Veteran Recognizes Own Handwriting on Comrade's Grave Marker Found After 54 Years

A poignant discovery at the Gia Lai Provincial Cemetery has reunited an 81-year-old veteran with a piece of his past, recognizing his own handwriting on an aluminum plate that marked the grave of a fallen comrade. Le Van Thuan, who served in the same unit as martyr Duong Van Hai, was able to identify the marker 54 years after he personally buried his friend.

Thuan, a former member of the Ministry of Defense's T61 unit responsible for repairing weapons, recounted the day Hai died on Tet holiday in 1972. Hai, a driver in the unit, was killed by enemy fire during a mission near a military depot. Thuan, skilled in metalwork from his time in the ordnance section, took it upon himself to create a grave marker.

Using a piece of metal and a B40 anti-tank rocket barrier post salvaged by the unit, Thuan spent about an hour meticulously etching Duong Van Hai's name and details onto the plate. He then placed it at the burial site near the Sa Thay River, a location approximately 1.5 km from Tan Canh.

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I looked through the phone and recognized my handwriting, moreover, at that time only the ordnance workshop had the tools to engrave on a metal plate like this.

Decades later, upon seeing news of the discovery of the aluminum plate bearing Hai's name during an excavation for DNA identification at the Gia Lai Provincial Cemetery, Thuan felt a strong sense of recognition. "I looked through the phone and recognized my handwriting," he stated, adding that the tools used for such etching were typically only found in ordnance workshops. While he acknowledges needing to see the artifact in person, he is about 80% certain it is the marker he created.

Thuan's certainty is further bolstered by the name itself. He recalls inscribing it based on Hai's enlistment papers, confirming the identity of his comrade. The discovery has brought back powerful memories for Thuan, underscoring the enduring bonds of camaraderie formed during wartime.

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I and Hai were comrades for about 4 years. He was a driver, and I worked in ordnance. I remember Hai was very skillful, so he was liked by everyone in the unit, from the commander to the officers.