'Martyr' of Nghe An returns after 43 years, family receives death notice

On March 29, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province said that the agency had received information that martyr Le Giang Nam had returned to his hometown in Nam Kim commune (Nam Dan district), 43 years after his family received a death notice.

"Currently, the Department is waiting for a specific report from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nam Dan district to have a solution in the coming time," said a representative of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An, adding that after the authorities verify that if this returning person is martyr Nam, the policies that the family enjoys will be stopped.

Mr. Le Giang Nam currently lives in Binh Thuan with the name Nguyen Manh Cuong, from Da Nang. Photo: Tien Hung

In addition, policies related to his sacrifice, such as his mother being recognized as a Vietnamese Heroic Mother, will also be canceled. According to a representative of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, in recent years, in Nghe An, there have been many cases of martyrs returning home after their families received death notices and received similar benefits as Mr. Nam.

After his unexpected return to his hometown, Mr. Nam is currently living at his younger brother’s house – Mr. Le Nguyen Lan. The house has been full of guests for a week now. Neighbors and relatives have come to share the joy with the family upon hearing the news. Meanwhile, many working groups from the authorities were also present to share and verify the incident.

Mr. Nam is being taken care of by his younger brother Le Nguyen Lan after more than 50 years apart. Photo: Tien Hung

With a tired expression on his face, the 72-year-old veteran said that for decades, the information he remembered about his homeland was very vague. “That was due to the after-effects of the injury,” Mr. Nam said, speaking slowly. Every time he spoke, he had to rely on a hearing aid in his pocket.

In 1964, when he was just 18 years old, Mr. Nam received his enlistment order, but it was later postponed because his father suddenly passed away. A year later, Mr. Nam joined the army and fought in the battlefield in Quang Tri.

In a conversation that was constantly interrupted by a state of “sometimes remembering, sometimes forgetting”, Mr. Nam said that he was seriously injured in a battle in October 1968. After that, Mr. Nam fainted until he woke up and realized that he had been captured by the enemy and locked up in a medical facility in Da Nang. “Taking advantage of the guards’ negligence, I escaped outside, but I didn’t know where my unit was to return,” Mr. Nam said.

Certificate of National Merit of Mr. Le Giang Nam. Photo: Tien Hung

The wound on his head caused his cheekbone to deviate, his head to ache, one eye to fail, and Mr. Nam gradually lost his memory. At the end of 1968, when he wandered to Binh Thuan, he was taken in and treated by a farmer's family. Later, this family married their daughter to him. Mr. Nam and his wife settled in Bac Ruong commune (Tanh Linh district, Binh Thuan), lived by farming and had 8 children. During this time, Mr. Nam registered his birth name as Nguyen Manh Cuong, born in 1950, from Da Nang. Recently, when seeing their father's memory recover, the children encouraged Mr. Nam to provide information about his hometown.

From the information that his father was born in a commune called Son (Nam Kim commune was formerly called Nam Son), Nam Dan district, Nghe An province, and his family had four brothers, Nguyen Van Vinh (Mr. Nam's son) posted on the Nam Dan Association's Facebook page to ask for help in finding him. Vinh's post received more than 450 shares. Just a few days later, a son of Mr. Le Nguyen Lan (who calls Mr. Nam his uncle) was able to connect with Vinh.

On March 23, Mr. Nam was brought back to his hometown by his children. “On the day of reunion, I was sad because my mother had passed away, my eldest brother had sacrificed himself, and my youngest brother had passed away. My wife, who had made a last wish for her husband to find his homeland, also died two years ago,” Mr. Nam said.

Mr. Nam's son's post. Screenshot.

Meanwhile, Mr. Le Nguyen Lan said that in 1975, the family received a death certificate, announcing that Le Giang Nam had died on October 31, 1968. Since then, the family has used this information to hold memorial services for him. When the family received the death certificate, Mr. Nam's mother had already passed away due to many years of grief after the death of her eldest son, Le Nguyen Bo, and Mr. Nam had not been heard from for many years. Over the years, the family had searched for the martyr's grave many times but had not received any information. With the two children confirmed to have died, Mr. Nam's mother was later posthumously awarded the title of Heroic Vietnamese Mother.

Mr. Nam said that he will return to his home in Binh Thuan to live in the near future, because that is where his family has made a living for decades. Most of his children are married and living in the South.

According to the records of the authorities, Mr. Le Giang Nam joined the army in 1965 and died in 1968. He was awarded a certificate of merit by the Fatherland and his relatives receive annual incense offerings.