On August 9, Division 968 (Military Region 4) said that the unit is continuing to collect and verify information about the burial locations of martyrs who sacrificed at Con Tien base, Con Tien commune, Quang Tri province.
Notably, new information collected by Division 968 shows that on May 8, 1967, many of our units organized an attack on the enemy at Con Tien base.
The forces participating in the battle included Company 2, Company 3 under Special Forces Battalion 31 of the Military Region; Vinh Linh Special Forces Company; Quang Binh Special Forces Company; Nui Quyet Special Forces Company under Thu Bon Regiment and Battalion 4, Regiment 812, Division 324; Firecracker Detachment under Chemical soldiers.
According to information from Division 968, in this battle, our forces suffered heavy losses, about 173 officers and soldiers sacrificed and were buried in mass graves in the Con Tien base area.
More than 59 years have passed, the battlefield terrain has changed a lot, and traces of burial sites are increasingly difficult to identify. Therefore, searching for information from people who directly participated in combat, served in combat, or lived and cultivated in the area is considered one of the important bases for zoning and verifying locations.
To serve the search and repatriation work, on August 8, Division 968 sent a letter calling on the Veterans Associations at all levels; liaison committees of units and fronts; relatives of martyrs' families; former soldiers, guerrillas, militia; officers who participated in combat, served in combat and people who cleared land and cultivated at Con Tien base to provide information related to the battle as well as the location of mass graves.
Division 968 emphasized that all information, even the smallest, is respectfully recorded, because a detail about terrain, deployment location, direction of attack, gathering place or burial area can also become a base to shorten the verification process.
Calling on witnesses and people to provide information is also part of the effort to implement the "Operation 500 days and nights to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains" being implemented in Quang Tri.
Division 968 said that relevant information can be sent to the Political Department, Division 968, address Km3, National Highway 9, Dong Ha ward, Quang Tri province; or contact Lieutenant Colonel Le Truong Giang - Political Commissar of the Repatriation Team via phone number 0985306448.
Previously, Lao Dong Newspaper reported that the Office of the National Steering Committee for Searching, Repatriating and Identifying Martyrs' Remains has requested the Steering Committee for Searching, Repatriating and Identifying Martyrs' Remains of Quang Tri province to direct specialized agencies to coordinate with localities to urgently review and summarize dossiers and documents related to the battle on May 8, 1967 at Con Tien base. At the same time, promote the search for historical witnesses; analyze and systematize the collected information and combine exploration with ground-penetrating radar equipment to zone out locations where collective martyrs' graves may exist.
Based on the survey results, units will complete dossiers and organize scientific conferences to verify and conclude information, as a basis for deploying the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains according to regulations.
