War veterans who used to be stationed on the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago held a ceremony in the central city of Da Nang on March 13 to commemorate 64 soldiers of the Vietnamese navy who died on duty 34 years ago while defending the Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on March 14, 1988.
The veterans and the fallen soldiers’ families offered incense and then released rafts with flowers on Han River in memory of the soldiers.
Head of a liaison committee for Truong Sa veterans Nguyen Van Tan said among the fallen soldiers in the Gac Ma battle, nine were from Da Nang and one from neighbouring Quang Nam province.
Tan stressed that their bravery sacrifice will be remembered forever and that they have made the Vietnam People’s Navy’s history more glorious.
The event aims to not only pay homage to the soldiers who lost their lives in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty but also inspire patriotism among young people, said Colonel Hoang Duy Lap, former commander of the navy’s Engineer Regiment No.83 who directly fought in the battle at Truong Sa in 1988.
Dong A University took the occasion to present ten gift packages, worth 1 million VND (43.71 USD) each, to families of the fallen soldiers in Quang Nam and Da Nang./.
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The battle to defend Vietnam’s Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef on March 14, 1988 will be officially included in the high school curriculum, an act to pay tribute to the 64 Vietnamese martyrs and help infuse their unyielding spirit into future generations.
The Gac Ma incident will be taught at different levels using different methods according to school grades.
The inclusion of the Gac Ma battle on March 14, 1988 in history textbooks is the way that we, as historians (and I believe that people nationwide also agree with us), pay a tribute to the 64 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in that fight to protect the homeland’s sea and island sovereignty and protect the sacred territory of the fatherland
That will help future generations be aware that the fight to defend and affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos and the East Sea has sufficient legal foundation
The Gac Ma incident will be among the battles to liberate and protect the country’s territorial integrity, and mentioned again in lessons about the East Sea and islands.
A competition has been announced to seek the best design for the Monument in honor of 64 Vietnamese combatants who perished in a 1988 battle to protect Gac Ma island of Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and the country’s sacred sovereignty.
The event also helps to remind and educate younger generations about the predecessors’ sacrifice and dedication to protect the sacred sovereignty over sea and islands of the Fatherland.
Gac Ma battle reminds Vietnamese generations to remain on guard against invaders and forever remember the fallen combatants.
They are examples of heroic self-sacrifice to protect the sacred sovereignty of the Fatherland. Those shining examples prove Vietnam's heroic tradition.
To promote the meaning of the memorial, local authorities should expand the site to make it more associated with the sea.
The battle is one of the most tragic stories in Vietnam's sovereignty protection fight
it reminds Vietnamese people to remain on guard against invaders and remember the fighters who were killed in action.
"No one is forgotten and no one is allowed to forget" has become viral on local media in remembrance of those who lost their life for the nation's waters.
Young generations must carry forward the tradition of safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its land, seas, islands and continental shelf, and make contributions to the nation.
On March 14, 1988, China sent missile defense ships and soldiers to attack the Johnson Reef, Collins Reef, and Lansdowne Reef of Vietnam’s Spratly archipelago.
Sixty-four Vietnamese naval soldiers sacrificed their lives in an unequal battle to safeguard the country’s sovereignty at sea.
Among the participants were tens of war veterans many of whom were comrades of the martyrs.
They sacrificed their lives to defend national sovereignty.
Every year relatives and comrades of the martyrs offer incense and release lanterns into the sea in commemoration of the dead.
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