Being imbued with the national tradition of “remembering the source when drinking water”, over the years, the armed forces of Thanh Hoa province have always promoted their core role in coordinating with party committees, authorities, sectors, unions, and citizens to well execute policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. This is a very important, long-term task which should continue to be stepped up via various synchronous, proper measures.

Thanh Hoa is among provinces that contributed the most material and human resources to the country’s revolution. In the two resistance wars against the French and the US, over 700,000 citizens from the province volunteered to join the Military; 56,000 comrades heroically laid down their lives on the battlefield; more than 46,000 persons became war invalids or policy beneficiaries like war invalids; over 16,000 came back as sick soldiers. Due to many unresolved issues, more demanding requirements are being imposed on the implementation of policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement aimed at paying tribute to policy beneficiaries and persons with meritorious services to the revolution. As a national cultural value, that political task will help cement the people’s faith in the Party, State, and socialist regime, build a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds”, strengthen the national great unity block, and lay a foundation for successfully carrying out military and defence tasks and meeting the requirements of Fatherland construction and protection.

An agreement on military - defence cooperation between the provincial armed forces and the armed forces of Laos’ Houaphanh province in 2024

Over the years, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Provincial Military Command (PMC) have grasped the Party’s lines, the State’s laws and policies as well as directives and resolutions by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on policy work and the “gratitude” movement. They have proactively given advice on designing and promulgating many documents on leadership and direction over this important work and mobilising the participation of the entire political system and people from all walks of life in the process. More importantly, with their political responsibility and noble comradeship, the provincial armed forces have well performed their vanguard, core role in organising “gratitude” activities and conducting policies regarding military families. All-level military offices have collaborated with relevant units and localities in reviewing and verifying records openly, transparently under legal regulations to opportunely, correctly address policies for persons taking part in resistance and Fatherland protection wars, international missions, military and defence tasks, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control, and search and rescue. At the same time, they have dealt with a tremendous backlog of policies for persons having meritorious services to the revolution, thus meeting the people’s legitimate aspirations, contributing to ensuring social welfare, maintaining political and social stability within the province. Under Prime Minister’s Decision 1237/QĐ-TTg dated 27 July 2013 on approving “the Project to search and collect the remains of martyrs from now until 2020, and beyond”, the PMC has assisted Provincial Steering Board 515 in directing localities to build database on martyrs and graves of martyrs and synchronously adopt measures to step up Project 1237 and quickly conclude areas-related information. At the same time, it has coordinated with the authority and armed forces of Laos’ Houaphanh province to enhance the search and collection of the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts within Houaphanh. Thanks to its appropriate measures, the province has received and verified 3,250 pieces of information about martyrs and graves of martyrs, finished maps for searching and collecting the remains of martyrs at 3 levels, conducted surveys and collected 339 sets of remains of martyrs both at home and abroad.

Furthermore, the provincial armed forces have frequently cooperated with local party committees, authorities, and unions in well conducting propagation and education work to achieve a huge positive change in the perception, sentiment, and responsibility of cadres, soldiers, and citizens towards the tradition of “remembering the source when drinking water”, the Party’s lines and the State’s policies for beneficiaries. All forces’ synergy and social resources have been mobilised to well implement the “gratitude” movement, take care of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, and give assistance to persons with meritorious services to the revolution and martyrs’ relatives as well. Since 2012, the province has established a “Gratitude” Fund of nearly 6 billion VND, repaired and built houses for 109 families of people with meritorious services to the revolution, visited and given gifts worth over 3 billion VND to policy beneficiaries. Those practical deeds of the provincial armed forces have contributed to bolstering our national tradition and spreading the noble image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”.

Visiting a policy beneficiary on Tet holiday

Currently, “gratitude” work and policies regarding military families receive special attention from our Party and State, which necessitates the entire political system, Military, and people heightening a sense of responsibility for paying more practical tribute to policy beneficiaries and persons with meritorious services to the revolution. Hence, the Provincial Military Party Committee and PMC will continue to focus their leadership and direction on elaborately and effectively carrying out policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement.

