Society
500-day campaign seeks witnesses, burial sites of 1968 Tết Offensive fallen soldiers
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| Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Thị Thanh Trà examines a sample of a martyr’s remains, which has been carefully packaged in accordance with national standards at the Military Institute of Forensic Medicine. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng |
HCM CITY — The Hồ Chí Minh City Military Command on Sunday announced that it is coordinating with relevant agencies to survey, review, collect and verify information to support the search for and repatriation of the remains of soldiers who died during the 1968 Tết (Lunar New Year) Offensive and were reportedly buried in the area of the former Gò Vấp district Martyrs’ Memorial in HCM City.
According to information provided by several historical witnesses who directly participated in or witnessed the events, around 100 bodies of cadres and soldiers were transported by military vehicles to a gathering site, processed and buried in trenches along the road in front of the former Cổ Loa Citadel, now the Gò Vấp Martyrs’ Memorial at 182 Nguyễn Văn Lượng Street, An Nhơn Ward, as well as in several former wells in the area.
The fallen soldiers belonged to various regular military units and the Saigon commando force. They died during attacks on key targets, including Tân Sơn Nhất airport, and Chú Ía, Cây Dừa intersections.
The city’s Military Command is calling on veterans, former Sài Gòn commandos, historical witnesses, long-time local residents and relatives of fallen soldiers to provide any information related to the battles, the names of cadres and soldiers, and the military and commando units involved in the attacks during the 1968 Tết Offensive.
It is also seeking information on the locations of pits, trenches and wells where the bodies may have been buried, as well as maps, sketches, diaries, photographs, documents, memories and any other clues that could help locate the remains.
Information can be provided to the Military Command of Gò Vấp ward under the city’s Military Command; Major Đặng Trần Hải Nam, Political Commissar of the Military Command of Gò Vấp ward (phone/Zalo: 0903 910 958); or Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp, Deputy Head of the Policy Division under the Political Department of the city’s Military Command (phone/Zalo: 0986 548 181). — VNA/VNS
