Nguyễn Văn Bền burns incense at the graves of his comrades at the War Martyrs' Cemetery in Phước Long Town. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH PHƯỚC — Nguyễn Văn Bền, a wounded veteran returning from the Cambodian battlefield, takes care of his comrades’ graves day and night at the War Martyrs' Cemetery in Phước Long Town, in southern Bình Phước Province.

Bền begins his day early in the morning by cleaning the 3ha cemetery with over 1,000 graves.

Born in Bến Tre province, Bền enlisted in the military in 1982 and was assigned to the 950th unit of Military Region 9. He fought in the Cambodian battlefields after his training and was injured in 1984 at Công Pom Xom Port, where he lost his right leg and damaged most of his body.

After retiring from the military, he returned to his countryside and started up a business.

Bền was recruited as the manager of Phước Long Town's Martyrs' Cemetery in 2012. He has made many contributions to help the cemetery grounds become greener, cleaner and more beautiful.

Đinh Ngọc Ngạn, chairman of the Veterans Association of Phước Long Town, praised Bền for his high responsibility in the assigned work.

He is in charge of conserving the grounds and cleaning the whole cemetery. Despite the fact that he is wounded, Bền is a responsible man, Ngạn said.

For many years, Bền has kept up a tradition of burning incense at all the graves on the first day of the week, the first day of the month, the full moon day in the lunar calendar, and on holidays like the Lunar New Year. He asks for incense from temples in the region to keep up the tradition.

He also came up with the idea of planting more flowers on the graves. Thanks to his initiative, most of the graves have brilliant moss and roses on them.

Bền thinks that with his efforts at the Martyrs Cemetery, there will be more beautiful deeds to follow.

"I have to do my best to take care of the graves of my comrades who are already lying down. I’m not doing everything perfectly but I'm feeling warm inside. If I'm pleased, perhaps my peers will be as well,” Bền said.

Visitors to the cemetery are no longer surprised to see the wounded soldier carefully burning every incense stick on each martyr's grave every day.

Nguyễn Thị Hường, owner of a granite factory which provides headstones to the Martyrs' Cemetery, said she respects Bền’s daily job.

“I regularly work at this cemetery. Bền has been doing his job for a long time. He cleans and takes care of the cemetery really well,” she said.

As the country is celebrating the 76th Anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs' Day on July 27, more people have visited the cemetery to pay tribute to the martyrs. This is also a chance for Bền to meet the martyrs’ relatives, listen to and share moving stories about the fallen, and reunite with fellow war veterans who went through the historic period. — VNS