Two hundred and eighty-ninth program of the night of reminiscence (part II)

Three Classmates, Three Comrades

Maryam Rajabi
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2018-3-14

In operation Karbala 5, we snipped a part of Iraqi line after Jasem line and rounded a military camp. When we wanted to cross the line, the destructors came, opened a passageway, and cut off the barbed wire, and the first group which Mr. Mohammad Boloori attended in, crossed barbed wire. As soon as they crossed the barbed wire, we heard an explosion; it occurred exactly in the comrades’ line. We first thought it was mortar 60, because the mortar 60 can be exploded without a whistle, but we saw that the explosions were taken place sequentially; all in the comrades’ line. It was not possible for the enemy to shoot a mortar 60 with such precision. Then we found out that these were grenades. The Iraqi’s ambush, where was placed about twenty meters below the minefield, was equipped by a depot and threw grenades in the comrades’ line. We cried out and warned the comrades. They, together, threw out 10 to 20 grenades from the back of bulwark. A huge explosion occurred, and then it ended in the comrades’ line. When the dust went down, we saw that Mohammad Boloori was coming with a wounded hand. "Take care of yourself" he said. He said bye to us and went back with a golden quiver.

 After we joined the battalion of Mohammad Rasulullah (PBUH) at the intersection of Fish Lake, the loaders came and began to make bulwark. At first, they made the bulwark at a distance of 10 meters to 10 meters, so that the comrades would have shelter. Then, they came to fill the gap between the bulwarks. We had three loaders. The first loader was destroyed and the driver of the second loader was wounded. Martyr Toorajizadeh told me to go fast and tell the driver to come back and bring a box of cartridge as well. I left my gun there and ran toward the first line fast. When I arrived before the minefield, where the blast of grenade was happened, I found myself among a few bodies of the Iraqi fighters. I did not know who was alive and who was dead. I was afraid. I had a grenade in my hand to throw it as soon as any of them moved. In short, I informed the driver of loader and got a gun from the comrades as well. I gave the box of ammunition to the loader's driver and Mr. Toorajizadeh."

It was supposed that Battalion Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) in the morning after the operation came and deliver the line from us, and serve for defense. In the morning of operation day, Iraqi helicopters shot the second line and the battalion was completely destroyed. We were commanded that the fighters of your battalions should defend themselves and response to enemy's attack; the forces would come and protect you. The martyr Toorajizadeh came, separated the comrades and placed it further than the line to fill it. Martyr Poor Mehdi, who was older than us and had wife and child and as he was a quiet person, said: "I stay here, you can go!" We went and began to make a trench. Behrooz Davoodi and I made eight trenches at that night until next day's noon. While we were making the trenches, we suddenly heard the whistle of mortar and explosion. The explosion was occurred near the previous trench. When the dust fell down, we ran towards the trench and saw that Poor Mehdi became martyr. In the second phase of operation Karbala 5 was done by the battalions of Imam Hassan (AS); the martyrs of operation were left in that area. The comrades of Cooperative Unit used of a van named Toyota whose room was removed, to gather the corpses of martyrs. The comrade of Cooperative Unit came and said that we also have martyrs. They came and put Martyr Poor Mehdi on the rest of the corpses. When we were going to move, we saw that the martyr's foot were cut off and left; we went back and take the foot and gave it the comrades of Cooperative Unit all of us cried and we understood the phrase "We stand by the end" objectively.

