On September 8, the Military Command of Vinh Long province coordinated with Team K90 (Political Department of Military Region 9) to organize the search and repatriation of martyrs' remains in the temporary war cemetery area in Tan Phu hamlet, Dong Khoi commune. Colonel Le Quang Vu - Deputy Political Commissar of the Military Command of Vinh Long province attended.
According to information from Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiep (born in 1948) and Mr. Le Van Ret (born in 1954), former Commanders of the Military Command of Phuoc Hiep commune, the temporary cemetery in Tan Phu 1 hamlet, Phuoc Hiep commune was formerly, now belonging to Dong Khoi commune, formed before 1975, with an area of about 1,000m2.
In wartime conditions, the burial of martyrs is mainly carried out at night. In addition to officers and soldiers who sacrificed in the area, some martyrs from other units are also brought to this area for burial.
By 1979, implementing the policy of superiors, martyrs' remains at temporary cemeteries and some remains in neighboring hamlets were exhumed and repatriated to the Provincial Martyrs' Cemetery, with a total of about 115 remains.
However, because the repatriation was carried out simultaneously at many locations, the exact number of remains exhumed from the temporary cemetery has not been determined, so it is possible that there are still martyrs' remains that have not been found.
Currently, the search is being carried out on the land managed by Mr. Nguyen Van Huong (born 1971) and Mr. Nguyen Tan Khanh (born 2005), both residing in Tan Phu hamlet, Dong Khoi commune.
The land currently has two banks, which were once renovated, sand pumped and coconut trees planted. However, the area basically still maintains its original state, creating conditions for functional forces to zone off, organize searches and gather.
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Huyen Vi - Head of the Provisional Team for Searching and Repatriating Martyrs' Remains of Vinh Long province said that at locations that were places of burial of martyrs during the war, every piece of information from witnesses, people and historical records is valuable in the verification process.
The search work not only contributes to clarifying graves that lack information but also expresses gratitude to those who sacrificed for the Fatherland.
Historical witnesses are getting older and older, limited memory makes it difficult to determine the location and information of the grave. However, we are still persistently searching, with the desire to bring the martyrs back to their comrades and families," Mr. Vi added.
