Lesson 1: Echoes from the past to the present

Sacred promise to history

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Nam Province, Truong Quoc Huy, affirmed that this is a very difficult task, requiring the cooperation of many levels, many sectors and the whole community. Because the cost of DNA collection and identification is extremely high. Time does not wait, if we do not act urgently, when the last relatives of the heroic martyrs are no longer around, the chance of finding their names will be even more fragile.

In the digital age, artificial intelligence and big data are opening up a new direction, a new hope. The journey to find the names of the fallen no longer relies on fragile memories or vague beliefs. It is powered by modern science, by invaluable genetic sequences, by strong connections between database systems and above all, by the burning desire for reunion in each person's heart.

Lighting incense on the anonymous graves at Phu Ly City Cemetery, Colonel To Anh Dung, Director of Ha Nam Provincial Police, choked up and shared: "Verifying the identities of martyrs is not only a political task, but also a sacred promise to history. Each name found is an incense stick that lights up the morality of 'remembering the source of water', guiding the way for the future."

Colonel To Anh Dung, Director of Ha Nam Provincial Police, directly directed working groups to collect DNA samples from relatives of martyrs in the area to identify the martyrs. Photo: ITN

The journey from dry numbers to tears of reunion is no longer a solitary effort. It is the consensus from the Central to the local level, the determination of the Ministry of Public Security, the close direction of the provincial leaders and above all, the trust and companionship of the people, businesses and philanthropists. Ordinary people in the peaceful countryside are becoming witnesses of an unprecedented humanitarian work: returning the names to the heroes with heart, technology and boundless gratitude.

Colonel Vu Van Tan, Director of the Department of Administrative Police for Social Order (TTXH), Ministry of Public Security, Secretary of the Working Group implementing Project 06 of the Government, assessed: In the hearts of peacetime police soldiers, data is no longer a technical concept, it has become a responsibility, a promise to the past and an aspiration for reunion in the present. The foundation for this special journey is Project 06 of the Government, a bright spot in the national digital transformation process, in which the Ministry of Public Security is assigned the responsibility of presiding over the construction and operation of the National Population Database and the National Data Center.

Lights shine through the night, lighting up the hope of reunion

At the headquarters of the Ha Nam Provincial Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order, the lights remained on all night. Technical staff diligently reviewed each line of data, from old addresses, birth certificates from half a century ago, to remaining blood relationships. Names that seemed to have sunk into oblivion suddenly appeared clearly, revealing unexpected rays of hope.

Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Minh Hoang, Head of the Administrative Police Department for Social Order of Ha Nam Province Police, shared: "From a name, an old address, the system can trace the relationship between father and son, grandfather and grandchild, and find living relatives. Thanks to that, DNA sampling is accurate, with the right person, at the right time." However, Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Minh Hoang also emphasized the difficulty and absolute accuracy of this work, because many relatives of martyrs have left their homeland or are old and weak.

With the support of data and technology, the work of collecting DNA samples from relatives of martyrs whose graves have not been found has been carried out quickly and closely, lighting up the hope of finding the identities of the country's outstanding sons. Photo: AH

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, Team Leader of Team 1, Department of Administrative Management of Social Order of Ha Nam Provincial Police, was moved: For outsiders, it is just a search operation. But for families who have waited for decades, each piece of information, each phone call, each blood sample is a great hope, the last chance to find their loved ones.

At the headquarters of the Trang An Commune Police, Binh Luc District, the image of Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Hop, despite being nearly a hundred years old with white hair and a thin figure, still bears a deep sense of anxiety. Her trembling hands carefully placed on the table two worn portraits of her two beloved sons, martyrs Nguyen Quang Hiep and Nguyen Quang Hac, who heroically fell for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland in 1969 and 1971.

When hearing the news that Ha Nam Provincial Police coordinated with relevant agencies to collect DNA samples to identify the heroic martyrs, joy like a warm ray of sunshine burst into the heart of the old mother. Despite her old age, her back was bent, her legs were trembling, she still insisted on asking her children and grandchildren to take her to the commune police station. Her dim eyes shone with a fragile hope, her thin hands tightly held the photos as if to hold on to the last remnants of her children.

"I'm old, I don't have much longer to live..." - Hop's mother's voice was soft and choked - "...But if I close my eyes and still don't know where my children are, my heart will not be at peace. I just need to know the correct grave, so that every death anniversary, I can personally light a stick of incense, and light a warm fire for my children..."

Hop's mother's story is not an isolated pain. Throughout the peaceful villages of Ha Nam, there are countless other mothers, wives, and children who are quietly living with faded memorial photos, simple mementos, and a common anxiety called "Unknown Martyrs".

For the first time in Ha Nam, as well as in the whole country, information about martyrs' relatives is being collected systematically, accurately and scientifically. From drops of blood, precious genetic data, to the connection with the data system of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Interior, all are being compared and verified by advanced DNA technology. On this meaningful journey, the tireless footsteps of the police officers are imprinted, they go from one hamlet to another, carrying on their shoulders the sacred mission of history, lighting up the hope of finding the identity of the outstanding children of the Fatherland.

Tung Lam

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/bai-1-tieng-vong-tu-qua-khu-den-hien-tai-post410632.html