Paying great tribute to people with meritorious services, heroes and martyrs

Over the past years, Lang Son province has always paid attention to beneficiaries from preferential treatment and people with meritorious services through activities of “paying gratitude”, repairing cemeteries as well as taking care of martyr’s graves. These activities not only show gratitude to people with meritorious services, heroic martyrs, but also contribute to sharing and warming the hearts of martyrs’ families.

Senior Lieutenant General Tran Quang Phuong, Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly and r., Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Quoc Doan burn incense to commemorate heroes and martyrs at Cemetery of Martyrs in Cao Loc District – Photo: HOANG TUNG

During the wars of national liberation, the ethnic peoples of Lang Son province sent off more than 120,000 young man to the battlefield, 5,600 of them died heroically, over 2,600 of them were injured, and 207 mothers have received the title of Vietnamese Heroic Mother by the State, more than 23,000 people have been certified by the State for their activities in the resistance war for national liberation… The dedication, sacrifice of the outstanding children of Lang Son province and the loss of their families of has contributed to protecting every inch of the country’s land and today’s independence.

Currently, Lang Son province is managing the records of over 33,000 people with meritorious services. Promoting the tradition of “When drinking water, remembering its source” of the Vietnamese people, Party committees, governments from the provincial to the grassroots levels, businesses and benefactors have joined hands to support and make efforts to well implement the welfare for war invalids, martyrs, people with meritorious services for the revolution.

Taking good care of martyrs’ graves

July is the month of gratitude and “paying tribute”. These days, millions of hearts are at to historical landmarks, cemeteries – the resting place of martyrs. Every year, Mr. Ha Kien Thiet and the veterans of Tam Thanh ward all spend their time going to Lang Son city’s cemetery to light incense in memory of their colleagues.

Mr. Thiet shared: “Soldiers once fought together, there were many memories, about the battles, injuries, even moments of death for the independence and freedom of the country. I have witnessed many of my comrades die, those losses and pain are the motivation for us to fight. Therefore, in today’s peacetime, we – those who are still alive – always remember our teammates and come to light them incense on holidays and New Year and to review memories together, so that our teammates don’t feel lonely…”

The martyrs’ graves has always received attention from not only their comrades but also all levels and sectors in recent years. From 2017 until now, with the funding from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has advised the Provincial People’s Committee to regularly inspect and review for plans to upgrade and repair cemeteries throughout the province. From 2017 to 2022, the province has spent over 37 billion VND to upgrade and repair cemeteries, of which over 26 billion VND is from the central budget and 11 billion VND from the local budget.

The investment in upgrading, restoring, embellishing and repairing graves, renovating cemeteries shows gratitude to those who have contributed to the Fatherland. Currently, the province has 12 cemeteries with over 2,900 graves of martyrs, over 1,640 graves with missing information, over 1,030 graves with loss of information.

To pay tribute to heroes and martyrs, every year, on holidays, Tet, important anniversaries of the country and the province, Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, the delegations of leaders from provinces to districts and Lang Son city; departments, sectors, mass organizations, armed forces and people in the area offer incense, flower to martyrs’ graves. In particular, every year, the Lang Son Provincial Youth Union and its smaller youth unions maintain cleaning activities at cemeteries, organize a candlelight ceremony at martyrs’ cemeteries, express gratitude to heroes and martyrs, and show the young generation about the tradition, patriotism.

Mr. Hoang Duc Thuan, cemetery manager of Lang Son city said: “Every day, I clean and take care of the graves of heroes and martyrs. For named martyrs, they are often visited by family and relatives, but for heroes and martyrs without names, on the 1st day or the 15^th day of a lunar month, I light them some incense as if they were my relatives.”

