STORYSTAY IN THE CAR PARKING AREA

We met Major Tran Dinh Bang (born 1978) - Deputy Head of Team 2, Remains Collection Team - Political Department, Nghe An Provincial Military Command, on a day in early June, just a few days after he completed his mission and returned to Vietnam from Laos. The search for the remains of fallen soldiers is usually carried out from October of the previous year to May of the following year because this is the dry season in Laos. This year, Major Tran Dinh Bang and his colleagues successfully completed their mission, finding and bringing back six sets of remains of fallen soldiers from Xaysomboun province to their homeland in Vietnam. For the past 10 years, this has been a very difficult area for collecting the remains of fallen soldiers; in the last three years, only two soldiers have been brought back to their hometowns. But through his creativity and efforts to overcome difficulties, Major Tran Dinh Bang and his colleagues have achieved a proud accomplishment.

However, the journey to achieve that was incredibly arduous.

Recalling the early days of the mission, Major Tran Dinh Bang recounted: "After a long period of searching based on information provided by the local people without success, our team decided to return to our base in Long Cheng district, Xaysomboun province to consolidate our forces. During a break, I went to Long Cheng village (Long Cheng district) to investigate. Seeing a large crowd gathered at the entrance to the village, I approached them. Because I had learned the Lao language fluently, I greeted them and started conversations. Through our conversation, an elderly man, about 70 years old, told me that about 17 years ago, during a hunting trip, he discovered six graves believed to be those of Vietnamese soldiers buried on Tham Xe mountain."

Having obtained this invaluable information, I reported it to the team and persuaded the informant to guide us. Due to the extremely complex terrain of Tham Xe mountain, the task force had to travel for more than 3 hours by motorbike and nearly 5 hours on foot to reach the mountain. However, because so much time had passed, the elderly Lao man was having great difficulty locating the site. Despite conducting a very careful search, by the third day there was still no sign of anything. Even though we had to dig tunnels and stay in the forest, eating and drinking only with stream water and canned food, the team did not lose heart, encouraging each other to continue expanding the search area. And then, on the fourth day, everyone was overjoyed to discover a shoe sole. Digging continued for the next two days, and on the sixth day, the first remains were found deep underground, wrapped in a tarp. Continuing to expand the search area, after 9 days the team found all 6 graves as the elderly man had provided.

Afterward, the team continued gathering information and scouting the area, moving through districts in Xaysomboun province to find three more sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers who had died in Laos. On the day they brought the remains back, everyone was filled with emotion and sadness. From now on, the soldiers would rest peacefully in their homeland. This was a great source of encouragement that helped us continue steadfastly on the path we had chosen."

Tearful journey back to my mother's homeland

Throughout the four dry seasons, Major Duong Le Chuong (born in 1977) - a member of the Search and Recovery Team 4, still vividly remembers the memories and emotions associated with the successful searches for the remains of fallen soldiers. Due to war bombs and bullets, many soldiers fell without their bodies intact. They lie in the embrace of Mother Earth alongside shattered bomb fragments.

With teary eyes, Major Duong Le Chuong recounted an unforgettable memory: “It was in March 2024, during a search for the remains of fallen soldiers in Phu Xeo village, Phu Cut district, Xieng Khouang province, we received a report from a local scrap metal collector who had discovered a rusty CKC rifle and several pieces of green canvas, suspected to belong to Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war. The discovery site was about 15 km through the forest from Phu Xeo village. Immediately, my colleagues and I set off with the local man to the location. Upon arrival, we observed and excavated the area and discovered it was the grave of a soldier who had been hit by a bomb, leaving his body dismembered. The remains of the soldier lay alongside many artifacts such as a CKC rifle, parachute fabric, canvas, and communication wires. When we found the remains, we had to carefully remove each layer of soil by hand, collecting every artifact, leaving nothing behind, no matter how small.” "The smallest... Then, a simple but solemn and respectful embalming ceremony is performed, and the remains of the fallen soldiers are always carried with us. We soldiers always have the belief that we are fulfilling a sacred mission. It is because of that belief that, despite the hardships, in the history of the team, no one has ever wavered, been shaken, or abandoned their duty..."

In reality, most of the remains that are searched for and exhumed lack identification information. However, there are still great joys in identifying the fallen soldiers and bringing them back to their families. For example, in February 2021, the team received information from Mr. Cho Va, a resident of Then Phun village, Muong Khun district, Xieng Khouang province, Laos, that there was a cemetery in the Phu Pha Deng mountain area, in Then Phun village, Muong Phun district, where 11 Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war were buried. Based on this information, on January 24, 2021, the Nghe An Provincial Military Command's Fallen Soldiers' Remains Collection Team sent a team of 5 members, led by Major Le Van Duc, to conduct a survey in the Phu Pha Deng mountain area.

By February 5, 2021, eight graves had been discovered with information inscribed on aluminum headstones. Five of these graves contained full names, ranks, positions, and hometowns, while three only had names. The fallen soldiers have been returned to their families and will rest eternally in the embrace of Mother Vietnam. For the officers and soldiers of the Remains Collection Team, preparations are underway for the upcoming dry season's search mission. They know that the search for the remains of fallen soldiers will become increasingly difficult and arduous. However, no matter how challenging it is, these soldiers will continue to strive their best. "As long as there is information about the fallen soldiers and their graves, we will continue to organize the search and collection" – this is the command and motto of the officers and soldiers of the Remains Collection Team in their future endeavors.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Xuan The, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Remains Collection Team - Political Department, Provincial Military Command, said that the Remains Collection Team was established in 1984, carrying out the central political task of searching for and collecting the remains of martyrs in the three provinces of Xieng Khouang, Vientiane, and Xaysomboun in Laos. At the same time, they collect the remains of martyrs in Nghe An province when information is available. The officers and soldiers of the Team also serve as a bridge to help Laos build a strong political foundation and mobilize efforts to prevent and mitigate the consequences of natural disasters occurring both within and outside the region.

With immense political responsibility and profound respect for the heroic martyrs who dedicated their lives to the cause of national liberation and noble international duty, over the past 40 years, officers and soldiers have searched for and collected 13,133 remains of martyrs. Of these, 12,661 remains were found in Laos and 472 remains were found within Vietnam.

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That journey will continue, for countless families still ache with the unceasing sorrow of losing loved ones who remain on the battlefield, yet to return to their homeland. The feet of officers and soldiers will march forward together, fulfilling the orders from the hearts of soldiers in peacetime!

Lieutenant Colonel Le Xuan The - Secretary of the Party Committee of the Repatriation Team - Political Department, Nghe An Provincial Military Command