Representative of the Liaison Committee of the 5th Division's Combat Friends Association on the journey to move the remains of 8 martyrs back to their homeland in April 2022.

Under one roof

The house of Mr. Ngo Hong Muu (Cai Dan ward, Song Cong city), Head of the Liaison Committee, has long been a meeting place for brothers and comrades. One day at the end of March, they met, asked each other about life, family and recalled old memories. Their hair was gray, their steps were no longer steady, but when the stories of the fierce battlefield were told, the whole youth seemed to come alive in every look, smile, laughter mixed with emotional moments of silence.

Mr. Muu summarized that the 5th Division was established in 1965, during the fierce years of the resistance war against the US. As one of the two main divisions of the Southeast battlefield, the unit achieved many glorious feats, spent 10 years fighting against the US, then protected the Southwest border and performed international missions in Cambodia. With its great contributions, the Division was honored to be awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the Party and State twice.

The Liaison Committee of the 5th Division's Combat Friends Association completed the necessary procedures at the Binh Duong Province Martyrs' Cemetery to welcome the martyrs' remains back to their homeland.

With the desire to unite comrades who had "gone through life and death" on the battlefield, in 2010, the Liaison Committee was established. Currently, the Liaison Committee has 121 members, operating in 5 branches in Thai Nguyen. Each member has a different situation, some are war invalids, some are infected with Agent Orange, some are retired with a small salary, but all always maintain the comradely spirit, considering this as a common home. When a member is sick, everyone visits and encourages each other; when someone passes away, they join hands to take care of the funeral. The Liaison Committee has also organized donations, given savings books and mobilized funds to build 14 houses for comrades in difficult circumstances.

Searching for teammates

Mr. Muu shared: “When establishing the Liaison Committee, we agreed on an important task, which was to find the graves of martyrs and bring them back to their families. Our comrades died so that we could live, so bringing them back to reunite with their families is an order from the heart.”

The liaison committee mobilizes contributions from organizations and individuals to support families of martyrs.

With that in mind, since 2013, the Liaison Committee has begun its journey to find martyrs’ graves. The first steps were full of difficulties for the members, because they did not know where to start, there were no records, documents or specific instructions, everything was self-taught and self-discovered. Normally, the search for martyrs’ remains begins with initial information provided by relatives, in which the death certificate is considered the “key”. From there, the Liaison Committee completes the records, carries out procedures to move the remains, and at the same time edits and supplements information to return the correct names on the tombstones in the cemetery.

The biggest difficulty lies in the process of matching information and verifying records, because up to 80% of martyrs have incorrect information. The reason is that fierce wars cause documents to be lost, records are sketchy, names are abbreviated, middle names are missing, addresses are incorrect or administrative place names have changed over time...

Continuing Mr. Muu, Mr. Pham Ngoc Quy, Deputy Head of the Liaison Committee, said: In many cases, we had to spend months to compare records, persistently follow every detail, every smallest clue, determined to bring the soldiers back to their right names and origins. It is the methodical, dedicated and careful way of doing things that has created trust and widespread support. Thanks to that, the martyrs' relatives in the province all consider the Liaison Committee as a reliable address, proactively connecting and relying on them in their journey to find their loved ones.

Members of the 5th Division's Combat Friends Association Liaison Committee met to reminisce about the old fighting days.

Mr. Ma Dinh Hieu (younger brother of martyr Ma Dinh Thao), Trung Thanh ward, Thai Nguyen city, said: “My brother died in 1979 in Cambodia. Through a friend, my family knew for sure that he was lying in Binh Duong province cemetery. We did not know where to start to bring him back with his full identity, because some information such as the year of birth did not match... At that time, we were supported by Mr. Quy and Mr. Muu, both of whom were my brother's comrades in arms, to verify the information, and all procedures were gradually cleared. On the day my brother was welcomed back to his homeland, his brothers, comrades, and those who had fought with him in the past were all present and supported. Witnessing that deep affection, we were deeply moved and very grateful to them!

According to the members of the Liaison Committee, the journey to find martyrs' graves is a sacred task, with deep spiritual meaning and wherever they go, there are kind-hearted people ready to help. That has added faith and motivation, helping them to firmly step on this arduous but also meaningful journey. In addition to receiving financial support for the process of bringing martyrs back to their homeland, the Liaison Committee has also mobilized contributions from organizations and individuals to support the martyrs' families, especially those with elderly mothers and single wives who worship their husbands. Each family is given 5-10 million VND as an encouragement, sharing some of the pain of loss with the heroes and martyrs who sacrificed for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland.