Nghe An province held a memorial service and burial for the remains of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, martyr Ngo Duc Mai.
On the morning of June 4th, at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs of Thong Tan commune (Hung Nguyen district), the Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, and Fatherland Front Committee of Thong Tan commune, along with the family of Hero of the People's Armed Forces and martyr Ngo Duc Mai, held a memorial service and burial ceremony for the remains of martyr Ngo Duc Mai.
Attending the ceremony were Heroes of the People's Armed Forces: Lieutenant General Pham Tuan, Colonel Nguyen Van Luc. Also present were Lieutenant General Tran Tan Hung - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs; representatives from the leadership of the 4th Military Region Command, the Air Defense and Air Force Command, the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the Military Command of Nghe An province, Hung Nguyen district, Luc Nam district (Bac Giang province); the family of martyr Ngo Duc Mai; and a large number of people from Thong Tan commune.
Martyr Ngo Duc Mai was born on November 6, 1938; his hometown was Dong My village, Hung Tan commune (now Thong Tan commune), Hung Nguyen district. Martyr Ngo Duc Mai enlisted in the army in 1955.
From 1965 to 1967, martyr Ngo Duc Mai was a MIG-17 fighter pilot and a platoon leader in Company 2, 923rd Air Regiment (Yen The Air Force Unit), 371st Air Division, Air Defense - Air Force Command.
In combat, martyr Ngo Duc Mai bravely, intelligently, and flexibly launched 63 sorties, achieving high efficiency in fighting the enemy: directly shooting down 3 American aircraft (2 F-4s and 1 A-4), including the aircraft of US Colonel Norman Gaddis, Deputy Commander of the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing with 4,300 flight hours; creating favorable conditions for his comrades to shoot down many others.
With many glorious achievements, martyr Ngo Duc Mai had the honor of meeting President Ho Chi Minh and receiving a medal from him; he was also awarded one Military Merit Order (Third Class) and two Combat Merit Orders (Second and Third Class) by the Party and the State.
On June 3, 1967, in an unequal battle against a formation of American F-105s and F-4s over the skies of Ha Bac province, Lieutenant Ngo Duc Mai, a pilot, bravely sacrificed his life... Martyr Ngo Duc Mai was buried at the Martyrs' Cemetery in Vu Xa commune (now Cam Ly commune), Luc Nam district, Bac Giang province.
On August 30, 1995, martyr Ngo Duc Mai was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State... To commemorate and acknowledge the contributions of the martyr pilot and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Ngo Duc Mai, the Party Committee, government, and people of Nghe An province decided to name a new street in Vinh City after him on December 10, 2010.
Upholding the principle of "Drinking water, remember the source," in order to remember the gratitude owed.hero martyrsHaving sacrificed for the Fatherland and to educate future generations about national traditions, in accordance with the wishes of the family of Hero of the People's Armed Forces martyr Ngo Duc Mai, the Party Committee - People's Council - People's Committee - Fatherland Front Committee of Thong Tan commune and the family have decided to build the Ngo Duc Mai Martyr Mausoleum; and relocate the remains of Hero of the People's Armed Forces martyr Ngo Duc Mai to be buried in this mausoleum.
The memorial and burial ceremony for the remains of martyr Ngo Duc Mai was held with utmost solemnity; a large number of comrades of the Hero of the Armed Forces, martyr Ngo Duc Mai, and officials and people of Nghe An province came to bid farewell to the martyr as he was laid to rest.
