Thoroughly grasping and well implementing the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on “paying debts of gratitude” not only contribute to promoting the tradition and morality of “remembering the source when drinking water” but also beautify the quality of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period. This content is paid much attention by the General Department of Technology (GDT) with numerous synchronous and effective measures.

Being fully aware of the significance of gratitude activities, especially taking care of the material and spiritual life of war invalids, families of martyrs, and revolution contributors, … the Standing Party Committees, all-level party committees and commands of the GDT have focused on leading, directing, specifying, and well implementing the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on this issue with detailed and practical actions. First and foremost, GDT regularly attaches importance to and seriously carries out the  dissemination and education of higher echelon’s resolutions and directives on thankful action and “gratitude repayment” work, the Vietnamese’s tradition and morality of “remembering the source while drinking water” with diversified measures to make significant changes in awareness and responsibility of its cadres, personnel, and soldiers for this meaningful work. On this basis, each of its agencies and units creates determines and join hands to effectively carry out thankful and gratitude repayment activities. Being imbued with President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching that: “war invalids, families of servicemen, and families of martyrs are contributors to the Fatherland and the people. Therefore, it is our duty to express our gratitude, love, and assist them”. With the sacred love devoted to war invalids, martyrs, and revolution contributors, over the past ten years (from 2012 to 2022), GDT’s standing Party Committee, all-level party committees, agencies, and units have concentrated on leading, directing and conducting gratitude activities which are recognised by the people and highly appreciated by local authorities. What GDT has done in the gratitude activities has contributed to improving the material and spiritual life of war invalids, families of martyrs and revolution contributors, etc. This also portrays the respect, gratitude, and care of the Party, the State, and the Army toward those who sacrificed and dedicated lives for the Fatherland’s freedom and independence and the People’s happiness and prosperity. At the same time, this also contributes to educating the tradition, developing patriotism, combat will, and the lofty qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period, as well as making GDT politically strong and enhancing its overall quality for successfully accomplishing all assigned tasks.

GDT's leaders visit war invalids in a War Invalid Nursing Centre

On the occasion of 75^th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, GDT has designed plans for gratitude activities with practical actions. Additionally, its agencies and units have conducted extensive propagation on the country’s traditions of “Remembering the source while drinking water” and “paying debts of gratitude”, which contributes to enhancing the effectiveness of educating and fostering revolutionary sentiment and gratitude toward heroes, martyrs, war invalids and revolution contributors.

To realise the aforementioned targets as well as accelerate gratitude activities in the forthcoming years, GDT’s Standing Party Committee and Command shall focus on leading and directing the implementation of these following key measures.

Accelerating the dissemination and education to make its troops master the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State, directives and resolutions of higher echelons on war invalids, martyrs, and revolution contributors. This vital measure creates a foundation and pre-requisite to improve the awareness and sense of responsibility of its cadres, personnel, and soldiers, especially the presiding ones at all levels in conducting gratitude activities. Accordingly, in line with educating and popularising the resolutions and directives of higher echelons, the traditions of the country, the Army and GDT, etc. toward this task, agencies and units should closely coordinate with news agencies, bring into play the roles of mass media and combine different measures and forms of propagation so that its cadres and soldiers are conscious that conducting well this task is not only the responsibility and duty of the “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” but also a factor to ensure social progress and justice and manifest the pre-eminence and divine nature of socialism. As a result, they will bring into play the patriotism and heroism of revolutionary soldiers in the new era as well as surmount all misleading manifestations in awareness and lack of responsibility in conducting these humane activities.

Strengthening leadership and direction for gratitude activities. Party committees and commands at all levels must consider “paying debts of gratitude” a lofty political task that requires detailed, practical, and effective measures for leadership and implementation.  Accordingly, agencies and units should strictly adhere to the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, the Army, the situation of units, demands and aspirations of beneficiaries to make suitable and feasible plans. The implementation process should strictly adhere to Directive No. 02/CT-TTG issued on January 25^th, 2016 by the Prime Minister on enhancing the implementation of preferential policies toward revolution contributors, Ordinance No. 02/2020/UBTVQH14 issued on December 9^th, 2020 by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on favourable treatments for revolutionary contributors, Decree No. 131/2021/NĐ-CP issued on December 30^th, 2021 by the Government on detailed stipulation and measures to implement the Ordinance. It is necessary to conduct regular inspection and supervision, especially of the incomings, outgoings and the use of the Gratitude Fund to ensure democracy, openness, transparency, and high effectiveness; avoid the inappropriacy and wastefulness that cause bad public opinion and undermine people’s confidence in the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, and the Army toward war invalid, families of martyrs and revolution contributors.

Organising gratitude activities through practical and effective actions coupled with flexible and creative methods. The main objective of gratitude activities is to improve the living standards for revolution contributors. Thus, agencies and units must proactively cooperate with local party committees and authorities at all levels to popularise effective models and methods that have been evidenced in reality. At the same time, agencies and units should also grasp the demands of beneficiaries to research and apply appropriate measures in accordance with their conditions and potentialities. In the short term, emphasis should be placed on stepping up practical actions such as renovating and embellishing martyrs’ graveyards and memorials in the localities where the agencies and units are stationed; supporting Vietnamese heroic mothers; building “houses of gratitude”; creating jobs, providing loans, seeds for cultivation and production tools for the martyrs’ families, war invalids and revolution contributors to speed up production and business, and improve the living standards for beneficiaries.

Regularly fostering and enhancing professional qualifications for the contingents of cadres and staff doing policy work.The contingents of cadres and staff doing policy work are those who research, advise and propose guidelines and measures for the implementation of policy work in general and gratitude activities in particular. They are also the instructors and executors of this work in reality. Thus, party committees and commands of agencies and units must regularly pay attention to education and fostering to ensure that this staff possess pure moral qualities, enthusiasm, dedication, and implementation capability. To gain high effectiveness, units should attach importance to annual professional training in policy work and send cadres and personnel in charge of this work to training courses held by higher echelons. Additionally, it is necessary to have practical actions and maintain working regimes to improve their qualifications, competence, experience, working methods and manners. Importance should be attached to after-action reviews of gratitude activities; promptly commend, reward, and encourage them to study, train, and accomplish their assigned tasks.

With sacred political responsibility, sincerity, and deep gratitude toward martyrs, war invalids, and revolution contributors, all of the cadres, personnel, and soldiers of the General Department of Technology will continue to step up gratitude activities, along with the whole Party, people and Army, to take better care of revolution contributors, beautify the tradition and moral standards of the nation, and forever illuminate the quality of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the new period.

Lieutenant General TRAN DUY HUNG, Commissar of the General Department of Technology