For 48 years, she anxiously awaited news of her two sons joining the army.

(Baonghean Newspaper) - The Nghe An Newspaper received a letter from Mrs. Luong Thi Loi (106 years old) in Tung Huong village (Tam Quang commune - Tuong Duong district), stating: “I have two sons who served in the army during the war against the US and on international missions in Cambodia. However, my family currently has no information about them. I have met with the Policy Department of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, but their answers were unconvincing. Through the Nghe An Newspaper, I hope for your help. I am old now; even if I die, my hopes will be fulfilled…” Following this touching story, the Editorial Board of the newspaper sent reporters to verify and investigate the matter.

After traversing hundreds of kilometers of winding, treacherous forest roads clinging to the mountainside, and crossing the peak of Pù Kẽm, the village of Tùng Hương appeared before us, leading us to the home of Mrs. Lương Thị Lợi. Her back bent, her eyes dim, but Mrs. Lợi sat by the window of her stilt house, anxiously awaiting news of her two sons: Lô Thanh Vĩnh, who joined the army in 1965, and Lô Văn Bá, who joined in 1978 and have remained missing ever since. She told us, "I miss my sons so much. I'm old, but I can't die yet because I have to wait for news of them. Now, I just need to know what they're doing and where they are, and I can close my eyes peacefully..."

The son, Lo Van Dao, who lives with his mother, said: “My brother and I enlisted in the army decades ago, and we don't know whether we are alive or dead. My family hasn't received any benefits or policies. When we asked the District and Provincial Military Commands, they told us to verify the information ourselves and send it back to them. In 2009, I sent verification documents from the commune and witnesses to the District Military Command's Policy Department, but we still haven't received a response.”

Mrs. Luong Thi Loi (106 years old) is waiting day and night for news of her two sons.

In Tung Huong village, we met Mr. Lo Mo Than, Mr. Vi Xuan Hoang, and others who still knew and remembered Lo Thanh Vinh. They recounted the celebratory meal, the day of his health check-up, and the journey to pick him up for military service. They also talked about the handwritten letter Lo Van Ba ​​sent home from Cambodia in 1981… We also went to Khe Thoi village (Lang Khe-Con Cuong) to meet Mr. La Van Tan, a comrade who enlisted with him in May 1965 at E32-D4-F341. Mr. Tan said that he and Vinh trained together in Quynh Luu and Dien Chau; Mr. Tan was a reconnaissance soldier, and Mr. Vinh was an infantryman. On May 17, 1967, the superiors ordered D4 to the South, commanded by Mr. Vo Quy Chap (a Captain from Thanh Hoa, and the political commissar was Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hong from Ha Dong). In 1968, while serving as a rear base in Phu Loc district (Thua Thien Hue province), the unit was stationed at kilometer 6 to ambush the enemy. However, they were ambushed first, and when Vinh did not return, they assumed he had been killed.

When I went to the Military Command of Tuong Duong District to look for the files of Mr. Vinh and Mr. Ba, the District Military Command informed me that, due to inadequate record-keeping in the past, they no longer have the files of the two men at the District Military Command.

We asked the Tam Quang Commune People's Committee to form a verification team, hold meetings with the commune's departments, organizations, and villages to gather more information. On October 1, 2012, the Tam Quang Commune People's Committee sent a report titled "Verification of Military Personnel Participating in the War to Defend the Fatherland" to Nghe An Newspaper. The verification report clearly stated: "Mr. Lo Thanh Vinh joined the army around February 1965. At that time, Mr. Vinh was teaching in Huu Duong (Huu Khuong - Tuong Duong). Mr. Vinh received an urgent conscription notice and did not have time to return home. He went with Mr. Vi Xuan Huong, currently residing in Tung Huong village, and Mr. La Van Tan, currently residing in Khe Thoi village, Lang Khe, Con Cuong..."

