Quang Ngai’s border guards carry out 500-day campaign throughout holiday

Lt. Col. Vu Manh Hien, Deputy Political Commissar of Ro Koi Border Post under the Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard Command and leader of Sampling Team No.9, said each officer and soldier understood that the 500-day campaign to accelerate the search for, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers' remains was measured not only by progress but also by the names recovered after years of waiting. Their work helps ease the pain of war and honors previous generations.

Sr. Col. Truong Thien An, Political Commissar of the Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard Command, presents gifts and encourages personnel carrying out the mission at Sa Thay War Cemetery during the National Day holiday.

At Sa Thay War Cemetery in Sa Thay commune, Quang Ngai province, Sampling Team No.10 worked with urgency and precision throughout the National Day holiday.

Lt. Col. Le Dinh Ky, Deputy Head of Ro Long Border Post and leader of Sampling Team No.10, said many remains were no longer intact after decades underground. The team therefore had to work with extreme care and precision at every stage, searching for artifacts and viable bone samples to support DNA testing and achieve the highest possible accuracy.

Sampling teams from the Quang Ngai Provincial Border Guard Command carry out their mission throughout the holiday.

At the cemetery, the team found numerous artifacts belonging to fallen soldiers. At Grave No.1206, Row 3, Lot 24, Area 24, it discovered a 35x25cm aluminum fragment engraved with the information: “Nong The An - 8/71 - HS 24,5,72 - C5 KC.” The initial assessment identified the fallen soldier as Nong The An, who enlisted in August 1971 and died on May 24, 1972, while serving with C5 KC. The information could prove important in helping his family, relatives and comrades identify and locate him.

Medical personnel clean and classify biological samples in accordance with strict procedures.

Non-commissioned Maj. Bien Van Giap, a member of Sampling Team No.10's Digitization Group, said every biological sample and trace was carefully documented, preserved and processed because each could lead to a name, a hometown and a family that had been waiting for years. Despite working through the National Day holiday, he said he was happy to make every effort to complete the mission.

Translated by Song Anh