Young man restores martyrs' photos for free for 10 years because of his father's words...

Mr. Thang, residing in Sao Vang commune, Thanh Hoa province (formerly Tho Lam commune, Tho Xuan district, Thanh Hoa province), is a face that many families seek out, especially on July 27, because of his beautiful act of restoring photos for free for hundreds of martyrs' families.

From yellowed and blurred photos over time, under Mr. Thang's patient hands, the images of martyrs are vividly recreated, intact in shape. PHOTO: NVCC

Mr. Thang shared that in recent days, he had to work continuously to restore photos for the families of martyrs. "There were days when I could only complete the photos of the two men in the morning because they no longer had old photos. I had to rely on the memories of relatives or similar photos. Only when the family said "it's the same", did I breathe a sigh of relief," Mr. Thang said.

According to Mr. Thang, that is just a small part of the hundreds of requests he has received over the past 10 years. To date, he estimates that he has restored more than 500 photos and has never refused any case. PHOTO: NVC

The biggest motivation for Mr. Thang to pursue this special job comes from his father, a veteran who fought at Quang Tri Citadel , which was once the fiercest battlefield.

"My father directly participated in the war, witnessed the fierceness and tragic sacrifices of his comrades. Some were blown to pieces by bombs, some were buried only to be blown up again by bombs. Out of 10 people who went to war, 7-8 did not return. My father was lucky to survive. Every time he saw families of martyrs come to him for photo restoration, he encouraged me: "Try to make it beautiful, don't take their money." Later, when I made photos, many people praised me for being beautiful, realistic, and heroic. Therefore, I have more motivation to continue helping more families," Thang shared.

Mr. Thang said the biggest difficulty was that most of the photos of martyrs had existed for a long time, were of poor quality, and were blurry. Many photos only had faint outlines. The restoration process required meticulousness and took a lot of time to paint and edit each detail.

"I work mainly online, but most of the martyrs' relatives are old and not familiar with technology, so when I take photos and send them, they are often tilted, distorted or have incorrect lighting. I have to call to give instructions or ask for their address so they can send the original photos by post . If the photos are too blurry, I will scan them myself and reprocess them from the beginning. After finishing, I print the photos, frame them and send them to the families," Thang said.

Mr. Thang said that each photo is a story, a pain, a sacrifice that he can never forget. PHOTO: NVCC

Asked about memories, Mr. Thang recalled the case of martyr Le Van Khuy, who lived in the same commune as him. "He was a commando soldier, ambushed and killed tragically by the enemy. He was the only son in the family, and there was only one side-view photo left, which was very difficult to restore. It took me 2 days to adjust and reconstruct his face to make it clear and accurate for the memorial photo. When they finished viewing it, Mr. Khuy's whole family burst into tears. I was also very moved," Mr. Thang recounted.

Another memory that he remembers forever is the case of martyr Tran Van Can, from Thanh Hoa. He was born in 1933 and died in 1967 while fighting in the South. At that time, his wife was 3 months pregnant. When she heard the news of her husband’s death, she was so sad that her heart disease relapsed and she passed away just a few months later, leaving behind a 6-month-old daughter.

"Mr. Can did not have any clear photos. Later, a comrade visited the family and gave them a very small and blurry photo. His daughter, now over 50 years old, took the photo to many places for restoration, but no one could make it clear. When I took over, the photo appeared clear, just like him when he was alive. Looking at the photo, she burst into tears because she felt like she was seeing her father again," Mr. Thang emotionally recounted.

One of the photos restored by Mr. Thang. PHOTO: NVCC

For Mr. Thang, the photos are not only souvenirs, but also have great spiritual and mental value. "Now that economic life is stable, people appreciate the altar and the incense bowl more as a place to connect with the deceased. For martyrs, many have no graves, are not married, have almost nothing left except an old photo, or even no photo at all. Many people sacrificed themselves at a very young age, and their deaths were so tragic that they were very sacred. I have heard many stories of them appearing in their children's dreams to make more proper memorial photos. I just hope that the younger generation will never forget the sacrifices and losses of those who fell for the Fatherland," he confided.

According to Mr. Thang, with his current economic and family conditions, he thinks he is still able to continue doing this special job, free of charge and delivering to the homes of martyrs across the country.

"I will do as much as possible, and I also hope that young people with qualifications and skills, if possible, will join hands to help families with old photos of martyrs like me so that our brothers, uncles, and aunts can return in the most beautiful form. Because for the family, that is a sacred thing. And for society and young people, that is a way for them to see with their own eyes the real-life heroes of their country," Thang emotionally shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chang-trai-10-nam-phuc-dung-anh-liet-si-mien-phi-vi-cau-noi-cua-bo-185250727151605691.htm