Journey to find comrades in Laos
(Baonghean.vn) - During the process of carrying out the collection mission from 1984 to present, the officers and soldiers of the Collection Team of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command have had 9 comrades sacrificed, 14 comrades injured, 1 comrade with a sick soldier with a labor loss rate of 93%, and 46 comrades with serious illnesses.
 |
| Over the past 34 years, the Nghe An Provincial Military Command's Collection Team has surveyed, searched for and collected 12,104 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos, including 1,676 remains of martyrs whose names and hometowns have been identified, and has handed over 925 remains to 37 provinces and cities across the country. In the photo: To grasp information about their comrades, the Nghe An Provincial Military Command's Collection Team implements the motto "4 together" (eating together, living together, working together, speaking Lao language together) with the people of Lao ethnic groups. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| Cadres of the Rehabilitation Team provide medical examination and treatment and perform mass mobilization work on the journey to find comrades in Laos. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
In recognition of the achievements of the Nghe An Provincial Military Command's Collection Team in searching for and collecting martyrs' remains, in 2001, the Collection Team was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in the Renewal Period and many other noble awards by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In the photo: After receiving the information, the Provincial Military Command's Collection Team immediately set off. To reach the resting place of their comrades, they had to climb mountains and wade through streams for hundreds of kilometers. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| For them, preparing meals on the march is a daily story in the journey to find their comrades. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| Or a quick meal during a break on a long journey. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| After the marching journey, they identified the resting places of their comrades. And were careful and meticulous in retrieving their comrades' remains. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| Record information about location, coordinates, terrain features and landmarks in the area where comrades rest. This is an extremely necessary task in the collection process. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| In the dry season of 2017 - 2018 alone, the Collection Team of the Military Command of Nghe An province surveyed and collected 98 remains of martyrs who died in Laos. Of these, 12 remains had names, but the unit, hometown and time of death were not yet determined. Only one remains had both identity, hometown and unit identified: martyr Nguyen Dinh Quang, born in 1947, originally from Cam Gia village, Ninh Khanh commune, Gia Khanh district, Ninh Binh province (now Pho Mia, Ninh Khanh ward, Ninh Binh city, Ninh Binh province). In the photo: Teammates take care of and cover the national flags of Vietnam and Laos on the remains of martyrs who died for the noble international mission. Photo: Trong Kien |
 |
| On the journey to find and bring comrades back to their homeland, the collection team always receives the affection and attention of the cadres and people of Vietnam and Laos. In the photo, Comrade Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An Province and Major General Tran Quoc Dung - Director of the Department of Policy of the Ministry of National Defense send off the remains of martyrs to the burial site during the collection period of the 2017-2018 dry season. Photo: Trong Kien |