That is both a gratitude from General Secretary and President To Lam at Le Thi Rieng Park, where the 500-day and night campaign to search for and repatriate martyrs' remains is taking place, and a touching message about the responsibility of today's generation to those who fell for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.
Every July 27th, the whole country lights candles of gratitude and offers incense at martyrs' cemeteries, visiting wounded soldiers, sick soldiers, and families with meritorious services to the revolution.
These are meaningful activities that have become a beautiful feature in social life. But gratitude will only be truly complete when expressed through persistent, specific and long-term actions.
Therefore, in his speech, General Secretary and President To Lam identified the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs as "a sacred responsibility before the Fatherland, before the People".
This is not only the work of the military sector or policies for people with meritorious services, but also the responsibility of the entire State and society towards national history.
But the message of gratitude does not stop at the journey to find those who have fallen.
The War Invalids and Martyrs' Day on July 27 every year always reminds us that behind each martyr is a family that has accepted loss, behind each war invalid and sick soldier are the years carrying war wounds throughout their lives.
There are mothers who still wait for their children until the end of their lives, there are wives who dedicate their youth to memories, there are children who grow up without ever being called "father". The war has receded, but those sacrifices are still present in the lives of those who remain.
Therefore, caring for people with meritorious services is not just about fully and promptly implementing preferential regimes.
That is also creating conditions for wounded and sick soldiers to have an increasingly better life; for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers to be well-nourished; for relatives of martyrs to be cared for both materially and spiritually; for children of policy families to have more opportunities to study, start a career and rise up.
Gratitude is not only measured by bouquets of flowers, incense sticks or gatherings every July 27th.
Gratitude is also expressed through each newly built house of gratitude, each allowance paid correctly, fully and promptly, each health care and rehabilitation policy for wounded soldiers, each opportunity for learning and jobs for children of people with meritorious services, and also continuous efforts to regain the names of those who are still lying on the old battlefield.
That is sustainable gratitude, realized through policies and actions.
The affirmation of the General Secretary and President that "the lives of you have contributed to opening up a bright future for the Vietnamese nation" not only reminds of the past but also sets a responsibility for the present.
That responsibility is not limited to finding the names of those who have sacrificed, but also to taking good care of those who have contributed and their families, so that all contributions are recognized, and all sacrifices are appreciated.
That is also a way for no one to be forgotten on the journey to the future of the country.
