Memories of a soldier leading the way to find comrades
At the age of nearly 80, Mr. Tan Phu Nhan, Muong Hum commune, Lao Cai province still remembers the battles of the Vau tree hill.
During the war years, in this area, there were two officers and soldiers who sacrificed due to enemy bombing.
Many years have passed, the traces of war are gradually covered by forest trees and rocks. But the memories of the people are still there.
In 2009, Mr. Nhan provided information to the Military Command of Muong Hum commune. From the stories of local people, functional forces began to have one more point to review and verify.
But that journey was interrupted because the DNA test results were not sufficient to accurately identify the identity.
The tomb is therefore still kept at the burial place, waiting for a day when there are enough solid grounds to return the name to the deceased.
On August 21, another step in that journey was carried out. The Lao Cai Provincial Military Command coordinated with the Party Committee and government of Muong Hum commune to organize excavation and exhumation of martyrs' remains in the identified area.
At the scene, each layer of soil was carefully peeled off. Each trace, each artifact was checked and fully collected.
After completing the excavation and exhumation, the martyr's remains were taken to the Military Command of Bao Thang commune to continue to carry out verification and identification steps according to regulations.
In An Thanh village, Bat Xat commune, veteran Hoang Xuan Duc also carries unforgettable memories.
Formerly a soldier of Company 6, Battalion 2, Regiment 192, Division 355, he used to fight at Hill 350B on the Hoang Lien Son range.
For him, places like the 350B high point are not just numbers on the map.
Those are the slopes he once went through, the mountainsides he once garrisoned, the battlefields where gunshots were heard, and also the places where he witnessed his comrades fall.
For many years, he has actively provided information to functional forces, participated in guiding and identifying areas where he directly fought.
From the memories of soldiers in the past, the high point area 350B, Dong Quang village, Bat Xat commune is identified as one of the places to focus on searching.
After careful review, soil and rocks were excavated in layers. Every unusual sign underground was checked. As a result, 9 sets of martyrs' remains were found.
The soldiers who once lay in the middle of Hoang Lien Son mountains and forests were finally brought to be buried at the martyrs' cemetery in the solemn and respectful reception of comrades, Party committees, authorities and people.
According to functional agencies, the Da Voi hill area (Cam Duong ward) was formerly the temporary cemetery of Regiment 121 Hoang Lien Son.
On February 25, 1979, the unit was ambushed by the enemy, many officers and soldiers sacrificed. After the enemy withdrew, the unit organized the collection of fallen soldiers and buried them here.
After that, part of the remains were repatriated to the martyrs' cemetery. However, it is likely that there are still cases that have not been found, causing this area to continue to be surveyed.
From September 3rd, the Lao Cai Provincial Military Command continued to organize searches at Da Voi hill. A week later, the repatriation force discovered 19 graves with remains buried horizontally. The graves are about 2.5-3m apart, located at a depth of about 1.2m.
According to the report, since the deployment of the "Operation 500 days and nights to promote the search, repatriation and identification of martyrs' remains" to date, the Team for Searching and Repatriating Martyrs' Remains (temporary), Lao Cai Provincial Military Command has searched and exhumed 44 martyrs' remains.
On September 11, Mr. Giang Quoc Hung - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Steering Committee for searching, repatriating and identifying martyrs' remains of Lao Cai province directly inspected the search work at Da Voi hill.
At the scene, the soldiers are expanding the search scope, carefully reviewing each location where there are likely remains, without missing any clues or traces.
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Giang Quoc Hung requested agencies and units to closely coordinate and urgently review the locations that may still have remains, not to miss clues or related traces.
This is a particularly important task, showing responsibility, feelings and the morality of "When drinking water, remember the source" towards those who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.
