(VOVworld) – Tran Van Xuat was stationed on East Truong Sa island in the Truong Sa archipelago 30 years ago. Since he spent most of his youth on this island, the war veteran decided to build a replica of Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty marker in his garden. Xuat says by doing so he has been able to locate many of his old comrades. Tran Hieu reports:

I met Xuat on a trip to the islands of Truong Sa, perhaps the most memorable trip of my career as a journalist. We stayed on East Truong Sa island for 10 days but I got to know Xuat only on the last day of our trip. He is a man of few words, but when talking about Truong Sa, particularly East Truong Sa island where he was stationed, he becomes a different person. Xuat says he has never forgotten the feeling of arriving on the island to carry out his duty as a young soldier: “It was not a surprise when I was dispatched to the island. It took us 2 days and 2 nights to reach Big Truong Sa island by boat. Then we had to march 4 hours to our station on East Truong Sa island. We arrived there at 1PM on May 10, 1984. Although life on the islands was extremely difficult, our comradeship was great. There were approximately 30 soldiers on the island and once you live there you never forget your comrades.”

Xuat did not talk about the hardships he and his comrades endured because they were a just small part of their lives. Xuat said one of his most memorable moments was when he met naval commander Giap Van Cuong. It was near the end of the year and the soldiers were expecting New Year gifts from the mainland. Xuat was on duty and suddenly a tall man came by and asked him about the lives and desires of the soldiers on the islands. With a gentle gesture, the man slapped Xuat’s shoulder and said “the Party, government, and army will never forget what you are doing.” Xuat thought he was the ship’s captain but he turned out to be naval commander Giap Van Cuong. Xuat was very moved by the commander’s compassionate words, which have stayed with hime. When Xuat left the army, he often thought about finding his old comrades. Since 2005, he has traveled around and has located 25 of them. Nguyen Dac Hieu is one of them: “Xuat is a kindhearted man and a good comrade. I was the last man on his list. The way we felt about one another has not changed in 27 years. We cried a lot because we never thought we would meet again after such a long time. After finding some of his comrades, Xuat established liaison committees in several provinces. He is a role model and someone who is ready to sacrifice himself for his comrades.”

Young people like Ho Thi Anh Hao, a second-year student at the Da Nang Architecture University, are moved by the way war veterans seem to feel about one another: “They have a very close bond. Xuat has been trying to find all of his old comrades and has been helping them a lot.”