Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2681 We Will Not Forget (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

When will the war end?
As Hurd drove his car, his gaze passed over the windshield and looked ahead.

This question once again surfaced in his mind.

When will the war end?
It seems that everything ended just because he was pondering this question.

In reality, for the vast majority of people, war ends with a single order, and when the war ends, the survivors cheer and rejoice. People look forward to the day when they can reunite with their families.

But not everyone was so lucky. When the war ended, some families were still shrouded in the trauma of war: fathers lost their children, children lost their fathers, and wives lost their husbands.

Even after the war ends and others reunite, those who lost loved ones still need time to heal the wounds of war.

But in any case, the war was over for them.

But for some families, war may never have stopped.

For example, soldiers marked as "missing in battle" received no death notices, no tombstones, only a missing persons list. It was this thin piece of paper that caused their families to suffer repeatedly between hope and despair.

For these people, the war never ended; it became the sleepless nights, the racing heartbeats every time the doorbell rang, and the endless vigil day after day.

They will keep watching, but they will never have any answers.

The SEA is a young country, and despite having experienced many wars, the number of missing persons is in the single digits because they keep records of all people, and for them, any disappearance is unacceptable.

Moreover, after each war ends, the military's Office of Missing Personnel Affairs always does its utmost to find those people.

Find them and send them home.

This is the nation's promise to its soldiers; this silence stems from a sense of responsibility. It has remained unchanged for many years.

Because responsibility can never be changed.

"But there are some people... who will be forgotten without anyone noticing."

The vehicle slowly drove into the Ministry of National Defense, and the soldiers on guard immediately stood at attention upon seeing the license plate.

When Hart presented his identification, a hint of respect flashed in the young soldier's eyes, and he raised his hand in a standard military salute.
"Chief Sergeant."

Heard nodded slightly, his gaze lingering briefly on the soldier's young face.

Decades ago, when he was just over 20 years old, he was just as energetic and full of youthful vitality.

Now, he is nearly 60 years old.

A senior sergeant in the army who has served for 36 years.

In the SEA system, the sergeant major is the soul of the soldiers. From the maintenance sergeant major of the squadron to the chief sergeant major of the service, every position is indispensable. He has reached the top of the soldier's sequence, with a monthly salary equivalent to that of a lieutenant colonel and ceremonial treatment equivalent to that of a lieutenant general.

Military non-commissioned officers (NCOs) not only serve in the armed forces but also hold positions in administrative departments, where they are known as staff NCOs—a very common practice in the military. NCO promotions are similar to those for officers; each promotion requires not only assessment but also completion of corresponding training—a lifelong learning process.

He was not only the Army's Chief Sergeant; he was also the Chief of the General Staff's Soldier Advisor. As the Chief of the General Staff's highest military commander, his soldier advisor was naturally also the highest-ranking.

Stepping into the familiar office, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting shadows on the floor.

Heard habitually walked to his desk and sat down, placing his hands on the surface, as if he were sensing something or saying goodbye to the familiar office.

The desk was simply furnished, with a photo of his wife and children on the left and photos of his grandchildren in another frame.

The family members in the photo are all smiles, and the children are innocent and carefree. That is the driving force behind his perseverance over the years.

On the right, a yellowed old photo stands out—it's a group photo of him and his comrades when he was young, a dozen or so people wearing US military uniforms, with the North African desert behind them.

That photo was taken when they arrived in North Africa and were training at a camp there.

They were among the first members of the search team, and it was from North Africa that they have come all the way to where they are today.

From North Africa to Southeast Asia.

Over the years, they have witnessed the earth-shaking changes that have taken place on this land.

He has been protecting this place all these years.

Heard's gaze slowly moved, finally settling on a person in the corner of the photo, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"Sun Yibang".

He murmured the name.

His eyes remained fixed on his comrade in the photograph.

"Perhaps the war is not over for your family."

Sun Yibang was his comrade-in-arms. They traveled together from China to India, then from India to North Africa, and finally to France.

After landing in France, Sun Yibang's unit engaged in fierce fighting with the Germans, during which he was killed.

Sacrificing oneself on the battlefield is a perfectly normal thing, after all, sacrifice itself is the mission of soldiers.

