Inheriting the tradition of Uncle Ho’s soldiers and promoting achievements of the previous years, Provincial Association of Veterans, in 2013, has accomplished targets and missions under leadership of all-level Party Committee and guidance of Vietnamese Federation of Veterans and in tight coordination with sectors, departments, and unions as well as the staff efforts. Staying close to political dutiesIn 2013, the emulation program of model veterans integrated with movement of “learning and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples” and local emulation programs have tremendously boosted up activities of the members to be worthy of the assignment and entrustment of the Party, authority in preventing and fighting sabotages as well as protecting the authority, regime, and younger generation spirit. Provincial Association of Veteran delegates are handing over a charity house to a member residing at Phu Hoa Ward, Thu Dau Mot City Mr. Le Minh Xuan, Deputy Chair of the association, said that duties have been thoroughly accomplished thanks to attentive political duties of the members.As for duties of constructing and protecting the Party and authorities, all-level associations of veterans have practiced specific works.Before hand, by political will and obligation, the members prioritize their duties.Within the year, the tradition has been promoted with various challenges conquered and duties accomplish, contributing to socio-economic development and enforcement of national defense and security.In building up association strongholds, the members have mastered the contents of resolutions and plans of senior ranks to refine political stand and willingness of assignment completion.Currently, the province has 142 base associations and senior base associations and 647 sub-associations with 14,151 members, of whom, over 4,000 have been committed to key positions of the Party, authority, front committees, and unions.Within the year, the association has organized 99 conferences to collect ideas for the draft amendments of Constitution 1992, and 168 ideas for Land Law.The association has won trust of local Party committees, authorities, and the people to facilitate education of tradition to younger generations and to mitigate cases of social disorder.The association has become the joint of the Party, authority and local people, notably in political security and social order.Veterans have also coordinated with the army and police forces to organize nearly 1,800 patrols and raids to discover hundreds of law breaching cases and recover billions of VND returned to victims.All-level associations have also contributed to military training for local public defensive forces as well as defensive lines and flood and typhoon response.Younger generations are, then, educated of army service recruitment.Poverty reductionThe emulation program of poverty reduction and righteous ways of getting rich has been promoted toward greater achievements.Through the fund of ‘comrade sentiment’ of the association and favorable funding of the State’s socio-economic development programs, the association has offered over VND 50 billion in loans for business and production of its members.Under such spirit, the members, especially those with better conditions for business operations, have practically support other members of lower conditions in terms of seedlings and cultivation techniques. Thus, 46 out of 72 households in poverty have escaped the situations.The charity drives of building up charity houses and offerings to members in illness or mishap have been frequently energized through acts of reality.In 2013, the association has mobilized donation to build up 8 charity houses and repairs 4 others at the cost of over VND 500 million.Meantime, over VND 200 million has been paid out to visit and help members and their families in illness or death.The combination of social policies, gratitude activities, and poverty reduction has been proved effective for the pivotal program of new rural area construction in the province.According to Mr. Le Minh Xuan, so as to meet the more demanding duties, for the time to come, the association should promote emulation program of model veterans in combination with movement of “learning and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples”.The role of Association of Veterans should be confirmed and endorsed within political system and the people so as to be with the Party, authority, and local people in the pathway of sustainable socio-economic development and stronghold national defense and security for now and the future.Reported by Thanh Liem – Translated by Vi Bao