At the age of 85, Mr. Ninh's biggest wish is to find a resting place for his loved ones, so that his family can light an incense stick and bring the deceased back to their homeland, with their flesh and blood.
Mr. Ninh's story is also the common concern of thousands of martyrs' families across the country for decades. The war has receded, but the journey to find those who fell has not yet been completed.
Therefore, the "Operation 500 days and nights to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains" that has just been launched has particularly profound meaning. It is a continuation and extension of the journey of gratitude that the Party, State and people of our country have persistently carried out for many decades.
After the country's reunification, hundreds of thousands of martyrs' remains have been searched for and gathered from all battlefields. Thousands of martyrs' cemeteries have been built and cared for spaciously. Preferential policies for people with meritorious services are constantly being improved. Activities to express gratitude and care for wounded soldiers and families of martyrs have become a beautiful feature in social life.
However, there are still many soldiers who have not returned to their names.
According to the objectives of this campaign, about 7,000 martyrs' remains will continue to be searched for and repatriated; about 230,000 unidentified martyrs' graves will be sampled for DNA testing; tens of thousands of DNA samples of relatives will be collected to build a comparison database.
Those numbers show the very large scale of the campaign, but what is more precious lies in the humanistic meaning behind it. Because each remains found is another child of the Fatherland returning. Each identified identity is another family closing the decades-long search.
A noteworthy new point of this campaign is the strong support of science and technology, especially DNA testing. If previously identity identification mainly relied on records, witnesses or memories of teammates, now the gene database is opening up new opportunities for cases that seemed hopeless.
People like Mr. Do Dinh Ninh have actively participated in taking DNA samples with the hope that one day they will receive good news. That is not only the hope of a single family, but also the hope of many relatives of martyrs across the country.
More than 50 years after the war, we cannot change the losses that have occurred. But we can make those losses somewhat ease, by extending the journey of gratitude with all responsibility, affection and gratitude to those who have dedicated their youth and blood and bones to the Fatherland.
