July warms comradeship at the border

That is also where the officers and soldiers of the Martyrs' Remains Search and Collection Team (HCLS) of the Provincial Military Command silently carry out their sacred duty. All are racing against time to find their comrades who are still lying in the crevices and deep valleys.

Officers of the Search and Collection Team and Thanh Thuy Commune militia performed a ceremony before taking the body to the funeral home.

We visited the Search and Collection Team of Military Remains in Na Toong village, Thanh Thuy commune in the late afternoon. After a hard day of trekking through the forest and mountains, it was time for the officers and soldiers to rest. At the funeral home of the Team, 4 military remains were searched for on the high point, solemnly brought here to lie in state before carrying out the procedures, handover ceremonies and burial according to regulations. Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Huy, Head of the Search and Collection Team of Military Remains, confided that in the past, the Team has made efforts to coordinate with sectors, localities, veterans who are witnesses and people to search for military remains. The war to protect the Fatherland has been over for decades, there are still many soldiers who sacrificed their lives, and military remains have not been found. Therefore, the search and collection of military remains has become more and more difficult due to the changing terrain and the harsh weather that has erased traces of the battlefield.

With tireless efforts, in 2024, the Team searched for 28 HCLS, and since the beginning of the year, they have searched and collected 22 more HCLS. The officers of the HCLS Search and Collection Team said that there was joy but still a bit of sadness when many HCLS were brought back to reunite with their comrades, but their identities were still not determined to comfort the relatives and families of the martyrs. The battle to protect the border has long since ended, many HCLS were severely decomposed under the influence of rain, mountain winds, making it difficult to collect biological samples for DNA testing, except in cases where tooth samples were found.

Tireless footsteps searching for comrades at the border.

The image that moved us the most was when we witnessed the offering tray in the evening meal, which was directly prepared by the soldiers of the Search and Gathering Corpses Team to offer to the souls of the martyrs lying in state at the funeral home. The funeral home is a solemn house, located next to the residence of the officers and soldiers of the Team, this is the place that welcomed many martyrs after searching at the high points of the border in recent years.

The officers and soldiers here said that every time a martyr is found, gathered and brought to the funeral home to wait for the handover procedures to organize the funeral, the officers and soldiers in the Team will organize a ceremony and take good care of the souls of the martyrs. This includes organizing daily rice offerings. The brothers in the Team cook three meals a day, whatever they cook will be offered to the souls of the martyrs, as in this life, as in the afterlife, all from the heart and affection for those who have fallen for the Fatherland. On full moon and holidays, the rice offering for the martyrs is organized lavishly, with offerings including chicken, sticky rice and fruits... Before moving the martyrs out of the funeral home and handing them over to the local authorities for burial, the unit always organizes a solemn ceremony as an emotional farewell to their comrades.

Sipping a cup of Chốt tea with a bitter taste typical of the border, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Huy, Head of the HCLS Search and Collection Team, pondered and shared that there are high points on the border with an area of hundreds of hectares, where there may still be many HCLS that have not been discovered and collected. For example, recently, a veteran in Thanh Hoa who was a witness to the battle at the Vi Xuyen front provided information about a collapsed cave on high point 685, Nam Ngặt village, Thanh Thủy commune, where there may still be many HCLS inside. Mr. Huy added that in the rainy season like now, the search and collection work is facing many difficulties, this activity can only be more favorable in the dry season. But the search is still difficult, especially when there is information because the time is getting shorter, the opportunities and expectations of relatives, comrades and hometown to search for HCLS are getting less.

Offerings to the souls of martyrs at the funeral home of the Provincial Martyrs Search and Repatriation Team.

Major Mac Van Can, the longest-serving member of the Search and Collection Team, said that there were times when the Team's funeral home welcomed 10 martyrs. The Team was stationed in a remote place in the middle of the mountains and forests. Every time they brought them back, the team felt very warm. Searching and collecting martyrs is a sacred mission. Many of the team members even dreamed that the souls of the martyrs would show them the way so that the Team could find the martyrs soon. There were cases where the team searched for a long time, but unexpectedly found the martyrs in an unexpected place. The border has high points, difficult mountain slopes, and walking takes many hours, but the team did not hesitate, just hoping to find the soldiers and bring them back to reunite with their comrades and homeland.

This July, at the funeral home of the Search and Collection Team of HCLS in Na Toong, some HCLS have been moved away and two more HCLS have been collected and brought here. Every day, incense sticks, cigarettes, Chốt tea along with a tray of food are offered by the officers of the Search and Collection Team of HCLS to express the warm comradeship at the border.

Article and photos: Huy Toan

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202507/thang-bay-am-tinh-dong-doi-noi-bien-gioi-ee165b4/