need. What motivates his tireless journey of gratitude? Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung honestly replies: "It's thanks to the protection of the fallen soldiers; the further I travel, the stronger I feel, and the more peaceful my mind becomes." He travels to repay his comrades' kindness, feeling fortunate compared to the many fallen soldiers still buried in the deep forests and mountains.

Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung presents the donation for building a house of gratitude for the relatives of fallen soldiers in Quang Ninh , 2024. Photo: TIN NGHIA

"Going to the battlefield without regretting one's youth," that was the ideal of the young generation determined to defeat the enemy and achieve merit, ready to sacrifice themselves for the Fatherland. In November 1965, young Hoang Khanh Hung volunteered to join the army. After 3 months of training, Hoang Khanh Hung was assigned to the Ben Thuy Engineering Company (Nghe An Provincial Military Command) to train in driving canoes, bravely holding onto ferries and riverbanks under the enemy's bombardment. In May 1969, he was assigned to Battalion 54 (324th Division, Tri Thien Military Region), participating in the battle of A Bia Hill (also known as "the minced meat hill") in Thua Thien-Hue province. In this battle, witnessing Comrade Le Minh Duc, a 12.7mm machine gunner, being hit by shrapnel and killed while confronting enemy aircraft, Hoang Khanh Hung was deeply saddened and embraced his comrade from Nghe An, then buried him on the battlefield. Over the years, the landscape has changed, and traces have been erased, so the remains of martyr Le Minh Duc have yet to be found.

Soldier Hoang Khanh Hung left his mark on the fierce battlefields. In July 1970, he participated in the fighting at Coc Bai and Co Pung (Thua Thien-Hue battlefield) as the Deputy Political Commissar of Company 3, Battalion 54 (324th Division). His company included soldier Dang Tho Truat, a 12.7 mm gunner, who, along with his squad, had a track record of shooting down many aircraft. During the battle at Hill 935, the enemy dropped bombs that leveled the entire hill. When a soldier was killed, Comrade Hung, suppressing his grief, personally buried his comrade before withdrawing to the rear base.

In the midst of fierce battles, some were lost while others survived. During the fiery summer of 1972, Hoang Khanh Hung participated in the fighting at Quang Tri Citadel. There, his sworn brother Nguyen Van Du, while in the assault on the citadel, was wounded in the leg. While the unit was trying to bring Du back, he was hit by artillery fire and died. To this day, Du's remains have not been found, a source of deep anguish for his brother and comrade, Hoang Khanh Hung.

Efforts to find the remains of fallen soldiers.

After the war, Comrade Hoang Khanh Hung held many positions and became a general. In 2010, he officially retired. Despite his old age, he didn't rest easy; he thought a lot about his comrades. On one occasion, he visited General Secretary Le Kha Phieu and received the advice: "During the war, comrades told each other that those who survived would bring those who died back home. Now that there is peace, let us strive to do things to show our gratitude to our comrades."

Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung (second from the right) and his wife traveled to Laos to search for the remains of fallen soldiers in 2019. Photo: TIN NGHIA

"Comrades"—two sacred words! He grieved for those who remained on the old battlefield. He reminisced about the past, and the image of his sworn brother, his former comrade Nguyen Van Du, who died at the tender age of twenty, flickered in his memory. Visiting the home of the fallen soldier Du, he lit an incense stick before his portrait. The soldier's parents had passed away, leaving only his younger sister to tend to the ancestral altar. The house, weathered by years of rain and sun, had deteriorated significantly. Upon returning to Hanoi, he mobilized support to build a new house with a prominent place to honor the fallen soldier Nguyen Van Du. On the day of his visit, the soldier's sister grasped Mr. Hung's hand, her voice choked with emotion, unable to speak.

Time easily erases traces of the past. This poses a significant challenge to the search for the remains of fallen soldiers. This concern further motivated him to embark on his journey. In 2012, he, along with several members of the Tri Thien Military Region's Association for Supporting Families of Fallen Soldiers, set out to find the remains of fallen soldiers. On the pickup truck of volunteer Do Tuan Dat, he returned to the old battlefields to search for the remains of his comrades and help families transport their remains from the South to the North.

Then, he and his colleagues went to Laos, where the 324th Division had fought years ago and where some of his fallen comrades were buried. In Vientiane, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung was welcomed and assisted by General Chansamone Chanyalath, Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, in his efforts to search for the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers. For many years, he made nearly a dozen trips to Laos, locating dozens of martyrs' graves and handing them over to the 515 Steering Committee of Nghe An province for repatriation. Each journey involved traversing thousands of kilometers, climbing mountains, crossing streams, and navigating through forests, but this did not deter the old general, deeply devoted to his comrades. Fortunately, his wife, Nguyen Thi Bich, accompanied him on this arduous journey. As the daughter of a fallen soldier, Mrs. Bich deeply empathized with and supported her husband's participation in commemorative activities. Therefore, despite suffering from thyroid cancer, she enthusiastically accompanied him on every step of the way.

As Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Families of Fallen Soldiers, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung had the opportunity to work with the United States Institute of Peace and became acquainted with expert Andrew Wells-Dang, who has conducted extensive research and written numerous articles on war legacy issues. Through this, they exchanged ideas on the search for the remains of fallen soldiers in Vietnam. In 2021, he was invited by the Institute to attend a conference in the United States, through which he contacted American veterans to obtain information about Vietnamese fallen soldiers. During these interactions, the American veterans told him that they felt remorse and wanted to do something to help Vietnam in its search for the remains of fallen soldiers. After the conference, he reported the matter and raised the issue with the Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States, requesting that the US government facilitate the arrival of American veterans to Vietnam to assist in the search for the remains of fallen soldiers.

In June 2024, seven US veterans flew to Vietnam. Among them, Mr. Brucolo provided 21 sets of documents regarding mass graves and coordinated with the search teams of several provinces in the Southeast region to conduct the search. To date, 135 remains of fallen soldiers have been found and collected in the Loc Ninh airport area (Dong Nai).

Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung stated: “During detailed discussions, the US veterans informed us that if all the records were fully excavated, there would be approximately 3,000 remains of fallen soldiers. Right at Bien Hoa Airport (Dong Nai province), there are still about 152 remains of fallen soldiers; Mr. Brucolo was a soldier at the airport at the time and witnessed this. Currently, 21 sets of records have been handed over to the National Steering Committee 515 to facilitate further work.”

Gratitude and honor

The work of honoring those who have contributed to the nation is an unending stream and requires the joint efforts of the community. To ensure effective gratitude, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung directly reported to agencies and organizations at the central and local levels to highlight the role of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs. This is a social organization without a permanent staff or salary fund, yet its officers and members tirelessly work to show gratitude, contributing to alleviating the suffering left behind by the war.

Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung lights incense to pay tribute to the two martyrs who were brought back to rest in Yen Bai (now Lao Cai province) in 2023. Photo: TIN NGHIA

Recently, the Prime Minister of Vietnam exceptionally recognized five martyrs of the Le Thi Rieng Women's Commando Battalion and awarded them the "Homeland's Recognition" certificate on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country. According to his account, that story was a journey of perseverance, resilience, and immense difficulties.

The Le Thi Rieng Women's Commando Battalion, established in early 1968, was tasked with fighting deep within enemy territory. Upon recruitment, they were known only by their codenames, their identities and hometowns unknown. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, 13 soldiers of the battalion bravely sacrificed their lives. The State awarded the "Homeland's Recognition" certificate to 8 martyrs, but the remaining 5 soldiers, codenamed Sister Hai Don Ganh, Brother Tu Com Tam, Sister Sau Gia, Uncle Bo, and Sister Ly Giao Duyen, had not yet received it. For many years, their comrades had submitted petitions requesting recognition as martyrs, but without success. In 2024, he personally met with witnesses, researched documents, contacted relevant agencies in Ho Chi Minh City, assessed the content, and prepared a report to the Prime Minister, proposing their recognition as martyrs. Thanks to his efforts and the support of individuals and organizations, the results were successful. The martyrs were awarded the "Homeland's Recognition" certificate and their names were engraved in the Ben Duoc temple for future generations to remember and honor.

In the work of honoring fallen soldiers, the search for, correction of information, and restoration of the names of fallen soldiers is extremely meaningful. Currently, out of more than 1,146,000 fallen soldiers nationwide, there are still 530,000 whose names are unknown or incorrect, over 300,000 whose remains have been laid to rest in cemeteries, and 180,000 whose remains have yet to be found. Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung said: "To correct information, we use methods such as verification, comparing records with the field, DNA testing... In each case where we receive correct results, we help relatives bring the remains of fallen soldiers back to rest in their homeland."

During his journey to support the families of fallen soldiers, he spent a lot of time visiting and encouraging the Heroic Vietnamese Mothers and mothers of fallen soldiers. These mothers were all of advanced age. He shared: “Some mothers lay in bed, unable to walk, their hands thin and frail, their eyes dim. When asked, their first words were, ‘Where is my son?’, ‘When will my son come home?’ At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my tears, and I told myself I had to try even harder in my work of showing gratitude and repaying kindness.”

Although the war is long over, Lieutenant General Hoang Khanh Hung's journey of gratitude continues as a solemn vow between soldiers. In the quiet solitude of his journeys through the forests, amidst the nameless tombstones stained with the passage of time, or the weary eyes of elderly mothers waiting for their sons, he strives to find the remains of fallen soldiers, bring them back to their hometowns, and reconnect them with their families.

VU DUY

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-su-dieu-tra/cuoc-thi-nhung-tam-guong-binh-di-ma-cao-quy-lan-thu-16/vi-tuong-tron-nghia-tri-an-837698