More than two decades have passed, and many generations of cadres and soldiers have been writing touching stories about silent sacrifices and extraordinary determination to bring their comrades back to their homeland.
For the past 10 years, professional soldier Lieutenant Nguyen Quang Cuong has become a driver - an indispensable member of Team K51 on every journey through the forest, most of which are remote, isolated areas where danger always lurks. On the long miles passed, Mr. Cuong cannot remember all the dangerous encounters in the middle of the forest.
He said: “There were business trips where we had to leave early in the morning and stay there until noon, clearing forest paths, cutting trees, leveling muddy areas, and widening small paths. There were some sections of road that were too difficult, so I asked my colleagues to get off and walk, while I drove alone. Only when the danger was over did I dare to continue driving my colleagues.” To ensure every trip went smoothly, experienced drivers like Mr. Cuong always prepared all the necessary tools so that he could repair any damage and maintain equipment when needed.
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| Surveying and searching for martyrs' remains in Cambodia. Photo: Minh Nguyen |
The dedication and responsibility of Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Quang Cuong is also shown in his participation in digging, searching, and filtering information, thereby helping the unit find 11 martyrs' remains. At one point, he joined the unit in searching for many days, expanding the digging area in the Dak Dam stream area, but with no results. When they were about to leave the search location, they suddenly discovered a long, carefully wrapped layer of armor, inside of which were some bones, teeth, and a pair of rubber sandals with worn heels. The whole team respectfully packed up each piece of bone and relic and continued the sacred journey.
Continuing the tradition of the unit, in Team K51, there are many officers and soldiers who are very young but extremely enthusiastic and responsible. Lieutenant Nguyen Duy Hieu (born in 1996) is one such person. Hieu used to be a soldier performing military service at the unit, then decided to stick with this sacred and noble mission for a long time.
Overcoming the initial confusion, Hieu and his teammates were present in all the hamlets of Senmonorom city, and the districts of Co Nhec, Betchanda, O Rang, and Keosama in Mondulkiri province - to search for information and collect the remains of martyrs. He and his teammates meticulously collected every relic, from a button, a bottle of penicillin, a watch, a pen, to a water bottle riddled with bullets, a rusty ammunition box, and even stone tablets that had been broken over time. They were all carefully packed, because they understood that they were valuable evidence that could help identify the deceased. With their spirit and responsibility for their work, Hieu and his teammates searched for and collected the remains of 7 martyrs.
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| Officers and soldiers of Team K51 look up maps to search for and collect martyrs' remains in Cambodia. |
Not only Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Quang Cuong and Lieutenant Nguyen Duy Hieu, but all officers and soldiers in the unit always have a good mindset and a high sense of responsibility for the assigned tasks. From those directly performing the search task, to the drivers, logistics staff, and health care staff, they all understand the sacred meaning of the assigned work, ready to be present anywhere, in any difficult place to complete the task of searching for and collecting martyrs' remains assigned by the Party and the People.
Behind each martyr’s remains found during the dry seasons are countless drops of sweat, lurking dangers and worries. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Minh, Deputy Captain of Team K51 shared: “With the view that wherever there is information about martyrs, there are officers and soldiers of Team K51, we have proactively deployed and encouraged each team and each unit to go down to the villages and hamlets to search for and verify information about martyrs’ graves. We always try our best to welcome our comrades back to their homeland, this is not only an assigned task, but also a sacred promise to those who have fallen.”
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202507/loi-hua-voi-nhung-nguoi-nam-lai-3351a3f/
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