Veterans' story of finding relatives for martyrs

(Baonghean) - He said, as a soldier, witnessing life and death on the battlefield, the love between people, comrades, and teammates is "heavy debt".

Moreover, back home, there are countless mothers waiting for their children, wives waiting for their husbands, just a little news about their loved ones is a source of joy for the rest of their lives, so his "journey" has been and will continue...

Mr. Dang Quang Huynh introduces photos recording the meeting between him and the martyr's relatives.

2 journeys and 700 photos

The house of Mr. Dang Quang Huynh (born in 1958) in Hamlet 4, Dien Tho Commune (Dien Chau) has an altar in the corner of the room, not a place to worship ancestors or blood relatives. He said, when we curiously asked: "This is the place I set aside to worship the soldiers from Nghe An who died in the "fire land" of Quang Tri. On full moon days, holidays, and Tet, I always have incense sticks to offer to the souls of the soldiers who have not had the chance to return to their families and homeland."

Then our story began in those old days, when the young man from Dien Tho, Dang Quang Huynh, joined the army in early 1975. On the day of the great victory, Dang Quang Huynh and his unit were ordered to go to the South to hunt down the remnants of the army and build bases. That helped Mr. Huynh feel somewhat the fierceness of the war and the losses of our army and people. Among those who fell, there was his uncle, whose grave had not yet been found at that time. In 1993, after leaving the army, he saved money and decided to go to Quang Tri to find his uncle's grave, to fulfill the wish of his grandparents when they were still alive.

With a backpack on his shoulders, a few sets of clothes, a few packs of instant noodles and a camera, Mr. Huynh went to Quang Tri twice during the scorching summer days. He went from cemetery to cemetery, visiting 25 places, but still did not see a single tombstone with his uncle's name engraved on it.

From Truong Son, Cam Lo, Road 9 to Hai Lang, Vinh Linh then Khe Sanh, Hai Truong... it is impossible to tell all the hardships, difficulties, and hardships on that journey, when facing hunger and thirst, having to walk for kilometers on steep and winding mountain passes. Wherever he went, he saw the names of martyrs from Nghe An and he began to have the idea of ​​taking pictures of those tombstones so that when he returned home, he would have the opportunity to find a journalist to inform the relatives of those who were lying in this land. So, he had about 700 photos after 2 journeys, while the graves of his relatives were still missing.

Mr. Dang Quang Huynh with photos and letters of martyrs' relatives that he is keeping.

Returning home, Dang Quang Huynh printed all the photos he had taken. The cost of the film and printing and developing 700 photos was a considerable sum for the family of a wounded soldier. “But as a soldier, you must always put loyalty first, you cannot measure or calculate gains and losses, because those who died let you live.” With that in mind, Mr. Huynh decided to follow the addresses written on the tombstones to find the relatives of the martyrs, to inform their families of the resting places of their children and relatives. He began a new journey, no less arduous and tiring, with the following places: Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc...

If he was busy or too far away, he would write letters and send them to the address on the tombstone. There were many difficulties and hardships in that journey, but he was determined not to give up, because even though he was tired, bringing joy and filling the waiting and anxiety of a family was also happiness. Thinking like that, he silently and persistently continued with his work, even though the amount of sick leave allowance was small, he had to save to raise 5 children who were at the age of eating and growing up. There were times when his wife complained, but he persistently persuaded her, talking about human love, life and his benevolent and forgiving heart, so his wife understood and tried her best to support him.

Bridge of Grace

“... I am extremely grateful to Mr. Dang Quang Huynh, a kind-hearted veteran who helped our family with all his selflessness. And I know that many families were helped by Mr. Huynh like our family. If there were more examples like Mr. Huynh, it would help many families find their loved ones quickly. Before my father passed away, his only wish was to find the remains of Mr. Thu. Now my father must be at peace. Thank you for your kindness!”. These are the heartfelt lines of Mr. Nguyen Van Quang in Quynh Xuan (Quynh Luu), younger brother of martyr Nguyen Van Thu, to thank Mr. Dang Quang Huynh. And this is just one of hundreds of heartfelt letters that martyrs' relatives from all over the country have sent to express their gratitude to him.

A letter from a martyr's relative thanking Mr. Dang Quang Huynh.

There were also families who came to Dien Tho to meet and express their gratitude, to witness the life of that compassionate veteran. Most of the martyrs' families were in difficult circumstances, so the gifts they brought were simple things like a bunch of garden vegetables, a bunch of green tea, or more luxuriously, a dozen oranges or eggs. Some people came and did not have enough money to go home, so Mr. Huynh took them all the way to National Highway 1A to catch a bus and gave them some money for travel expenses.

List of martyrs of Nghe An at cemeteries in Quang Tri that Mr. Dang Quang Huynh recorded and saved.

On that arduous and tiring journey, Mr. Huynh had many happy, sad and surprising memories. He remembered most the time he held the photo of the tombstone and went to the family of the martyr engraved on the tombstone. When he got home, after a while of talking, he realized that the "martyr" was still alive, returning from the battlefield and talking to him. Talking about war means talking about fierceness, hardship and sacrifice, but sometimes there are also flashes of miracles. On the march, the "martyr" lost an arm to enemy artillery, his comrades picked up the arm and buried it, then wrote his name on the tombstone. Later, the collection team saw that the tomb had a name and hometown, so they put it in the cemetery. Until one day, Mr. Huynh took a photo and went to find... The two soldiers hugged each other, their smiles mixed with tears.

To this day, after more than 10 years, directly visiting the homes, through letters, video messages and close friends, Mr. Dang Quang Huynh has delivered about 450 photos. That means that many families have received information about the resting place of their children and relatives. In other words, he has built a bridge connecting the two shores of love, connecting real life and spirituality, bringing joy to many people.

Cong Kien