Extending morality, bringing martyrs back
Established at the end of July 2026, the Provisional Team for Searching and Repatriating Martyrs' Remains quickly stabilized its organization, coordinated with Team K90 to deploy nghiệp vụ, survey, collect information and develop a search and repatriation plan.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Huyen Vi - Head of the Provisional Team for Searching and Repatriating Martyrs' Remains said that the unit has more than 40 officers and soldiers, organized into groups to deploy the search task.
Each team has about 4-5 people, in charge of searching by area. The Command regularly inspects and supervises suspicious locations to minimize the risk of missing martyrs' remains.
According to Mr. Vi, the unit is carrying out rolling searches according to each area, each layer of soil. The surveyed locations are marked with red flags to determine boundaries, progress and convenient inspection when necessary.
Information from witnesses, veterans and people is considered an important basis to help forces determine appropriate excavation methods and locations, especially in areas lacking records," Mr. Vi added.
Lieutenant Colonel Ly Binh Tenh - Deputy Head of Team K90, Political Department of Military Region 9 said that the Steering Committee 515 of the Military Region assigned Team K90 to train and guide professional skills for provincial forces.
Through searches, provincial forces quickly approached the task, grasped professional skills quite well and gradually implemented them methodically. After a short time, Team K90 coordinated 3 phases, collecting 58 sets of martyrs' remains.
The team received 59 pieces of information about martyrs, martyrs' graves, verified and concluded 49 pieces of information; of which 35 have been concluded, 4 are not sufficiently based, 4 are being verified, 6 have not been verified. Currently, there are still 33 areas that need to be reviewed," Mr. Tenh added.
Lighting up hope from valuable information
In Tan Phu hamlet, Dong Khoi commune, Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiep, 79 years old, former Commune Military Commander of Phuoc Hiep commune, recalled the wartime, when Phuoc Hiep, Binh Khanh, and Dinh Thuy were frequently swept away.
According to Mr. Nghiep, Phuoc Hiep commune used to have 2 places to bury martyrs, including the temporary Tan Phu hamlet cemetery. Around the 1980s, the remains were gathered at the centralized cemetery, but the possibility of remaining remains is still present.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Suong - Vice Chairwoman of Dong Khoi Commune People's Committee, said that the locality has received a lot of information from veterans and people about areas suspected of having martyrs' remains. Previously, the area had 3 main cemeteries.
The locality continues to propagate and mobilize people to provide information. Many veterans directly guide areas suspected of having martyrs' remains, as a basis for proposing to organize searches," Ms. Suong said.
The "500 days and nights" campaign has a limited duration, but the journey to find those who have sacrificed cannot be calculated in days and months. Each verified information is an additional opportunity to bring comrades back, continuing the journey of gratitude.
Colonel Le Quang Vu - Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command said that the Team continues to search at 29 temporary cemetery points. "The force always upholds responsibility and determination to complete the task," Colonel Le Quang Vu said.
In each search area, red flags marking the searched land are milestones of perseverance, responsibility and gratitude to those who fell.
