The "resurrectionist"

The person who

Mr. Le The Thang, village 3, Sao Vang commune (left of photo) presents a restored photo to a martyr's relative. Photo: PV

Command from the heart

In July, the office of Mr. Le The Thang, village 3, Sao Vang commune became busier, because relatives of martyrs came to ask him to restore photos of their children.

Holding the photo of the martyr in his hand, Mr. Thang said: "I have been involved in the photography profession for many years. Once, I heard my father and his comrades talk about the 81 days and nights of fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel , about the generations of soldiers who heroically sacrificed themselves, creating an immortal epic about patriotism and the indomitable will of the nation. That story touched my heart, urging me to do something to ease the pain of the martyrs' families. After a period of research, I decided to do additional work restoring photos of martyrs completely free of charge."

"When they learned that I was doing this job, many local martyrs' relatives brought their children's portraits to restore them. Some were as small as postage stamps and blurred; some did not have the original photo, only pencil sketches... so the process of restoring the photos encountered many difficulties," Thang shared.

However, understanding the trust and expectations of the martyrs' families, for them, the photos not only recreate their appearance, but also restore their memories. Therefore, he told himself that he had to be very meticulous and careful with every detail, every line on the face, hair... to be as precise as possible.

Not stopping there, he also visited the families of martyrs, listened to and felt the stories of their lives and sacrifices, to sketch their portraits using photo-rendering technology, contributing to easing the pain of those left behind.

Each photo is a touching and proud story.

That summer, an older sister named LTH from Sao Vang commune brought her younger brother's portrait to the house and earnestly asked Thang to restore the photo for her brother who had sacrificed a long time ago. Holding the photo in her hand, the older sister tearfully told about the years of resistance, about a family that still ached for her younger brother: "My younger brother used to be a soldier operating in enemy territory. When the enemy discovered him, they beheaded him and hung him at the village entrance. After that, his wife had to find every way to retrieve her husband's body and head for burial. Knowing that he had sacrificed a long time ago, even though she had been searching for him, and the mother's tears had dried up, it took decades for the family to connect with their younger brother's children, and ask for a crumpled photo that no longer had a clear face. Now, finding my younger brother, even though it was only through an old photo, we still believe that this is the most sacred keepsake that my younger brother gave to his family."

"Hearing that tearful story, receiving the portrait of my younger brother from Mrs. LTH, I told myself that I had to put all my heart into restoring the photo to its original state. And, after many iterations, I finally completed the photo to give to the martyr's family. After restoring the photo, a few years later, Mrs. LTH's family also welcomed the martyr's remains back with joy mixed with tears," Mr. Thang slowly confided.

It has been decades since receiving the death notice, but the LNM family in Hoang Phu commune, whose brother was a martyr, still does not have an intact photo of him to place on the altar. This is also the only wish that the family has not been able to fulfill to comfort their deceased mother. Luckily, when they were introduced by an acquaintance, they called Mr. Thang to ask him to restore the old photo, even though it was blurred. "After hearing the phone call, I did not hesitate to agree immediately and started restoring the photo. The photo was so old and tarnished that it was almost unrecognizable, but it was the only keepsake the family still kept. The words of thanks were choked with tears. They said, looking at the photo was like looking at their fallen brother... when he was still alive". At this point, Mr. Thang could not hold back his tears...

So over the years, Mr. Thang has contributed to "reviving" the portraits of hundreds of heroic martyrs, "bringing them back" to their families in their youthful form. The warm and respectful reception from the martyrs' relatives has also motivated him to continue his journey of gratitude, fulfilling the nation's moral principles of "When drinking water, remember its source" and "Repaying gratitude".

Nguyen Dat - Son Linh

(Academy of Journalism and Communication)

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nguoi-hoi-sinh-chan-dung-cac-anh-hung-liet-si-255989.htm