A memorial and reburial service was held at a martyrs’ cemetery in Phuoc Son district, central Quang Nam province, on June 5 for the remains of 17 soldiers discovered recently.

The remains and other items were repatriated by military forces in Phuoc Son district after 15 days of excavation. They were three metres underground at the local Kham Duc Airport.

The soldiers were believed to belong to special forces and laid down their lives during a battle at the airport in August 1970.

Kham Duc Airport was built by the US in 1960 with the aim of supporting US forces stationed in the western reaches of Quang Nam province and to hinder reinforcements heading to the south via roads linking the Central Highlands, Laos, and the Ho Chi Minh Trail.