Transform fear of war to alleviating suffering

There are individuals on the other side of the front line, haunted by memories of the Vietnam War. After decades, they have returned with a desire to "ease the pain" that torments their souls every day, every hour. Thanks to images and documents they provided, many martyrs' remains have been found and returned to their families and comrades.

Australian veterans and two decades searching for Vietnamese martyrs' graves

The man we are referring to is Mr. Brian John Cleaver, an Australian veteran. In late 1967, he went to Vietnam to fight alongside the American allies in the South Vietnam battlefield, as part of the Royal Australian Artillery Regiment. At the age of 20, Brian simply thought that participating in the war for a year would complete his duty and return home. Little did he know that he had entered an unjust war... According to Brian, on May 24, 1968, his unit was deployed to establish and protect the Balmoral military base in Binh My commune, Tan Uyen district. The base was about 40km from Saigon and was considered one of the important battlefields to prevent the Tet Offensive and Uprising (phase 2) of the liberation army.

At the same time, Division 7, codenamed "Construction Site 7", one of the first main army units on the Southern battlefield, received orders from the Regional Command to attack this base. In late May 1968, the 7th Division received orders from the Regional Command to attack bases of So Ga, So Hoi, Dong Tram, North of Thu Dau Mot Town (Bau Hang base, now in Binh My commune, North Tan Uyen district, Binh Duong province). Immediately after we achieved initial victory, the enemy used many armored tanks and planes to suddenly counterattack. Due to the enemy's strong firepower and an unexpected counterattack, some of our officers and soldiers heroically sacrificed themselves. A lot of blood was shed on Bau Hang that day. The crimes did not stop there, the enemy gathered all the martyrs’ bodies and buried them in bomb craters of more than five meters deep. Brian witnessed this match with his own eyes...

After returning home from the army, Mr. Brian was haunted by the scene of the battle that year... He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and his condition worsened. In 2002, Brian decided to return to Vietnam, to find the graves of soldiers who died for their country, hoping to "heal" his emotional wounds. As a tourist, he visited the historic battlefield, which is now a vast rubber plantation. After identifying the area, the veteran returned home to gather documents and reconnect with old comrades, including Private John Bryant....

Mr. John Bryant, who suffered from the same illness as Brian and was burdened by a painful past, was reluctant to speak about it. He shared that he arrived in Vietnam in 1967, with his 3rd Battalion stationed in Nui Dat (Ba Ria - Vung Tau). John was often assigned to reinforce various bases, which meant he had not participated in any battles until the night of May 25, 1968. An avid photography enthusiast, he always carried a camera to capture life's moments.

After the battle at Bau Hang base, John's unit returned to assess the situation. From the doorway of a plane, he captured a haunting moment that would stay with him forever. Troubled by these horrific memories, he declined Brian's offer to return to Vietnam to search for mass graves of martyrs from years past, instead offering support by providing some archived photographs.

Every year during the dry season, Brian returns to Binh My, using his own money to hire workers, excavators, bulldozers, and radar detectors to survey several hectares of rubber land in search of graves. After collecting documents, Brian travels back to the old battlefield to dig for himself. Due to Brian's sincerity, Mr. John Bryant also returned to Binh My to find the remains of martyrs buried in mass graves. After 20 years of searching, they finally discovered the mass grave...

Mr. John Bryant shared: “I am very happy to support Binh Duong Provincial Military Command in searching for the remains of martyrs who died in this area in 1968, with the hope of soon bringing these martyrs back to their families. My heart is now at ease…”.

Son steps in for his father to help ease the pain

Luke Johnston is the son of David Charles Johnston, who served in Vietnam. In 2009, Luke began visiting Vietnam, arriving with only a few broken Vietnamese phrases and a collection of documents and stories about the Vietnam War derived from his father's experiences.

David Charles Johnston served in Vietnam for 11 months, from late December 1967 to November 1968. After nearly a year of combat, he was left with a lifetime of emotional scars, as he was constantly haunted by his experiences during the war.

“I witnessed my father having nightmares every night. My father was always tormented by the pain he caused Vietnamese families. Fathers and sons have fallen on the fierce battlefield, leaving behind pain for mothers and wives at home. Perhaps the most tormenting aspect is that many years have passed, yet numerous families still do not know where their loved ones are buried. They have never had the chance to bow their heads and light incense in memory of those remains...", Luke Johnston said about the reason for going to Vietnam to search for martyrs' remains.

In 2024, when the Provincial Military Command broke ground to search for the mass grave of the 7th Division, 4th Corps who died on May 26, 1968 in Choi Dung Hamlet, Binh My Commune, North Tan Uyen District, Mr. Luck accompanied the search for months to collect martyrs' remains. With their efforts, after 9 searches, the mass grave in Bau Hang that day was found. They were buried in a mass grave at Martyrs' Cemetery of Binh Duong province...

Luke Johnston, son of a veteran who fought in Vietnam: “I witnessed my father having nightmares every night. My father was always tormented by the pain he caused Vietnamese families. Fathers and sons have fallen on the fierce battlefield, leaving behind pain for mothers and wives at home. Perhaps the most tormenting aspect is that many years have passed, yet numerous families still do not know where their loved ones are buried...”

Reported by Thu Thao - Translated by Ngoc Huynh