Perceiving the role of the work of Military and Army rear policies in performing local military-defence tasks, the armed forces of Ben Tre province have paid due regard to improving the effectiveness of this important work. Therefore, a posture of “people’s hearts and minds” has been made strong while political stability and social order have been maintained as the basis for facilitating the province’s rapid, sustainable socio-economic development.

Ben Tre province is renowned for its revolutionary tradition. In the struggles for national liberation and Homeland protection and during the international mission, a large number of people from the province took part in combat and served combat. In the province, there are 35,879 martyrs; 18,154 remains of martyrs have been collected and buried in cemeteries; 9,217 graves of martyrs have been managed by their families; over 6,000 sets of remains of martyrs haven’t been found yet; there are nearly 20,000 war invalids, 6,800 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, hundreds of Heroes of the Armed Forces and Labour Heroes as well as thousands of revolutionary contributors. Therefore, the province’s armed forces have actively counselled the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to well perform the Army rear policies and take care of revolutionary contributors.

To make this work effective, the Provincial Military Command (PMC) and its Party Committee have always grasped the Party’s guidelines, the State’s law and policy as well as higher echelons’ resolutions, directives and guidance on the Army rear policies which have been included in the party committees’ resolutions and commands’ plans as an important point. At the same time, they have promoted propagation and education to raise the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members and soldiers, particularly those in charge of the work of Military and Army rear policies. Moreover, they have advised the Provincial Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee on issuing documents, directives and plans on the policy work; developing and executing the Project on searching and collecting martyrs’ remains and the Project on identification of martyrs’ remains in the 2016-2018 period. The province has promulgated the regulations on coordination between the PMC and committees, sectors and organizations in ensuring policies for beneficiaries. As a result, over the past years, local party committees and authorities have paid due attention to performing the work of Military and Army rear policies and taking care of revolutionary contributors, especially the policies for martyrs and their families. The province has invested and mobilized social resources in building and improving many memorial constructions. Up to now, all communes and districts within the province have had Memorial Houses and Martyrs Temples. The PMC has promoted its core role in reviewing and completing the profiles and lists of martyrs and providing the information of martyrs. Between 2016 and 2018, the province analyzed and gave a list of 999 martyrs to offices and units outside the province and a list of 23,000 martyrs to districts and cities in its areas, thereby helping review, analyze, summarize, and collate the information, determine the area and establish the map for the search and collection of martyrs’ remains.

Implementing the “Gratitude” movement, the provincial armed forces have fulfilled all the targets for taking care of revolutionary contributors’ mental and material life. Since 2013, they have built 44 Houses of Gratitude, Houses of Comradeship, and Houses of Affection worth over 2.2 bn VND. Units have combined field marches with the mass mobilization work, cleaning up the roads and surroundings, building 14km of rural roads. On national holidays, the provincial armed forces have visited and given 1,039 presents worth over 1 bn VND to beneficiaries and poor households. Implementing the policies under the Prime Minister’s Decisions 290, 142, 62 and 49, the PMC and its Party Committee have counselled local party committees and authorities to handle 3,024 policy cases worth over 6 bn VND. The PMC has directed its offices and units to care for 164 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers and encouraged its cadres and soldiers to donate over 600 million VND to the people affected by natural disasters.

Regarding the Military policies, the PMC and its Party Committee have directed units to well perform the policies concerning officers, professional servicemen, defence workers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers under the regulations. The policies for the retired military cadres in the area under the Circular 158/2011/TT-BQP, dated August 15^th 2011 by the Ministry of National Defence have been well ensured.

However, there remain weaknesses in performing the work of Military and Army rear policies. The work of propagation has yet to be close, regular or timely. The awareness of several local party committees and authorities towards the position and role of the work of Military and Army rear policies has yet to be full. The staff capability of cadres in charge of the policy work has been still limited. The coordination between organizations and sectors in mobilizing resources to perform the policy work has yet to be maintained closely and depends on higher echelons’ support. Moreover, there are difficulties in finding profiles, documents and witnesses due to the matters of time and space, leading to slow approval and payment, impacting on the thought and aspirations of the objects.

Against that backdrop, to further enhance the quality of the work of Military and Army rear policies and the “Gratitude” movement, in the upcoming time, party committees and commands of offices and units as well as cadres and soldiers within the province should continue to thoroughly grasp the viewpoints and guidelines by the Party, the State and the Military on the work of Military and Army rear policies while concentrating on the following points.

First, to widely and deeply propagate the Party’s directives and resolutions on revolutionary contributors during the wars for national liberation and Homeland protection and international missions as well as documents by the Government and the Ministry of National Defence on the Military and Army rear policies. It is necessary to cooperate with press agencies both inside and outside the province in improving the quality and effectiveness of propagation and opportunely disseminating the guidelines and policies by the Party, the State and the Military to cadres, soldiers, the people and beneficiaries. Special columns for propagating the new policies should be formulated while the collectives and individuals with the outstanding achievements in performing the work of Military and Army rear policies should be opportunely commended and rewarded. At the same time, it is essential to criticize the signs of irresponsibility and bureaucracy and the negative phenomena in this work. Doing so would help promote the tradition of “Remembering the source when drinking water” and the “Gratitude” movement.

Second, due attention should be paid to enhancing leadership and direction over strictly ensuring policies for members of each force on a “sufficient, timely, equal, democratic, public” basis. In the process, the province demands the correct, scientific management of profiles and beneficiaries and the guarantee of sufficient issued policies. At the same time, due regard should be paid to decentralizing health care for the beneficiaries under the regulations and gradually providing accommodations for those living in real difficulty.

Third, all-level party committees and commands should actively tap all possible resources to carry out the “Gratitude” movement. Due attention should be paid to ensuring policies for revolutionary contributors, war invalids, martyrs’ families, retired or discharged military cadres, families of active soldiers and other beneficiaries. Besides, great value should be attached to ensuring policies for the beneficiaries who took part in the wars under the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policy. For those who fell or were wounded or missing without certificates in the wars, it is necessary to accelerate the progress of decoding unit numbers and sufficiently buy the beneficiaries insurance. At the same time, it is important to continue promoting the role of military and military-civilian infirmaries to provide health care for the active force, beneficiaries and the people in the area.

Fourth, party committees and commands of offices and units should actively encourage local party committees and authorities, socio-political organizations and locals to take part in the policy work. It is essential to closely inspect and supervise steps in ensuring policies for beneficiaries; detect and opportunely supplement new polices and ensuring the equality among beneficiaries.

Fifth, to maintain the coordination and relationship with sectors and organizations to opportunely exchange the information and results of the work of Military and Army rear policies as well as new relevant policies to gain sectors’ contributions to fulfilling the targets of the policy work in each office and unit.

Sixth, to ceaselessly improve the quality of cadres in charge of the policy work. Due attention should be paid to training and consolidating a contingent of cadres in charge the policy work at all levels, ensuring that they have sufficient qualities, capability, professional ethics, and enthusiasm for performing this work. At the same time, they must be capable of giving advice and instructions on the work of Military and Army rear policies as well as fulfilling their assigned missions.

The achievements in performing the work of Military and Army rear policies will act as a direct important motive for building the spiritual strength within the armed forces of Ben Tre province and a firm posture of “people’s hearts and minds”, contributing to fulfilling the military-defence tasks, maintaining political stability and social order and safety in the area.

Sr. Col. Le Van Hung, Commissar of the PMC of Ben Tre