Silence of July

(Baonghean.vn) - The bell rang, a moment of respectful silence, we cried, words choked up, the silence of the next generation was filled with admiration for the heroic sacrifice of generations of fathers and brothers..

In July, people across the country turn to those who have contributed to the country. Photo: Internet

At 7am on July 25, temporarily putting aside all work, the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda officers left Vinh city in the rain and wind to board the bus for the journey "back to the source". The bus just like that passed through countless roads to reach Anh Son.

July, the month of the 70th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day, at the Vietnam - Laos International Cemetery these days, many people come to pay their respects and pray for the souls of the martyrs. The ceremony room and hall are always full of groups of guests coming to offer incense and remember those who sacrificed their blood and bones for the happiness of the people.

At the memorial house, when the bell rang, there was a moment of silence in respect for the heroes, we cried, our words choked up, the emotional silence of the next generation was full of admiration for the heroic sacrifice of generations of fathers and brothers.

On the way back to the cemetery, I heard the tour guide say that when I arrived at this place, even if it was raining, it would stop right at the time of burning incense. And today, just as she said, in the midst of the dark clouds, the sky at the Vietnam-Laos Cemetery was still bright.

I met Mr. Ngo Viet Hoang, from Nghi Trung commune, Nghi Loc, a veteran who fought in the Cambodian battlefield, and his relatives came here to burn incense for his brother-in-law who died in 1972 in Laos.

He said: “Our generation back then, when we left, no one thought about the day we would return. Even though we were no longer in good health, for me it was a great fortune, because many of my comrades are still lying here…”, I heard in his voice the heavy burden of many worries.

And in the story with a woman named Tam, from Phu Tho, she said: Her brother, martyr Nguyen Xuan Luu, died in 1972 shortly after joining the army. Back home, his relatives only received a death notice but did not know where he was.

After 36 long years of separation, in 2009, through a comrade who gave him a newspaper with information about martyr Luu, he learned that his brother was brought back to be buried at the Vietnam-Laos International Cemetery.

Like Mr. Hoang and Ms. Tam, many relatives of the martyrs have come here to attend the memorial service for their souls. Each story told by the tour guide, each line engraved on the tombstone of the “unknown” martyrs makes visitors unable to hold back their emotions.

Here, there are still over 7,000 graves with the words “unknown name” in the midst of incense smoke. Those who sacrificed their lives did not leave their names behind. They may forever be “unknown” martyrs, but their sacrifice has become immortal.

“Still here forever

Their resting place is now surrounded by sunshine and wind.

There are mountains, there are rivers, there are red wild flowers

And echoing from the end of the sky is the sound of mother's lullaby...".

Leaders of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department visited and presented gifts to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huan, mother of a martyr in Hamlet 17, Nghi Lam Commune, Nghi Loc District. Photo: Ho Ha

The car returned, along the winding Highway 15, passing the winding road, through many slopes, many acacia and eucalyptus hills, we returned to Truong Bon to light incense sticks in memory of the girls and boys aged eighteen and twenty who did not spare their lives for this vital road.

Here, right on the old "Death Coordinates", the green color of life has erased the traces of a fierce time of bombs and bullets during the arduous and tragic years of fighting against the US.

Truong Bon National Historical Site today has become a place marking heroic history, a place where the souls of 1,240 cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers, and transport workers who sacrificed their lives for independence and freedom converge, a place where visitors can come to pay their respects and pay their respects on every occasion of "returning to the source".

There is something truly heart-wrenching and emotional when standing before the memorial stele engraved with the names of 13 martyrs of the heroic Steel Squad of Company 317-N65 - the Youth Volunteer Force against the Americans to save the country. Here, they lay down gloriously. Those names were engraved on the stele like mountains and rivers expressing gratitude to the heroic martyrs, those who did not spare their blood and bones, and lost their lives for the peaceful and changing country today.

Czech journalist, writer, communist soldier Julius Fucik in his work “Writing from the gallows” once considered the martyrs as “Those who died for them and for you!”. He explained that a brighter tomorrow was coming. At that time, the people would recall the glorious historical period in which they voluntarily sacrificed their lives.

Our beloved Uncle Ho also reminded us: "The sacrifices of the martyrs have prepared the country for blossoming, independence, and freedom. Our people will forever remember the martyrs' merits and must always learn from their brave spirit, to overcome all difficulties and hardships to complete the revolutionary cause that the martyrs have passed on to us."

Now, the war has been over for more than 40 years, the example of millions of fallen people always reminds us not to fall asleep on the pillow of a very heroic past.

Ho Ha

(Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department)