The Ministry of National Defense has publicly released a list of nine collectives and 19 individuals proposed by various units for the conferment and posthumous conferment of the title Hero of the People’s Armed Forces during wartime and the renewal period, seeking feedback from organizations and individuals.

Among the 14 individuals proposed for posthumous recognition is Captain Hoang Cam, former squad leader in charge of logistics for a surgical team under Division 308, now part of Army Corps 12.

Hoang Cam was born in 1916 in Nam Dinh province, now part of Ninh Binh. He took part in the Border Campaign in 1949, the Hoang Hoa Tham Campaign in 1951, and later the Hoa Binh Campaign.

While serving in the Hoang Hoa Tham and Hoa Binh campaigns in 1952, he witnessed heavy casualties among his comrades, partly caused by smoke rising from cooking fires in the forest, which exposed their positions to enemy aircraft. His unit attempted to avoid detection by cooking at night and extinguishing fires when planes approached, but these measures were often insufficient.

Deeply troubled by the losses, Hoang Cam set out to find a solution. After days of research, sketching designs and conducting experiments, he successfully invented a stove system with multiple smoke-diverting trenches connected to the firebox. Branches were placed over the trenches and covered with a thin layer of moist soil to retain humidity. Smoke rising from the stove would disperse through the trenches, turning into a faint vapor that dissipated quickly upon reaching the surface.

This innovation allowed troops to cook during the day without being detected from above, significantly reducing casualties.

Hoang Cam left the army in early 1959 with the rank of second lieutenant. He passed away in 1996 at Hospital 108 at the age of 80 and was later posthumously promoted to captain.

Thirteen other individuals have also been proposed for posthumous conferment of the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces title, including Vo Trung Thanh, former secretary of the Gia Lai and Dak Lak provincial Party Committees; martyr Nguyen Cong Meo, former deputy political commissar of Company 1, Battalion 16 Special Forces; Lam Kien Tri, former standing deputy secretary of the Rach Gia provincial Party Committee, now An Giang province; martyr Huynh Van Thanh, former political commissar of a local military company in Military Region 9; Lieutenant Colonel Tran Xanh, former commander of Regiment 236 under the Air Defense - Air Force Service; Major Nguyen Van Than, former commander of Battalion 63 under the same service; Lieutenant Colonel Tran Manh, former commander of Regiment 921; martyr Tran Nhot (Ba Nhot), former chief sailor of vessel C41 under the Navy; martyr Nguyen Tuong, former political commissar of vessel C235; martyr Nguyen Ngoc Luong, former political commissar of vessel 165 under Brigade 125; martyr Huynh Oai (Huynh The), former unit leader in the Navy; martyr Nguyen Van Duong, former commander of Battalion 1 under Army Corps 2; and Huynh Thi Sau (Sau Ngau), former liaison officer in An Thanh commune, now Thuan An ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition, three collectives and five individuals have been proposed for conferment of the title, including the Office of the Sai Gon - Gia Dinh Regional Party Committee; a special forces unit under C250 in the Eastern region; Factory A34 under the Air Defense - Air Force Service; Le Van Tho, former deputy squad leader of special forces in Military Region 5; Corporal Nguyen Thanh Tan, former radar operator; Captain Nguyen Van Tich, former commander of Regiment 263; Second Lieutenant Tran Van Nam, former pilot; and First Lieutenant Huynh Van Tien (Muoi Tien), former deputy political commissar of vessel C121.

Six collectives have been proposed for the title during the renewal period, including the Hanoi Capital Command, the National Defense Academy, the Military Technical Academy, the Personnel Department under the General Department of Politics, the armed forces of Hai Phong under Military Region 3, and the Upper Urology Department of Central Military Hospital 108.

Tran Thuong