In Minh Tan commune, Tuyen Quang province, eight to 12 militiamen are mobilized daily and divided into groups to coordinate with the search and collection team in reaching high points and areas suspected of containing martyrs’ remains. From early morning, the forces make their way into the high mountains, taking turns clearing paths, digging, and carefully sifting through layers of soil. Some search sites take hours to reach. Even the smallest piece of information from witnesses, relatives, or local residents can open up a new direction for the search.
Local militiamen have an important advantage in their thorough knowledge of the terrain. Their familiarity with routes to high points and difficult areas has provided valuable support for the search and collection work.
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Personnel of the Martyrs’ Remains Search and Collection Team under the Tuyen Quang provincial Military Command and militia personnel of Bach Dich commune search for martyrs’ remains in the area. |
Vang Seo Tang, head of the militia force of Hoang Ly Pa hamlet, Minh Tan commune, said everyone was determined to coordinate with the search force in the hope of recovering as many martyrs’ remains as possible. For them, this is both a responsibility and an expression of gratitude to previous generations.
According to Senior Captain Mua Mi Chu, Head of Group 3 of the search and collection team, the unit is currently conducting operations in Minh Tan. Since the launch of the “500-day campaign” to accelerate the search, collection, and identification of martyrs’ remains, information provided by historical witnesses, families, and local residents has helped the group locate seven individual graves and one mass grave. These results have been achieved through days of working in the mountains and forests and patiently tracing clues that have faded with time.
In Bach Dich commune, Tuyen Quang province, 12 to 15 militia personnel are mobilized daily to support the search and collection team, divided into two or three groups.
Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Vu Dung, Deputy Head of the search and collection team under the Tuyen Quang provincial Military Command, said that after UXO clearance forces handed over cleared and safe areas to the locality in early August, the team received and acted on numerous pieces of information provided by veterans.
During the search, militiamen have worked actively and voluntarily, regarding the task not merely as an assignment but as an expression of gratitude to those who sacrificed their youth for the Fatherland. Amidst steep and rocky terrain, they carry hoes, shovels, and crowbars up difficult slopes. For them, every newly discovered trace represents another opportunity to bring a martyr back to his comrades and family.
Tan Tan Lenh, a militiaman in Bach Dich commune, said he felt honored to participate in the campaign. He added that he was deeply moved whenever traces of a martyr were found, knowing that a family might have been waiting for news for many years.
Colonel Tran Quang Huy, Head of the search and collection team under the Tuyen Quang provincial Military Command, affirmed that the local militia force had always pro-actively coordinated with the unit. With their extensive knowledge of local terrain and customs, the militiamen have provided effective support for the unit in carrying out its mission.
Translated by Minh Anh