Deep gratitude to those who sacrificed their youth for the country

(Baonghean) - Excerpt from the opening speech of Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Project to Preserve and Restore Truong Bon Historical Relic Site.

...Today, at the historical site of Truong Bon, Nghe An province, together with the Ministry of Transport, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Vietnam Television, organized the inauguration ceremony of Truong Bon historical relic site and the art program "Truong Bon - Immortal Epic", to honor and pay tribute to the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland...

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong - Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee reviewed the heroic history of Truong Bon.

...Coming to Truong Bon today, we feel the sacredness, the greenness of development and the peace of life, but nearly 50 years ago, this place was one of the fiercest points of the war, a "bomb bag", "fire coordinates", a target of destruction by the enemy. On Truong Bon road, the youth volunteer force with the spirit of "All for the front line, all for victory" and the iron determination "The heart can stop beating, but the road cannot be blocked", to protect the traffic artery, transporting military food and ammunition from the North to support the battlefield in the South.

In the face of the enemy's rain of bombs and bullets, countless heroic martyrs' bones and blood were shed. And, a tragic event happened, touching the hearts of millions of people across the country: In the early morning of October 31, 1968, just a few hours before the North Vietnam bombing ceasefire agreement took effect, American planes suddenly dropped a series of destructive bombs; 13 youth volunteers of Company 317 heroically sacrificed their lives while on duty to fill bomb craters, the last meters of road, and act as living markers for the military convoy to pass the key bombing points, to reach the front line before dawn. The sacrifice of you, brothers and sisters, contributed to bringing independence and freedom to the Fatherland, for the longevity of the nation, and for the future of today's and tomorrow's generations.

The place name Truong Bon has entered the history of the nation as an epic of revolutionary heroism, has become the sacred soul of the mountains and rivers, and is an extremely important "red address" in the souls of the people of Nghe An and the people of the whole country.

...To express their infinite gratitude and appreciation to the heroic martyrs, in 1994, the Party Committee and people of Nghe An began to organize the construction of the "Stele House and Tomb" in Truong Bon. In 1996, Truong Bon was recognized as a National Historical - Cultural Relic. In 2008, the "Steel Squad" C317, Truong Bon Youth Volunteers were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the Party and State. On April 19, 2010, the Provincial People's Committee approved the Project to Preserve and Restore Truong Bon Historical Relic Site; at the same time, Nghe An province, together with the Ministry of Transport, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Vietnam Television, actively mobilized and called on domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to support the construction of Truong Bon Historical Relic Site. Up to now, 22 construction items on an area of ​​nearly 20 hectares have been completed... In particular, departments, branches, provincial units, districts, cities, towns and organizations and individuals have donated and planted over 500 valuable trees and ornamental plants at the relic site, creating an architectural complex with cultural, historical and spiritual significance...

...The inauguration ceremony of the Truong Bon Historical Site Conservation and Restoration Project and the Art Program today revived unforgettable memories of a time of bombs and bullets; a glorious and heroic time; at the same time, it demonstrated the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source" and the gratitude of today's generation towards those who fell and sacrificed their youth for the country.

On behalf of the leaders of Nghe An province, I would like to sincerely thank the organizations and individuals who have paid attention, supported spiritually and materially to have a project to honor Truong Bon like today. Hopefully, in the near future, we will continue to receive more attention, so that Truong Bon can be completed and become more spacious and sacred...

(*) Title by Nghe An Newspaper