91-Year-Old Veteran Recovers Ammunition Box Hidden for More Than 50 Years in Chư Pah Mountain

For Nguyễn Viết Tuất, the discovery of an old ammunition box in a cave on Chư Pah Mountain reopened a chapter he had long considered closed. More than 50 years after he hid it, the 91-year-old veteran was reunited with the belongings left behind during the war.

Tuất said he immediately recognized the cave as the place where his unit had been stationed. “It is indeed that cave where we were based. It is true that I hid an ammunition box there and left. But after several decades, I never thought I would find it again,” he said.

He recalled joining the army in late 1967, when he was 32, leaving behind his wife and two young children. After about three months of mortar training in Vĩnh Phúc, he briefly returned home before traveling to the southern battlefield. His first battle came in Quảng Ngãi in 1968, where his unit suffered heavy losses and failed to hold its position.

He was later transferred to Gia Lai, where his unit operated around the Ba River. During the day, soldiers sheltered in caves to avoid US air raids, emerging at night to organize attacks. Around 1970, Tuất moved into a logistics role, and his unit spent several days using the Chư Pah cave as a gathering point. Between 15 and 20 soldiers slept there at night before leaving during the day.

Tuất said he found the empty metal ammunition box while operating in the area. Because his duties required frequent movement, he put two hammocks, clothing and other personal items inside it. Before leaving on what he expected to be a short assignment, he placed the box in a deep crack in the cave and covered it with soil so enemy forces would not find it. The box remained there for more than five decades before returning him to memories of his wartime service.

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It is indeed that cave where we were based. It is true that I hid an ammunition box there and left. But after several decades, I never thought I would find it again.