First, strengthening all-level party committees, commands, and commissars’ leadership and direction over the implementation of policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. This is a matter of principle to the quality and effectiveness of performing this important task. Grounded on local realities, the PMC will require all-level party committees, political commissars, and commands to grasp and well perform their functions and tasks in leadership and direction over the implementation of policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. Emphasis will be placed on advising the province to strengthen its leadership and direction, with a view to enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of state management of this work. At the same time, due attention will be paid to proactively reviewing and formulating plans and measures for this work at each level to guarantee the high feasibility and relevance to the Party’s lines and the State’s policies. To that end, offices and units within the PMC will promote the role of policy bodies and cadres in staff work and the implementation process, strengthen inspection, supervision, and management work, and regularly conduct preliminary and final reviews to draw lessons and opportunely commend collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements. Consideration will be given to promoting all forces’ synergy, proactively detecting and resolving arising issues right at grass-roots level, and resolutely fighting against the signs of indifference and ideological deviation as well as hostile forces’ acts of sabotage.

Second, cooperating with and advising local party committees and authorities in implementing policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. In reality, the performance of this work depends on and involves many local sectors, particularly in receiving and verifying information about relevant persons. Therefore, all-level military offices will closely cooperate with relevant agencies in giving advice to local party committees and authorities on implementing policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining coordination to verify and complete records of war invalids, martyrs, persons with meritorious services to the revolution, and people taking part in resistance wars, repair and upgrade martyrs’ memorials, and organise “gratitude” activities. While promoting internal strength to build and effectively use charitable funds, especially the “Gratitude” Fund, offices and units will proactively maintain cooperation to step up the work of information and propagation to raise public awareness and a sense of responsibility among sectors and people towards policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement. All-level military agencies will continue to give advice to party committees and authorities on mobilising resources and especially encouraging enterprises to join hands to take care of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, provide assistance for persons with meritorious services to the revolution, construct and give “Houses of Gratitude” and “Houses of Comradeship” to policy beneficiaries, particularly those in difficulty or in remote, isolated, border area.

Third, enhancing the search and collection of martyrs’ remains in the province and Laos. The search and collection of martyrs’ remains constitute one of the major issues of post-war policy work, drawing special attention from the entire Party, Military, and people. However, in recent years, the search and collection of martyrs’ remains have been faced with numerous difficulties due to changes in terrain and a decline in the number of historical witnesses and data on graves of martyrs. Under the motto of “continuing to search when information is still available”, the provincial armed forces will focus its resources on reviewing and completing database on martyrs and graves of martyrs as the basis for giving advice to Steering Boards 515 of the province and localities on directing the implementation process. The PMC will continue to direct its Collection Team and affiliated agencies to step up the performance of this important task at all commune, district, and provincial levels. Moreover, it will continue to cooperate with competent agencies of Military Region 4 and the authority and armed forces of Houaphanh province in designing and executing plans to search and collect the remains of martyrs within Laos. It will receive the remains of martyrs, conduct surveys, and elaborately organise reburial ceremonies under regulations and in accordance with local customs.

In addition to those above-mentioned measures, the PMC will concentrate on building a contingent of cadres and employees in charge of policy work with good morality, great professional competence, and scientific working method and applying information technology to carrying out policy work and managing information in an accurate, effective manner.

Implementing policies regarding military families and the “gratitude” movement represent a sacred political mission of humanistic significance. Being imbued with the Party’s lines and the country’s noble tradition, the armed forces of Thanh Hoa province will continue to heighten a sense of responsibility for this important work, thereby paying more practical tribute to martyrs and persons with meritorious services to the revolution, making contributions to consolidating the “posture of people’s hearts and minds”, building and firmly protecting the Socialist Fatherland.

Sr. Col. LE VAN TRUNG

Political Commissar of the PMC