Quang Tri’s army officers depart to recover the remains of fallen soldiers in Laos

The Quang Tri Military Command during the 2024-2025 dry season is tasked with the mission of searching for and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives in Laos.

Deputy Chairman of the Quang Tri People’s Committee Hoang Nam presented gifts to the team at the ceremony on October 22. Photo: Xuan Dien

On October 22, Steering Committee 515 of the Quang Tri Military Command held a ceremony to see off Team 584 which is in charge of collecting the remains of Vietnamese soldiers and experts with the attendance of Hoang Nam, Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the steering committee.

Addressing the event, Hoang Nam said the task of searching for and recovering the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who lost their lives in Laos is of significant political responsibility. It is the duty of the entire Party, the military, and the people, demonstrating the nation’s tradition of "When drinking water, remember its source."

To carry out this mission effectively, the officers and personnel of Team 584 must view this as a sacred duty toward their comrades, those who bravely fought for the independence and freedom of the country, the happiness of the people, and noble international obligations. This mission also meets the expectations of leaders, authorities at all levels, and the families of the fallen.

In addition, Team 584 personnel must thoroughly understand international relations regulations, and the laws of both Vietnam and Laos and strictly adhere to military discipline and the rules of the Ministry of National Defense and Military Region 4 regarding foreign relations.

Furthermore, they must excel in civic engagement efforts to support the people of Laos while gathering information to strive toward achieving the goals of locating and recovering the remains of fallen soldiers during the 2024-2025 dry season.

On this occasion, the National Steering Committee 515, Steering Committee 515 of Military Region 4, Provincial Steering Committee 515, the Provincial Military Command, the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Provincial Military Command, and the Women’s Union presented gifts to Team 584’s officers and soldiers as they set out on their mission.

Established in 2013 following the prime minister’s decision dated 2013, the National Steering Committee 515 is responsible for searching, recovering, and identifying the remains of fallen soldiers.

Since 2013, over 21,200 sets of remains have been recovered, including over 10,200 found in Vietnam, more than 3,300 in Laos, and nearly 7,600 in Cambodia). The effort has helped strengthen political and social stability in various regions and has reinforced public trust in the Party’s and State’s policies.

The Provincial Steering Committee 515 has specific tasks such as directing, overseeing, and inspecting the coordination between departments, sectors, and localities to enhance information dissemination, apply information technology, and implement the project to search for and repatriate the remains of martyrs, as well as to identify the remains of martyrs.

The committee also directs grassroots to restructure district-level Steering Committees on the search and repatriation of martyr remains. It addresses issues that arise during the execution of the mission and reviews the search and repatriation efforts as well as the identification of unidentified remains.

The operational funding for the Provincial Steering Committee 515 is ensured by the state budget.

Xuan Dien – Linh Pham