For more than 15 years, journalist Tran Van Hien, former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper and former Vice President of Nghe An Journalists Association, has traveled to many localities to find and re-carve the footprints of 512 martyr journalists across the country, including more than 260 martyr journalists of VNA.
Mr. Hien, along with the authorities and local government, brought the martyr journalists to worship at Au Lac Pagoda (Hung Loc Ward, Vinh City, Nghe An Province).
The torment of fallen colleagues
During the 100th anniversary of the Vietnamese press revolution, we visited journalist Tran Van Hien in his old flat-roofed house in Hung Loc ward, Vinh city.
Here, notebooks filled with notes, photo albums, and unfinished manuscripts still cover the desk, showing a deep love for journalism and for comrades who sacrificed their lives across the country.
With a tall, thin figure, but still agile and alert of a veteran who once "fought through the storms of bombs and bullets" throughout the battlefields of the provinces of Military Region 4 and later became a war correspondent (since 1967).
The identities of 512 martyr journalists that Mr. Tran Van Hien has been searching for over the past 15 years. (Photo: Trinh Duy Hung/VNA)
Mr. Hien recalled that more than 15 years ago, while working in Hanoi , he was invited to attend a discussion on the role of revolutionary journalism in the resistance war. At the end of the session, a colleague asked him, “How many journalists have sacrificed for this independence?” and he was left speechless.
As someone who directly holds a pen and a gun, what makes journalist Tran Van Hien most tormented is that his journalist colleagues have passed away, including many journalist martyrs whose relatives no longer worship them or whose graves cannot be found.
They are generations of young soldiers-journalists, not afraid of hardships and sacrifices on the front line to get the latest news, record historical moments, and reflect promptly and truthfully on the war.
From that moment, a silent, patient and emotional journey began - a journey to find the identities, traces and memories of the journalists who died for the country, the first of which was to send a document from the Nghe An Provincial Journalists Association to the Journalists Associations of 26 Southern provinces and cities and related agencies such as Military Region 7, VNA...
The journey never stops
Starting from the few documents at the Vietnam Journalists Association , the Political Department (General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army), VNA, then to the old editorial offices, archives, martyrs' cemeteries and even the small houses where the old mothers, wives or children of the martyrs lived... journalist Tran Van Hien traveled through many provinces and cities, returning to the old battlefields to meet, record, collect, and take photos of each tombstone, each certificate of merit from the Fatherland, each photo faded by time to determine the identities and names of the journalist martyrs...
VNA reporter talks with journalist Tran Van Hien, former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper and former Vice President of Nghe An Journalists Association. (Photo: VNA)
In particular, in 1995, from information from the Quang Nam Provincial Journalists Association about 6 martyr journalists of VNA who sacrificed their lives in a cave of Hon Tau mountain (the border area between Quang Nam and Quang Da provinces at that time), Mr. Hien went to Hon Tau cave to verify the information and identities of the martyrs.
Here, Mr. Hien verified that in 1967, journalist, Quang Da province branch chief Tran Ngoc Anh and 5 other reporters were reporting the victory of the Quang Da front to VNA when they were hit by a bomb, killing 6 journalists and 9 other soldiers.
In 1997, he continued to Hai Phong to verify the identity and find the grave of his close friend, comrade, and colleague - journalist Vu Hien (People's Navy newspaper) with the support and help of the family of martyr journalist Vu Hien and Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Tinh - Rear Admiral of the Navy, who directly commanded the battle in which journalist Vu Hien participated and sacrificed.
Through verification, Mr. Hien determined that on January 3, 1979, the Navy Region 5 opened fire to attack Pol Pot's troops at Kep port and Co Cong port. At that time, journalist Vu Hien was sitting on a tank turret following Regiment 812, Division 8. The fighting was fierce, and right here, while working, journalist Vu Hien sacrificed his life while still holding his camera tightly in his hand.
In 2000, journalist Tran Van Hien went to Ho Chi Minh City and through many relationships such as journalist Vu Tuat Viet, Deputy Head of the Propaganda Department of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, Lieutenant General Dong Van Cong, Commander of Military Region 7 to verify the identity of martyr journalist Nguyen Khac Thang (Vietnam News Agency) who died in Tay Ninh province in 1970...
From those trips, he collected information and identities of 512 martyr journalist profiles, along with articles, special topics, and reports published in many major newspapers.
Also from that journey, a series of his works were born such as: The series of articles "Those who write in the trenches", "Journalists who sacrificed in the resistance war against America", the book "Journalist-soldier" ... were highly appreciated by experts, both historical documents and full of humanity.
In particular, the poem “Please Don’t Call Me An Unknown Martyr” by journalist Tran Van Hien has touched the hearts of millions of readers, especially the relatives of martyrs and veterans nationwide. The poem also contributed to the authorities changing the name of the tombstone of the Unknown Martyr to the new name “Unknown Martyr.”
Every name is a life, a story
Until now, at the age of seventy, journalist Tran Van Hien still has a heavy heart for his comrades and colleagues who fell for the country's independence.
Mr. Hien said: "Now I just hope to have the health to continue the journey to find and verify my comrades and martyr journalists so that each name is a life, a story. We must do something so that future generations will not only remember them as a statistical number, but as flesh and blood people who held pens and fell like real soldiers. At the same time, I also hope that the Party and the State will continue to care about, search for, and recover the remains of martyrs, including martyr journalists, because there are still many cases where their graves have not been found."
Nghe An Provincial Journalists Association visited and presented gifts to journalist Tran Van Hien on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press. (Photo: Trinh Duy Hung/VNA)
Mr. Tran Minh Ngoc, Director of Radio and Television Station, Chairman of Nghe An Journalists Association, said that journalist Tran Van Hien devoted all his heart and soul to researching, collecting, supplementing, and recording the names of journalists who sacrificed for the cause of national liberation. Later generations of journalists greatly appreciate and are grateful for his contributions.
"In the coming time, we also hope that Nghe An province and the Vietnam Journalists Association will build and renovate the area to worship 512 martyr journalists so that this place becomes a Red Address, helping to educate young generations of journalists about ethics, courage and passion for the profession, regardless of difficulties and dangers, daring to venture into hot spots to get the fastest and most authentic news. Thereby, continuing the glorious tradition of revolutionary journalism of our ancestors," Mr. Tran Minh Ngoc shared.
With his persistent contributions, journalist Tran Van Hien was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Vietnam Journalists Association and was honored many times in national journalism awards for writing about traditional and historical topics.
But for him, the greatest reward is to do something so that those who sacrificed are not forgotten, so that journalism is not only a tool but also a mission./.
(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nha-bao-tran-van-hien-va-hanh-trinh-di-tim-danh-tinh-512-nha-bao-liet-sy-post1044378.vnp
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