64 fallen soldiers in Johnson Reef battle commemorated
VOV.VN - A ceremony was solemnly held at the Monument to Fallen Soldiers at Gac Ma (Johnson Reef) in Khanh Hoa province on March 13 evening in commemoration of 64 naval men who sacrificed their lives in the Johnson Reef naval battle 35 years ago.
Former State President Truong Tan Sang and former Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh attended the ceremony.
On March 14, 1988, Chinese troops launched a surprising attack on Johnson Reef, known as Da Gac Ma, of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in an attempt to take control over the reef.
Vietnamese navy officers and soldiers, mostly unarmed, formed a circle on the reef to protect the national flag. Without breaking up the circle, the Chinese military finally deployed frigates to open fire on the reef’s defenders, and in an unequal battle, 64 Vietnamese officers and soldiers laid down their lives in their mission to defend national sovereignty.
The March 14, 1988 battle has gone down in history as an indelible mark in the hearts of every Vietnamese.
At the ceremony, delegates offered incense to commemorate the 64 navy officers and soldiers who sacrificed to protect he sovereignty of the Fatherland’s sacred sea and islands.
The organizing board staged a special art performance, and then presented gifts to families of the war martyrs, scholarships to poor students who excel in study, and the national flag to local fishermen.
