The journey of a veteran from Nghe An province to find portraits of his fallen comrades.

Comradeship and camaraderie

Since veteran Duong Xuan Quang found the portrait of martyr Nguyen Xuan Thu, Mr. Nguyen Tien Hung (Thu's younger brother) and other family members have been able to somewhat alleviate their grief. This is because, since his sacrifice (in 1973), it had been 35 years before the family had a portrait to place on the altar.

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"Anh Thu sacrificed his life without his remains being found, nor was there a photograph to commemorate him. Fortunately, Mr. Duong Xuan Quang, Anh Thu's comrade, made several trips to the old battlefield to find a photograph and return it to the family. If it weren't for Mr. Quang and his deep camaraderie, our family wouldn't have a photograph to honor him, and future generations wouldn't have seen Anh Thu, even in a picture."

Mr. Nguyen Tien Hung

Wishing to gain a clear understanding of the journey to find the portrait of martyr Nguyen Xuan Thu, we went to Ha Long Hamlet, Nam Dan town (Nam Dan district) to meet...veteranDuong Xuan Quang. Approaching 80 years old, Mr. Quang is still healthy and sharp-minded, remembering every detail clearly. He shared: “The journey to find the portrait of Nguyen Xuan Thu lasted 4 years, involving 3 trips south, and finally we found it thanks to a comrade who was keeping it. To understand the story's origins, we have to go back in time…”

According to veteran Duong Xuan Quang, in 1970, when the war against the US entered a new phase, he enlisted. After training, he and his comrades marched for eight months, crossing the Truong Son mountain range to the Ca Mau battlefield, where he was assigned to the 9th Infantry Battalion, 10th Regiment. After the liberation of South Vietnam (1975), Quang followed the 10th Regiment to fight in the Cambodian battlefield; he retired in 1988 with the rank of Captain.

Returning to civilian life, veteran Duong Xuan Quang diligently worked in labor, production, and business, raising his children with his wife until they grew up and became adults. In his free time, he often spent time visiting his family.teammateEspecially his fallen comrades. Twenty years ago (2004), Mr. Quang went up to Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong district) to visit the family of martyr Nguyen Xuan Thu, an older brother and regimental officer with whom he had a deep and close relationship.

Mr. Quang recounted: “When I was first assigned to the 9th Battalion, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thu, also known as Hai Thu, was the commander of the 7th Special Forces Battalion. Although we were in different battalions, we fought in the same formation, and I had the opportunity to meet him in many coordinated battles. Our camaraderie and shared hometown made us even closer. At that time, Mr. Thu was famous as a skilled commanding officer with many resounding victories. At the end of June 1972, Mr. Thu was promoted to the rank of Major and held the position of Deputy Regiment Commander.”

On the night of January 26th and the early morning of January 27th, 1973, Major Nguyen Xuan Thu, Deputy Regiment Commander, along with Battalion 7, were ordered to attack the enemy in the Long My sub-district (now in Hau Giang province). The battle was fierce, with the enemy using various types of artillery and F105 aircraft to continuously bomb our positions. One bomb hit the command post, and Major Nguyen Xuan Thu bravely sacrificed his life. For several days afterward, the unit searched for the Deputy Regiment Commander's body but could not find it. After 1975, many comrades returned to search but still without success…

The journey to find the portrait

The visit to the family of fallen soldier Nguyen Xuan Thu in 2004 deeply moved veteran Duong Xuan Quang. At that time, Thu's family still did not have a photograph of the fallen soldier to place on the altar, and his mother had been anxiously waiting for news about her son, weeping until her tears ran dry.

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"His remains haven't been found, and now even his portrait for worship is gone. The loss and sacrifice are immense. That's what motivated me to find his photo and bring it back to his family."

Mr. Duong Xuan Quang

From then on, veteran Duong Xuan Quang began his journey to find a photograph of his comrade, martyr Nguyen Xuan Thu. For several years, Quang and his comrades returned to the old battlefield to search for remains and identify the martyrs, while also taking on the task of finding a photograph of Thu. There were times when Quang felt like he was "searching for a needle in a haystack," not knowing where to begin or which direction to approach. First, he went to Ca Mau, where the regiment had been stationed, and inquired with families who had known Thu, but no one kept a photograph. Then, he contacted some comrades in Ca Mau, but everyone said that during the fierce years of war, few people had been photographed.

On his second attempt, Mr. Duong Xuan Quang went to Tran Van Thoi district (Ca Mau province) to inquire about his comrades, but still couldn't find any. Then he made the effort to go to Kien Giang province, where the headquarters of Regiment 10 was stationed, but he still couldn't find a photo of the fallen soldier Nguyen Xuan Thu.

After two unsuccessful attempts to find him, Mr. Quang felt discouraged and considered giving up. But then, the image of his family and loved ones, especially his elderly mother, came to mind.martyrsThe hope of finding a photograph of his son spurred Mr. Quang on his journey. For the third time, Mr. Quang packed his bags and went to the Headquarters of Military Region 9, where he met with the leaders of the Military Region's Political Department to explain the situation. He was then referred to the Military Region Museum, as it housed many historical photographs. There, he and the museum staff searched through photographs from the period of 1970-1973, but none of them included the fallen soldier Thu.

Deeply saddened, the veteran did not lose heart. Leaving the Military Region 9 Museum, Mr. Quang sought out his comrades in the liaison committee of Regiment 10. Some advised him to contact Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh (Tam Hanh), suggesting he might have information. During the period of 1972-early 1973, Mr. Tam Hanh was the Head of the Propaganda Department of the Regiment, while the fallen soldier Thu was the Deputy Regiment Commander. At that time, Mr. Tam Hanh owned a camera and often took documentary photos of the Regiment's activities.

The next day, Mr. Quang took a bus back to Ho Chi Minh City and went to Mr. Tam Hanh's house. The two comrades were overjoyed to see each other again after decades. When he heard mention of Hai Thu, Mr. Tam Hanh suddenly fell silent, his eyes welled up with tears, and he choked up as he recounted memories from the past. When he learned that the purpose of Mr. Quang's visit was to find a photograph of the fallen soldier Thu, Mr. Tam Hanh went into the room and brought out a box containing mementos and documents from the regiment, and they both searched. Flipping through the photos and documents, Mr. Quang suddenly exclaimed, "Here's Hai Thu, Mr. Tam! Hai Thu, I've found you!"

Mr. Nguyen Tien Hung, the younger brother of martyr Thu, shared: “In 2008, Quang brought a photo of 10 comrades from the same unit, including Thu, back to our hometown to give to our family. The family then separated Thu's photo to use as a memorial picture. My mother hugged the photo and burst into tears, regretting that my father had passed away and couldn't see Thu's photo one last time.”

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Mr. Duong Xuan Quang added that a few months ago he found the daughter of martyr Nguyen Xuan Vinh in Ha Tinh to give her a photograph. Martyr Vinh was in the same unit and died in a fierce battle with the enemy. After nearly two years of searching, he finally found and gave the photograph to the martyr's daughter, who is currently teaching in Ha Tinh city. Currently, he still keeps a photograph of martyr Nguyen Tien Kinh (from Ha Tinh), who was in the same unit and died in the Southern battlefield. He has gone to Ha Tinh several times to ask people to inquire about the relatives of martyr Kinh, but he has not yet found them...