Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City Military Command on June 9 announced the establishment of a specialised force tasked with searching for and recovering the remains of fallen soldiers as part of the national “500-day campaign” on martyrs’ remains search, repatriation and identification.
The campaign was launched by the National Steering Committee 515, which oversees the search, recovery and identification of martyrs’ remains nationwide.
The Ho Chi Minh City task force comprises six officers, 10 professional servicemen, and 21 soldiers from units under the municipal Military Command.
Speaking at a ceremony announcing personnel decisions, Colonel Nguyen Dinh Chuan, Deputy Political Commissar of the municipal Military Command and Deputy Head of the city’s Steering Committee 515, stressed that the search and recovery of martyrs’ remains carries profound political, social and humanistic significance.
He said the work reflects the Party’s and State’s policies on caring for those who sacrificed their lives for national liberation and defence, while helping meet the aspirations of martyrs’ families and upholding Vietnam’s traditions of gratitude and remembrance.
Chuan commended the commitment and sense of responsibility shown by the selected officers and soldiers, urging them to maintain solidarity and work closely with relevant agencies and local authorities in collecting and verifying information, conducting field surveys and carrying out recovery operations in a scientific and effective manner.
He emphasised that the mission is both a special political responsibility and an honour, expressing gratitude to previous generations who sacrificed for the country.
The Ho Chi Minh City Military Command was also instructed to ensure sufficient personnel, equipment, resources and policy support so that the specialised force can successfully fulfil its assigned tasks throughout the campaign.
For the national campaign, authorities have recovered 1,109 sets of martyrs' remains nearly three months after its launch, according to the office of the national steering committee for the effort./.
Campaign recovers more than 1,100 sets of martyrs' remains
The recovered remains include 242 found in Vietnam, 173 in Laos and 694 in Cambodia, along with two collective graves discovered in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.