Mr. Lo Van Ba ​​volunteered for military service in place of someone from his village, enlisting in April 1978. He was accompanied by Mr. Lo Van Hieu from Tung Huong village, Tam Quang commune… The Tam Quang commune verification team met with Mr. Vi Van Ky (born 1956). Mr. Ky stated that his unit was C2-D7-E3-F31 of the 3rd Army Corps. He enlisted in October 1977, trained in Tan Ky, Nghe An, and moved to Tan Bien, Tay Ninh in March 1978. On April 30, 1978, he fought against Pol Pot's forces. Around June 1978, he met Mr. Ba and they became acquainted in Cambodia. In 1980, he took leave once and received a letter from Mr. Ba to give to his family. Mr. Ky was discharged from the army in 1981.

The verification team continued their investigation by meeting with Mr. Lo Huy Hoang (born 1952) in Chau Dinh village (Chau Khe - Con Cuong). Mr. Hoang stated that in April 1978 (when he was part of the recruitment unit of Battalion 2, F441, with the rank of Sergeant), he received Mr. Lo Van Ba, son of Mr. Lo Van Thoong and Mrs. Luong Thi Loi in Tung Huong village (Tam Quang - Tuong Duong). Mr. Ba was transferred to Battalion 3, F441. After 1978, he was handed over to Military Region 9 at Lac Thien intersection, Ha Tinh province. In 1978, Mr. Ba wrote two letters to Mr. Hoang around the end of the year. He received both letters at once due to a delay. The letters stated, "Mr. Ba is currently in Cambodia, the battlefield is very fierce," and the mailbox was JK. In 1981, Mr. Hoang was discharged from the army… Based on specific evidence and individuals, our verification team concluded: 1- Mr. Lo Thanh Vinh and Mr. Lo Van Ba ​​joined the Vietnam People's Army. 2- It is currently unknown whether they are missing or still alive.”

Based on the information gathered, Nghe An Newspaper sent a letter to the 4th Military Region Command and the Nghe An Provincial Military Command requesting assistance in verifying information about Ms. Luong Thi Loi's two sons, Lo Thanh Vinh and Lo Van Ba, in order to provide an answer to the family. The Nghe An Provincial Military Command then sent a letter "Regarding the verification of missing military personnel" to the 341st Division (4th Military Region) and the Military Personnel Department (9th Military Region) - (the places where family members and witnesses said Lo Thanh Vinh and Lo Van Ba ​​had trained and joined military units) to verify the information.

On November 13, 2012, the 341st Division issued a reply stating: “Based on the information provided by the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, the two children of Ms. Luong Thi Loi are not military personnel of the 341A Division; because Comrade Lo Thanh Vinh enlisted before the unit was established, and Comrade Lo Van Ba ​​enlisted in August 1978 and then went to Cambodia. They do not belong to the unit because the 341A Division was established on November 23, 1972, and trained for combat readiness in Le Thuy District (Quang Binh Province) until January 1975. Following a decision from the division, they marched into the Southeast region to participate in the liberation of the South and served as military administrators in Ho Chi Minh City.”

On April 2, 2013, in an interview with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper, Colonel Tran Nguyen Duong, Head of Political Affairs of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, stated: "We have sent two official letters to the Military Personnel Department of Military Region 9 requesting verification of the information, but have not received a response. For now, we will continue to send official letters requesting the Military Personnel Department of Military Region 9 to urgently verify the information regarding these two cases."

Captain Le Thanh Phong, from the Policy Department of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command, stated: On July 16, 2012, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly issued Ordinance No. 04/2012 on "Amending and supplementing some articles of the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people who have rendered meritorious services to the revolution." Accordingly, the cases of Mr. Lo Thanh Vinh and Mr. Lo Van Ba, sons of Ms. Luong Thi Loi, are "persons who went missing in the cases stipulated in points a, b, c, d, e, and g of Clause 1, Article 11 of the amending and supplementing Ordinance," and therefore can be recognized as martyrs. However, we are currently awaiting a specific guiding decree.

Anyone with further information about Lo Thanh Vinh and Lo Van Ba ​​is requested to contact Mrs. Luong Thi Loi's family in Tung Huong village, Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district, or the Nghe An Newspaper - No. 3 Lenin Avenue, so that the elderly mother can soon learn about her two sons.

Duc Chuyen