The event was attended by Nhan Dan’s Deputy Editor-in-chief Dinh Nhu Hoan and Major General Lo Khac Tam, former Deputy Director of the Combat Operations Department under the General Staff of the VPA.
At the meeting, Hoan spoke highly of the American veterans’ humanitarian efforts to heal the wounds of war as well as the efforts of veterans of the 209th Regiment in the search for the remains of their fellow soldiers.
Steve Edmunds and veterans of the 209th Regiment shared their experience in the search for the remains of Vietnamese and American soldiers.
For many years, Steve Edmunds has provided information, files and documents about the mass graves of Vietnamese soldiers, from which veterans of the 209th Regiment have worked with local authorities in Kon Tum Province to recover 81 sets of remains.
At the meeting, Steve Edmunds expressed his wish to have Nhan Dan Newspaper help in handing over several items belonging to a Vietnamese soldier, which were kept by an American veteran for more than 50 years, to his relatives.
The items include black-and-white photos and a diary containing many writings of a soldier named Pham Tuan Tai along with an unsent letter.
Pham Van Su, a nephew of Pham Tuan Tai, expressed his gratitude to Nhan Dan Newspaper for helping his family meet with Steve Edmunds, who brought his uncle’s effects to return them to his family.