However, an unexpected incident occurred after his sacrifice—due to the limitations of the battlefield environment at the time, the death notice could not be sent out in time.

It wasn't until the end of that year, when they left Bastogne, that the death notices were finally mailed back to China from North Africa. At that time, it was during the War of Resistance against Japan, and the families of Sun Yibang and some of his fallen comrades were living in the occupied areas. By the time the death notices reached them, it was already a long time later.

But later they came from North Africa to Southeast Asia, fighting their way back from Mindanao to Borneo. During this process, even more people perished. Death notices were sent home one after another, but due to the war, more than 1500 death notices never reached their families.

Where are their families?
Nobody knows.

That long war of resistance caused countless families to be torn apart and countless people to be displaced.
What does it mean that 1573 death notices were never sent?

This means that 1573 families are still not out of the war.

Their parents, and perhaps their wives and children, may have been spending every day in endless waiting.

"They deserve an explanation."

A gentle knock on the office door interrupted his thoughts. "Chief Sergeant, the Chief of the General Staff and the others are here."

After the messenger's voice rang out in the office, Hurd nodded and said...

"I see."

He took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and straightened the sash on his military uniform. The medals on it gleamed in the sunlight, bearing witness to his 36-year military career.

The only medal he ever wore was the Bastoni Medal.

This is to commemorate their battle in Bastogne.

He took one last look at the office, as if bidding farewell to a long past.

Stepping out of the office, the corridor was filled with familiar faces, from young sergeants to white-haired generals, each with a look of reverence on their faces.

"salute!"

As the shouts rang out, everyone simultaneously stood at attention and saluted him. He, in turn, stood at attention and returned the salute.

The corridor was silent.

The retirement ceremony took place amidst solemn military music. As the general pinned the Loyal Service Medal on him, the question resurfaced in Hart's mind:
When will the war end?
For some families, the war has never ended.

Finally, after receiving the Medal of Loyalty and Service, Hart stood on the stage, with the Chief of the General Staff and the generals and colleagues who came to see him off below.

Standing on the stage, he took out a speech he had prepared in advance.

As he unfolded the manuscript, he thought for a moment, then folded it again, put it in his pocket, and then said:
"At this moment, people always need to say something, such as their personal feelings about the end of their military career, their expectations for the future, and their nostalgia for the army."

Decades of military service. There are some things I need to say, both to myself and to you all, and to the army as well.

So I started revising the manuscript a few months ago. I always have so much to say.

Now I feel that perhaps I can talk about something else.

Looking at the people below the stage, Hurd misspoke a number.

"1573!"

As he stated the number, he then asked in return:
"Perhaps most people don't know what this number is."

What I can tell you is that this number is closely related to the army—1573!

He looked around at everyone present and said:
"Among the military personnel department, there are 1573 death notices that were never sent out."

When the Chief of the General Staff and the generals who were seeing him off heard these words, they were all slightly taken aback.

"Thirty-five years ago, the Allied Search and Reconnaissance Team was formed. We went from India to North Africa, and from North Africa we went to France. We fought the Germans in France, and then we came to Southeast Asia, to the islands and the rainforests. We fought the Japanese devils there."

In this process, some survived, and some sacrificed their lives. Sacrifice is a soldier's duty, and the state has an obligation to care for the families of fallen soldiers, provide them with appropriate compensation, and inform their families of their deaths.

As Hart recounted all this in a calm tone, the officers and generals below the stage all sat there with solemn expressions.

"...Due to war and other reasons, this work has been suspended for a full 30 years."

The 1573 death notices have remained silent for the past thirty years, as they awaited their departure, and their families waited... awaiting news of them.

"And we have a responsibility to inform his family of our fallen comrade, so that they can emerge from their long wait..."

……

"1573!"

In his office, Li Yi'an looked at the military report. He never expected that after decades, the past would appear before him in such an unexpected way.

“I remember this.”

Li Yi'an closed the report, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"The search was stopped at the time because of the war, and then... from then until now, the search has never resumed."

At this point, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, and then he continued:

"Yes, we should restart this work. We should inform the families of our fallen comrades and provide them with the compensation they deserve."

Li Yi'an raised his head and looked at the Chief of the General Staff in front of him, saying:

"Let's see if we can coordinate through the foreign affairs department; we need to restart as much as possible."

(End of this chapter)