DTO - Cao Lanh District Martyrs' Cemetery is located in My Tho Commune, Dong Thap Province (formerly My Tho Town, Cao Lanh District) and currently has more than 1,500 martyrs' graves. For more than 25 years, Mr. Ho Van Lu (born in 1955) has volunteered to take care of each grave and the grounds of Cao Lanh District Martyrs' Cemetery with all his heart and deep gratitude to the heroes who sacrificed their blood and bones for the independence and peace of the nation. Mr. Lu's meaningful work contributes to maintaining the neatness and spaciousness of the cemetery, warming the hearts of the martyrs' relatives.
Up to now, Mr. Ho Van Lu has been associated with the Cao Lanh District Martyrs Cemetery for more than 25 years.
July - the whole country turns to War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27, 1947 - July 27, 2025), expressing respect for the heroic martyrs who sacrificed for the cause of national liberation. Sharing that emotion, Mr. Ho Van Lu is busy weeding, pruning, watering trees, cleaning the martyrs' graves to make the cemetery more neat, ready to welcome the martyrs' relatives and delegations to visit.
While trimming the branches of the hibiscus tree next to the martyrs' grave, Mr. Lu told us in a warm voice about the opportunity to become a caretaker. Mr. Lu used to be a soldier in the General Department 2, Ministry of National Defense , then participated in the battle in the Southwest border battlefield, so he deeply understood the hardships, losses, and sacrifices of his comrades during the war. Some of his comrades sacrificed. Luckily, they were still alive and returned to their families, so he really appreciated this. In 2000, Mr. Lu was introduced by his cousin to work as a caretaker at the Cao Lanh District Martyrs' Cemetery. He realized that this was his responsibility to his deceased comrades. He volunteered to take care of each grave so that the heroic martyrs could rest in peace. And since then, Mr. Lu's life has been closely linked to this cemetery.
Every day, Mr. Ho Van Lu burns incense at the altar of Uncle Ho and heroic martyrs.
Mr. Lu's working day is quite busy, waking up at 5am or earlier if there is a lot of work. Mr. Lu's daily work is: burning incense on the altar of Uncle Ho and the heroic martyrs, then sweeping, weeding, collecting trash, watering, trimming ornamental plants at the martyrs' graves and in the cemetery grounds; sometimes guiding the martyrs' relatives to visit and burn incense at the martyrs' graves. For trees that are withered or infected with pests, he takes the opportunity to propose to the competent authorities to replace them with new trees or plant more flowers and ornamental plants to keep the cemetery grounds beautiful.
In particular, on holidays, Tet or War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), Mr. Lu plans and arranges scientific tasks to ensure that the graves and cemetery grounds are always clean and beautiful to create satisfaction and warmth for the relatives of the heroic martyrs when they come to visit and burn incense. When a delegation comes to burn incense, Mr. Lu helps arrange the offerings and burn incense for the heroic martyrs.
Although he was alone and had a lot of work to do at the cemetery, he always worked enthusiastically and tirelessly. After finishing his day's work, Mr. Lu would cycle around the cemetery to check everything before resting. Some nights, he volunteered to stay at the cemetery to do unfinished work.
With all his heart as a soldier, Mr. Ho Van Lu always considers the heroic martyrs buried at the Cao Lanh District Martyrs Cemetery as his relatives.
He knows by heart the location of each grave, the name, age and hometown of the martyrs at the cemetery to help relatives find them easily. In addition, he also pays close attention to the graves of martyrs whose names are unknown. Mr. Lu emotionally said: "These are the graves of martyrs whose names are unknown, so I often take good care of them to comfort their souls."
According to Mr. Lu, taking care of graves at the cemetery is not only a job but also a sacred act, a form of gratitude. The cemetery has become a second home, filled with many emotions and memories for him. Talking about his comrades and memories during the resistance war, Mr. Lu was moved, his eyes filled with tears as he said: “I have a comrade and a relative who fought bravely and sacrificed their lives and are buried here. The job of taking care of the cemetery is a matter of heart and gratitude, of affection for comrades. That is the bond that has bound me to this job for many years. I vow with all my heart to burn incense and take good care of each grave to show gratitude, comfort and warm the hearts of the families of the heroic martyrs.”
Mr. Ho Van Lu cleans the grounds of the Cao Lanh District Martyrs Cemetery
With his loyalty and dedication over the years, Mr. Lu has successfully completed the task of “guarding the peaceful sleep” of the heroic martyrs. His story is not only a vivid testament to comradeship but also a reminder and education for the younger generation about the tradition of “When drinking water, remember its source”, and deep gratitude to those who sacrificed for the Fatherland.
MY XUYEN
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/xa-hoi/ong-ho-van-lu-lang-tham-canh-giac-ngu-binh-yen-cho-cac-anh-hung-liet-si-132865.aspx
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