Quang Tri: Ground-penetrating radar deployed to search for mass graves of fallen soldiers in Quang Tri
To expedite progress and improve accuracy in the work of showing gratitude to fallen soldiers, the 968th Division (Military Region 4) recently coordinated with the Central Branch of the Institute of Design, General Department of Logistics and Technology (Ministry of National Defense) to deploy ground-penetrating radar equipment to survey and search two areas suspected of containing mass graves of fallen soldiers in Quang Tri province.
This is a modern technology that allows the reception of reflected waves to assess anomalies underground at depths greater than 6 meters without excavation, helping to optimize field data before excavation begins.
Accordingly, in the first area of Tan Tuong village, Cam Lo commune, functional forces focused on verifying information about the mass grave of the 31st Special Forces Unit, Military Region 4, who perished in the attack on the American artillery position on the night of August 25, 1966. According to historical witnesses, approximately 81 officers and soldiers were killed in that battle and buried by the enemy in two mass graves. During the years 1993-1994, forces recovered one grave and reburied the remains at the National Martyrs Cemetery on Highway 9.
Regarding the remaining burial pit, local sources indicate that in 1967, residents secretly discovered and exhumed approximately 20 fallen soldiers, burying them in four rows near the original location before being discovered and prevented from doing so by the American army. Due to the pit being flooded at the time, the exact number of remaining remains is still unknown.
The second survey area is located in An Nha village, Con Tien commune, where a platoon of the 320th Division is believed to have been surrounded and crushed by American tanks in a bunker. Historical documents and direct eyewitness accounts that on March 16, 1968, when the 4th Battalion, 52nd Regiment, 320th Division crossed the Ben Hai River to attack enemy high ground, the 7th Platoon (3rd Company), which was sheltering in an A-shaped bunker, was suddenly exposed. The enemy deployed tanks to surround and crush the bunkers, causing many soldiers to be killed. Around 1983, during farming activities, local people found and exhumed the remains of 8 fallen soldiers along with artifacts such as AK rifles and communication equipment, and then reburied them in the local martyrs' cemetery.
Determined to leave no information undetected, specialized units are conducting careful and meticulous radar scans at both locations. All data collected underground will be analyzed and closely compared with the memories of veterans and historical documents to accurately determine the locations of mass graves, facilitating the repatriation of fallen soldiers and bringing them back to their hometowns and families.