War veteran Nguyen Anh Duong (L) (Photo: VOV).

70-year-old Duong now lives in Ha Long city in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Seriously wounded during the war, Duong feels lucky to be alive. Many of his comrades, including his countryman Tran Van Sinh, were killed in the summer of 1972 in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. Loyalty drove him to return to the battlefield to search for his friend. After much effort, in 2010, the body of martyr Tran Van Sinh was found.

“I asked my comrades for the address of Sinh’s relatives. They contacted me and accompanied me to the old battlefield in Long An to search for Sinh’s remains. His body is now buried at a cemetery in Dong Trieu town, Quang Ninh province,” Mr. Duong said.

For 10 years, Duong has spent most of his pension and allowance on trips to search for his fallen comrades. Each time he finds a comrade’s body, he contacts the martyr’s relatives to bring him home.

Ms. Tong Thi Thuy, Duong’s wife, says she supports her husband’s efforts, “My husband thinks often about his fallen comrades and does his best to find them. He feels relieved to have helped return some of his comrades to their homeland”.

Despite his age, Duong considers finding the bodies of his comrades a responsibility. Duong often goes with other war veterans to the old battlefields to pay tribute to fallen comrades.

Ha Van Lan, Chairman of Ha Tu district’s War Veterans Association in Quang Ninh province, said, “Mr. Duong’s activities should be emulated so more fallen comrades can be found and returned to their homeland. That is the wish of many martyrs’ families.”