8 Sets of Remains Found Near Dang Thuy Tram's Clinic, War Dead Commemoration Efforts Continue

Eight sets of remains of fallen soldiers, along with numerous personal effects, have been discovered on a sim (rose myrtle) hill in the Dong Ram area of Dang Thuy Tram commune, Quang Ngai province. The site is located approximately one kilometer east of the Duc Pho hospital, also known as Benh Xa Bac Muoi, where Dr. Dang Thuy Tram worked nearly 60 years ago during the war. According to eyewitness accounts, the sim hill is believed to contain around 12 graves arranged in three rows, potentially indicating a burial site for soldiers, police, and militia who perished between 1968 and 1969. Information has also been provided regarding a soldier from the 3rd Star Gold Division who died around 1973 in the nearby Ho Sau area. Following the reception of information in late August, the Military Command of Dang Thuy Tram commune planned an survey and search as part of the 500-day-and-night campaign to collect the remains of war martyrs. On September 9th and 10th, three sets of remains and some personal effects were found. On September 14th, three more sets of remains were exhumed. Discovered items include teeth, shirt buttons, coat zippers, and felt hammocks. With the two cases found this morning, the total number of remains collected in the area reaches eight. The commune authorities stated that they will continue to expand the search area based on information provided by local residents. Efforts will be made to identify the remains, and if successful, they will be handed over to their families or buried alongside their comrades. Dr. Dang Thuy Tram, born in 1942 in Thanh Hoa, grew up in a family with a tradition in medicine in Hanoi. After graduating from Hanoi Medical University in 1966, she volunteered to serve in the Southern battlefield. In March 1967, after crossing the Truong Son mountain range for four months, she arrived in Zone 5 and requested to be assigned to the Duc Pho front, one of the fiercest contested areas at the time. Her first post was at the Nam Duc Pho pre-operative station, located in Bong Dau cave in Dau mountain. According to historical records, Dr. Dang Thuy Tram became associated with Dong Ram from March 1968, when the Duc Pho District Party Committee assigned her to be in charge of the Duc Pho hospital there. The hospital had about 25 medical staff and was responsible for treating wounded soldiers, cadres, and civilians in the war zone, with treatment areas, an operating room, and bomb shelters. Facing increasingly fierce attacks, on April 28, 1969, she and her comrades moved the hospital to Ho Bau Tay, on the slope of Gieo Ai mountain, about 5 kilometers by forest road from Dong Ram. In June 1970, the hospital was discovered. After evacuating most of the wounded, she and two nurses remained to care for five severely injured patients. On the afternoon of June 22, 1970, while on her way down to the plains to find food, she fell into an ambush at Khe Nuoc Lanh and died at the age of less than 28. Her two diaries were preserved for 35 years by former US intelligence officer Frederic Whitehurst, who then returned them to her family in 2005. The English version, "Last Night, I Dreamed of Peace," was published in 2007 and translated into over 20 languages. In 2006, Dr. Dang Thuy Tram was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces. Information Source: VnExpress