As long as we're alive, we'll keep searching for our comrades.

My youth was intertwined with my military career.

In 1972, 17-year-old Thai Gia Tien volunteered to enlist in the army and fight against the Americans in the South. At that time, he was still in the middle of his 10th grade year at Anh Son District High School. Upon hearing the news that her fifth son had enlisted, his mother was quite saddened because just about a week earlier, she had received the death notice of her third son (who died in the Quang Tri battlefield in 1968). His father and older sister had to comfort Thai Gia Tien's mother a great deal, saying, "The country needs us, everyone must do their best... you must let him go."

Joining Battalion 43B, Nghe An Provincial Military Command, soldier Thai Gia Tien underwent numerous training sessions and, in early 1974, joined Group 2069 to go to the South, into the Southwestern battlefield.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien recounted: “We started our march from Nghi Loc to Quang Binh by car, then followed Route 20 to Laos, and then continued on foot along the Western Truong Son trail… It took us more than 6 months to reach Lo Cai San (Kien Giang). There, the 2069th Regiment was assigned to different units. I and six others were assigned to the 6th Reconnaissance Company, 303rd Battalion, 1st U Minh Regiment, Military Region 9. As soon as we arrived at the unit, we were almost immediately put into battle.”

The first battle of soldier Thai Gia Tien took place at Vam Cai Cao, An Lac Thon town, Ke Sach district, Soc Trang province (now). The company was assigned to capture a fortified outpost located at the confluence of the Hau River. Thai Gia Tien's secondary assault force consisted of three men led by Party member Nguyen Dinh Hong (from Xuan Son commune, Do Luong district). Due to strong enemy fire, Thai Gia Tien's assault force could not advance. In this battle, Thai Gia Tien and another comrade were wounded, while Nguyen Dinh Hong was killed. With the support of his comrades and the assistance of guerrillas, Thai Gia Tien managed to withdraw and was taken to the rear for treatment.

War is truly brutal. But that brutality could not extinguish the burning flame of patriotism in the hearts of the soldiers. After a week of treatment, Thai Gia Tien returned to his combat unit. Following the advance, reconnaissance soldier Thai Gia Tien and his unit participated in seven more battles, large and small, in Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, and other areas... until the victory on April 30, 1975, completely liberating the South. A month later, Thai Gia Tien and his comrades continued to participate in the liberation of the southern islands of Phu Quoc.

In 1977, from his base in Can Tho city, Thai Gia Tien was transferred to the 200th Regiment, 4th Military Region, stationed in Quy Hop for recuperation. In 1978, he was sent to study at the Military Political School of the military region, and was then retained as an assistant. This was the period when Lieutenant Thai Gia Tien returned to school to complete his cultural, political, and military education.

From 1981 to 1987, Mr. Thai Gia Tien was assigned to work at Company 3, Battalion 2, Division 441, where he trained corporals and served as a propaganda assistant. In 1987, he transferred to the Military Command of Anh Son District, under the Provincial Military Command. In 1999, he retired at the age of 45 with the rank of Major.

Looking back on his youth spent in the military, Mr. Thai Gia Tien said: “I entered the battlefield when I was young and full of aspirations. I left the army as a wounded soldier. However, that period was the most beautiful time of my life because I dedicated myself to the country, fulfilling my civic duty. My youth was not wasted, and I have no regrets. Another source of happiness is that I am still alive, loved by the people, and respected by my comrades. I am much luckier than many of my comrades who never returned...”

Bringing comrades back home.

Returning to civilian life, Mr. Thai Gia Tien and his wife engaged in livestock farming and trading, building their family's economy. Alongside this, he actively participated in local movements, serving as a Standing Committee member of the Veterans Association of Tuong Son commune (2000-2011); Secretary of the Party Branch and Head of the Front Committee of Hamlet 12, Tuong Son commune (2012-2022); Deputy Secretary of the Party Branch and Head of the Front Committee of Hamlet 12 (2022 – present); Chairman of the Coconut Land Poetry Club of Tuong Son commune, Vice Chairman of the Folk Song Club of the commune, Head of the Education Promotion Committee, and Head of the Red Cross Branch of the commune...

During this period, Mr. Thai Gia Tien actively carried out the work of searching for his comrades, bringing them back...martyrsReturning to family and hometown, Mr. Thai Gia Tien recounted: "I began thinking about searching for my fallen comrades, and in 1991, during a visit to the family home of martyr Nguyen Dinh Hong (in Xuan Son commune, Do Luong district) for a memorial service, I was told by his son, Hoang: 'Our family doesn't have a single photo of my father to use for worship.' Seeing how much he resembled his father, I took out my camera and photographed him, intending to have someone draw a portrait of him and make adjustments to create a memorial photo for Hong. That night, I dreamt that Hong came to me and reproached me, 'Why did you put Hoang's photo on the altar?'... That dream haunted me, leaving me with a lingering sense of guilt and remorse about my promises and loyalty to my comrades. This was the initial motivation for me to begin my journey to find my comrades."

The first comrade that Mr. Thai Gia Tien sought out was martyr Dinh Viet Thoa (Hoa Son commune, Anh Son district). Martyr Thoa died in the battle at the Luu Nghiep Anh commune council, Tra Cu district, Tra Vinh province. Mr. Tien said that after Martyr Thoa died, he clearly wrote down his full name and hometown, which the martyr handed over, and asked Mr. Tu Ket – the guerrilla platoon leader – to bring Martyr Thoa back for burial.

Recalling his promise from years ago, Mr. Tien had once promised the fallen soldier Thoa, "If I survive, I will come back to find you"... In 1991, through various channels, he found Mr. Tu Ket (who was then the Party Secretary of Luu Nghiep Anh commune). Subsequently, he and the fallen soldier Thoa's younger brother went to the South to exhume Thoa's remains.

Following this trip, Mr. Thai Gia Tien met and connected with many former comrades and fellow soldiers, as well as many Southern commanders. This created favorable conditions for him to later find more fallen comrades. Thanks to this, from 1991 to the present, Mr. Thai Gia Tien, together with the families of fallen soldiers, has found 14 more fallen soldiers who died on various battlefields. Most recently, in 2023, Mr. Tien and his family brought the remains of fallen soldier Le Van Khang (Thai Son commune, Do Luong district) back from the Martyrs' Cemetery in Tam Binh district, Vinh Long province...

It is understood that, in order to facilitate the search and recovery efforts...martyrsMr. Tien himself and other veterans have independently established a subcommittee for veterans in Nghe An to jointly handle this comradeship and solidarity work; actively promoting and connecting with families of fallen soldiers through the State's genetic testing program for fallen soldiers.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien shared: Currently, the remains of martyr Nguyen Dinh Hong cannot be brought back because the Martyrs' Cemetery in Ke Sach District, Soc Trang Province, currently has two graves of martyrs bearing the name Hong (without their surname, date of birth, or hometown). The family is still waiting for the results of the identification process before relocating the remains.

Mr. Thai Gia Tien expressed his concern: "Currently, many martyrs have yet to be found and their names restored. This is a great sorrow. As long as I live, I will continue to search for my comrades!"

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Mr. Thai Gia Tien is a Party member with 46 years of Party membership; a dedicated and responsible village official who has received numerous awards from various levels and enjoys the trust and affection of the people. As a veteran, Mr. Thai Gia Tien actively participates in comradeship and the search for the remains of fallen soldiers. Every month and every year, he personally uses his own money to undertake these search trips. The people of the commune greatly admire his actions.

Mr. Nguyen Tai Quy – Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Son Commune