On 6/8, Ro Mah Beo, 64, residing in Bau Can commune, stated he would soon visit Chu Prong Martyrs' Cemetery, located about 30 km from his home, to offer incense to his elder brother, fallen soldier Puih Tong. This visit comes after nearly 60 years of his family finally knowing his resting place.

According to his family, fallen soldier Puih Tong was originally from Yit village, Ia Lang commune (now Ia Krel commune). He joined the army at a young age and fell in battle in the Central Highlands in 1967. For many years, his relatives did not know his burial location.

Family members found thanks to the aluminum tag engraved with fallen soldier Puih Tong's name. *Photo: K52 Team*

The fallen soldier's identity was confirmed when the K52 Team, Gia Lai Provincial Military Command, excavated grave number 2, row 7, lot 5 at Chu Prong Martyrs' Cemetery to collect DNA samples for identification. Inside the burial chamber, alongside the remains, the task force discovered an aluminum tag clearly engraved with the full name Puih Tong, born in 1950, native of Yit village, Ia Lang commune, and fallen on 15/2/1967.

Using the information from the aluminum tag, Ia Krel commune authorities collaborated to verify and identify the fallen soldier's youngest living brother, Ro Mah Beo, as the next of kin.

Beo stated that his elder brother had a wife and a young child, but both passed away not long after Puih Tong's sacrifice. Among the three siblings, the next elder brother also passed away. Currently, only Beo and his wife remain to honor the fallen soldier's memory.

Beyond the case of fallen soldier Puih Tong, the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command reported that during the excavation of graves for DNA sampling, they also discovered numerous artifacts. These included old plastic bags containing faded handwritten stamps, which still revealed the name "Nguyen Van (Vu) Tanh", and a fountain pen engraved with "Nong Thang".

Tran Hoa