It can be seen that the care of graves and cemeteries has been paid special attention by the province. Taking good care of the resting place of heroes and martyrs fully demonstrates the gratitude to them – those who fell to protect the peace and independence of the nation. Taking care of martyrs’ graves is a meaningful job, showing the gratitude of today’s generation for heroes and martyrs.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Ho Tien Thieu visits and presents gifts to invalid Hoang Van Sung in Dong Kinh ward, Lang Son city – Photo: CONG QUAN

Practical activities for paying tribute

Additionally to carefully taking care of martyrs’ graves, over the past time, Provincial People’s Committee has requested all levels, sectors and the whole society to care for families under preferential treatment and people with meritorious services in the province, forming a movement to widely spread the activities of “when drinking water, remembering its source”, “paying tribute”. Accordingly, every year, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs advises the Provincial People’s Committee to issue a plan to organize activities on the occasion of Invalids and Martyrs’ Day. In which, in 2022, on the 75th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, the whole province organized 13 meaningful and practical activities including supporting 36 people with meritorious services to “visit the old battlefield”, help martyrs’ relatives visit Truong Son Cemetery of Martyrs; holding a conference to praise 75 people with meritorious services and 20 units and individuals doing well in “paying tribute”; sending 28 typical people with meritorious services to visit Hanoi capital and the historical site of Da Chong K9; supporting 6 typical people with meritorious services to attend the 75th Anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs’ Day and praising typical people with meritorious services nationwide; organizing campaigning and supporting the “Gratitude” Fund; organizing 11 delegations led by provincial leaders, leaders of a number of departments, agencies to visit and present gifts to 22 families of people with meritorious services in districts and Lang Son city; holding candle lighting ceremony to show gratitude to heroes and martyrs at cemeteries in the province, attracting 6,000 youth union members and people.

In 2023, towards the 76th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, taking care of families under preferential treatment and people with meritorious services has been carried out together with many visits, gifts and helping families under preferential treatment harvest agricultural products, repairing houses for the family of people with meritorious services. According to the statistics of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, during the Lunar New Year 2023 and the 76th anniversary of the Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, Lang Son province organized about 30 delegations of provincial leaders to visit, present 63 gifts to people with meritorious services and families under preferential treatment in 10 districts and Lang Son city. Along with that, leaders of the People’s Committees of districts and Lang Son city and relevant functional divisions in charge of delivering gifts from the State President and the province to over 28.7 thousand people with meritorious services and martyrs’ families with a total budget of nearly 17 billion VND. The province also sends gifts from the province to wounded and seriously ill soldiers of Lang Son who are being treated at the War Invalids Nursing Center. People’s Committees of districts, Lang Son city, agencies and businesses inside and outside the province, benefactors, People’s Committees of communes, wards and townships organized many activities to visit and present about 10 thousand gifts, with total cost of 5,3 billion VND.

Invalids Nong Ngoc Van, Tan Na village, Nhat Tien commune, Huu Lung district shared: “Every holiday, Tet, Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, provincial and district leaders visit me and give me presents. I feel very happy and touched. The sharing and encouragement of the leaders helped me overcome difficulties, ease my physical pain or sickness…”

Along with the visits and gifts, the functional sectors also effectively and promptly provided welfare and regular subsidies for people with meritorious services. In the first 6 months of 2023, the whole province has provided regular subsidies for over 22.3 thousand people with meritorious services with a budget of over 42 billion VND. At the same time, 900 people with meritorious services to the revolutionary and their relatives; resistance activists receive the preferential police they deserved.

Mr. Pham Duc Huan, Director of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said: “With the assigned tasks, over the past time, the whole sector has coordinated with other related sectors and localities to focus on effectively taking care of spiritual and material life of people with meritorious services, families under preferential treatment. In which, in the past 2 years, localities have focused on supporting disadvantaged people with meritorious services with housing. Up to now, the whole province has supported the construction and repair 1,175 houses with a total support budget of over 32 billion VND.

The activities of gratitude and paying tribute to heroes and martyrs, well providing people with meritorious services and their families with welfare demonstrate the principle of “when drinking water, remembering its source” of our nation in general and of Lang Son province in particular. These activities have contributed to spreading the gratitude movement to a large number of people from all walks of life, mobilizing the participation of the whole society to join hands in caring and effectively implementing the movement in the coming time.