Military Region 9 Hands Over and Transports 15,401 Martyrs’ Remains Samples to Hanoi for DNA Testing

(DTO) On the morning of October 5, at Can Tho International Airport, Military Region 9, in coordination with the Air Defense-Air Force Service and the People’s Committees of Can Tho, Dong Thap, Vinh Long and An Giang, held a flower and incense offering ceremony and handed over 15,401 samples of martyrs’ remains for transport to Hanoi, where specialized units will conduct DNA testing to help identify the martyrs. 

Attending the ceremony were Lieutenant General Ho Van Thai, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of Military Region 9; Lieutenant General Nguyen Xuan Dat, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Commander of Military Region 9; and Major General Nguyen Huy Tuan, Deputy Political Commissar of the Air Defense-Air Force Service. 

Representing Dong Thap Province was Huynh Minh Tuan, Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee and Head of the Provincial Steering Committee 515. 

At the ceremony, leaders of Military Region 9, the Air Defense-Air Force Service and localities offered flowers and incense and observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for the independence and freedom of the nation. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Lieutenant General Ho Van Thai emphasized that throughout the long history of building and defending the country, the Vietnamese people have endured countless hardships and sacrifices with fervent patriotism and unwavering determination to safeguard the independence, freedom and sacred territorial integrity of the nation. 

With this spirit, incomplete statistics show that millions of outstanding Vietnamese have devoted their youth to the country. Among units under Military Region 9 alone, 182,377 soldiers from provinces and cities across the country sacrificed their lives during wartime on the Mekong Delta battlefield and in Cambodia. The blood and sacrifice of these fallen heroes have become part of the sacred spirit of the nation, allowing us today to live in peace, independence, freedom, prosperity and happiness. 

Although the bombs and gunfire fell silent and the smoke of war faded decades ago, many outstanding individuals of the nation still lie somewhere beneath the soil of Vietnam and in neighboring countries, their identities yet to be fully established. 

There remain deep, enduring sorrows: graves of martyrs with no complete information, and the now-white-haired fathers, mothers, wives, children and grandchildren who have spent years longing and waiting for news of their fallen loved ones. 

As part of the National Steering Committee’s 500-Day Campaign to accelerate the search, collection and identification of martyrs’ remains, officers and soldiers of Military Region 9, together with relevant agencies, units and localities, have implemented coordinated measures and mobilized personnel and equipment, determined to fulfill this special and sacred mission. 

These practical efforts not only reflect the responsibility, affection and heartfelt devotion of today’s officers and soldiers toward previous generations, but also help uphold the profound tradition of “remembering those who came before us.” 

According to Lieutenant General Ho Van Thai, today’s transport of 15,401 martyrs’ remains samples is the 11th transport and the first to be carried out by a specialized aircraft. This is a flight of compassion and gratitude, carrying the heartfelt sentiments of millions of people toward the outstanding individuals of their homeland who fell so that the country and the Vietnamese nation may endure. 

Each sample of martyrs’ remains, carefully covered with the red national flag, represents the deepest respect and a heartfelt embrace from the people, comrades and generations of today and tomorrow for the fallen heroes. Every sample transported today brings renewed hope, easing the long years of waiting and anguish endured by their loved ones and families. 

At the ceremony, each sample of martyrs’ remains was carefully preserved and sealed before being loaded onto the military aircraft for transport to Hanoi. Of the 15,401 samples, 4,510 are from Dong Thap Province. The samples were strictly sealed and securely packed in specialized containers, covered with the national flag, ensuring absolute safety throughout the transport and handover process. 

From Can Tho International Airport, the samples were transported by a CASA military transport aircraft of the Air Defense-Air Force Service to Gia Lam Military Airport in Hanoi. 

Upon arrival in Hanoi, the DNA Identification Center under the Institute of Biology of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology will receive the martyrs’ remains samples from Dong Thap Province. 

The application of science and technology in identifying martyrs is opening up new opportunities to clarify the identities of those who sacrificed their lives but remain unidentified. This meets the legitimate wishes of their relatives and families and demonstrates the gratitude of today’s generation to those who devoted and sacrificed their lives for the country. 

V. THAO - M. THANH
Translated by ANH DUC