Bakhtiari was a 50-year-old man whose one of eyes was in poor eyesight. He strongly insisted on coming with battalion as a line breaker. Because of his physical condition, he was not accepted and said he would serve in the Cooperative Unit. He insisted again to become a relief worker. Although he was a unlearned one, he tried to learn relief. One day after operation Karbala 5, it was near noon, we saw that a few explosions occurred in the minefield, and one person was running and coming toward us. As if he had a gun in hand. When he came, we saw that it was not a gun; it was his hand was cut off! He came there to do something. Mr. Bakhtiari closed his hand. When he was dressing the hand, another explosion was taken placed in the minefield where was behind us. We had snipped the line, and the Iraqi minefields were behind us. One of young comrades was injured in the minefield and shouted; we, from another side of the minefield, said him that he should walked on the minefield because it was possible that mines to be exploded and he would be injured again. We was looking for a destructor to come and open a passageway to save him. Mr. Bakhtiari, as he dressed the hand of the wounded, stayed for some moments and then run quickly. He was running madly. In fact, when I heard the sound on the corner of minefield, he run toward the young injured comrade directly. Mr. Bakhtiari arrived him and tied his feet. He put the injured on his shoulder and got him out of the minefield. "Why did you go and carried him here?" I asked him" I asked him." His sound was like Hussein" he replied. "Who is Hussein?" I ask. "He was my son. He had already been martyred. Day after tomorrow is fortieth day of his martyrdom" he replied. Here, we found that Mr. Bakhtiari was the father of Hussein Bakhtiari. He'd come war after seven days of martyrdom of his son."

About "A taxi service for FAW[1]"

Mohammad Boloori was third narrator of two hundred and eighty-ninth program of the night of reminiscence. The writer of book "A taxi service for FAW" said:" How I write this book is that I was retired in Farvardin 1386 (April 2007); as I was an active one that being retired caused me to stay at home, and it was very hard for me at the age of 39 years old. In the beginning days of retirement, in Ordibehesht 1386 (May 2007), my wife gave me a interesting suggestion. She said that, as I had a opportunity, I could write down some pages of memoirs of sacred defense for my children. In those days, my twins were 5 years old. It was a good a suggestion. I started to write. At that time, I was able to write. At least, I was able to write 15 pages daily. I supposed that it was enough and I could discharge my responsibility. I was busy in writing until I underwent that surgery. When I was recovered from anesthesia, I felt a huge pain; I was injected morphine to reduce it and fallen me in sleep. In the morning, when I was gotten up to pray, the affection of morphine was ended; I was not able to wash my hands. Anyway, all my concerns, at that moment, was not about losing my hand, but it was that I started something and I was forced to leave it incompletely. It was not compatible with my morality.

I spent three four months getting well better. Then, I was not able to type with the right hand. I tried hard and typed with the left hand and press only some keywords with the right hand. In 1388 (2010), the condition got worst; I was not able to press even key "Shift". I tried to lift right hand by left hand and put it on the key "Shift" and type some combinational letters. I went on writing. Although it was slow but I didn’t stop it. I was accepted at the university in the middle of the same year, and as my wife believed, I had to abandon writing; I should spent my time for education, but God helped me and did both of them together. I studied from morning till evening and then typed until 12:00 or one night. The result was that I was educated during 7 years instead of 4 years, and the book, which could be written in 8 years, was completed in 11 years. I didn’t give up writing even in details. Details, that can sometimes be passed ignored, but these details that make a whole. Physical weakness and difficulties of education did not prevent me for editing repeatedly. After typing every part, I edited it. By the end of year 1391, the book was compiled by the grace of God and, after several stages of editing, I gave it to Art Center and Sura Mehr Publications at the beginning of year 1392. Mr. Mohammad Ghasemipour read it beautifully and artistically, and its weaknesses and strengths became apparent. In the first meeting with Ghasemipour I said him that I am not able to write more. A month later, when the text was printed and sent to me, I saw that some brackets are used in some parts of book and mentioned that I should add some words there or I didn’t write completely, why I summarized this issue. Anyway, I said him that I was no longer able. He said:" well, record your words on tape and send it to us! We will transcribed it and eventually you can review it." I sent audio track and Zahra Ghasemi transcribed it very well; therefore, the text was reviewed and, at last, published.

I want you to come back past time, in winter 1365(1987). It was Sunday at 8:50 pm, and in Shalamcheh, Jasem River, and Southwest side of Fish Lake. Extraordinary complexity was one of region's characteristics. Jasem River became known as the Jasem Fortress and was handed over to us and Iraqis over and over. The last battalion before the battalion Ya Zahra (AS), which belonged us, was the battalion of Imam Sajjad (AS). The bodies of the martyrs of that battalion remained in the region until the battalion Ya Zahra (AS), finally, at that memorable night entered the region. We had stopped the time at 20 and 50 minutes, now we started time. I ran quickly toward our bulwark, while it was just a few minutes that the Iraqi fighters blew up the sky and shot the area repeatedly. I was moving downwards and forward to our bulwark. I arrived, but there was no one. I found out that the comrade had gone. I quickly put sash on my shoulders, locked cartridge belt around my waist, and took the bag of RPG, took my gun and went out of the bulwark. I looked at the left and right hand. I saw the end of the comrades' line at a distance of ten meters to the left. I was the seventh person from the line. While I was carrying the bag of RPG on my shoulder and locked its belt on my chest, I walked along the line to get a place. Anyway, I found Zarei, I was his assistant to use RPG. I sat behind him. About five minutes, the sky was bright and we were ready for operation. At the same time, Mohammad Reza Toorjizadeh, the commander of the Zulfiqar Division, a line breaker division of Ya Zahra (AS), stood on bulwark, with his hand on waist, and was habitually looking into the deepness of night, while we all of us lay down on  ground to keep us  safe from being injured. At 21:00, the secret words of operation were told in radiotelephone. All of us were waiting for Toorajizadeh and he was still busy with looking at night. To declare the secret words means that operative units should go mission from their position. We were one of that units, and another unit was one of the units of Mohammad Rasululah 27^th division (PBHM), which was supposed to come in front and join us. They, at that moment, started the mission.

The shotguns were firing constantly. The enemy was trying our position where we started the mission.  It was clear that our operation was revealed; if we stayed there, the comrade of Mohammad Rasulullah 27^th division would be slaughtered.  We went back. At 12:10 o'clock, Mr. Toorajizadeh commanded troops, with his hand, to move. Pour Ahamd, first one, who was the deputy of Toorajizadeh passed by him and over the bulwark. The second was Majid Taherian, who was responsible for radiotelephone of Pour Ahmad. The third and first person of our troop was Ebrahim Shateripour, was the commander of the 1st troop passed over from the bulwark. Other ones includes Seyed Abbas Saghaeiann , Deputy Shateripour, Samui, who was responsible for troop One, Hassan Pour Mehdi Najafabadi, first RPG shooter  of troop one of Zulfiqar Division, Jawad Etehadi, who was first assistant of RPG shooter of troop one of Zulfiqar Division, the eighth person was Zarei, RPG shooter of troop one, and  I was ninth person, the first assistant of RPG shooter of troop one. I passed by Toorajizadeh and went to field. On the other side of the bulwark, the whole line of troops were walking slowly, coolly and in a curved shape. While Pour Ahmad was moving in curved shaped, he sometimes went back and looked behind and exchanged some signs between himself and Toorajizadeh with his hand. Sometimes, I put his finger on his lips as the sign of silence, and I did not understand the meaning of his other body languages. Pour Ahmad invited us to be silence while the sound of the guns was not stopped only for a moment. I don’t feel well. Pour Ahmad ws a experienced person; probably, he'd found danger. Anyway, in that situation, we passed by yellow trailer which was destroyed and stopped by Iraqi fighters. About 20 or 30 meters further, we enterd into mine field. The entrance of the field was shown by a luminous band. After minefield, we sat there quickly with a hand movement of Pour Ahmad. Seyed Jalal Moussa Nia, who was destructor of Zulfiqar Division, ran fast to cut the barbed wires with another comrade from destructive unit. The first circles of the wires were cut and line of troops went ahead a little further again. As Seyed Jalal was going to cut fourth circle, suddenly enemy deracinate the line with machine gun. The arrangement of the line was disturbed, and I stood up spontaneously. There were 10 or 15 comrade in front of me. They were running forward and backward to keep themselves from the machine gun; they were running from foreside to backside to go out of minefield. There weren’t any comrade behind. Maybe, they were lay down, I don’t know, I was not able to see them. At that time, some explosion were taken place near me continually. In a moment, I was unconsciously arisen from the ground. I was injured by the wave of explosion, I was confused and I did not understand what was going on around me. Suddenly, a terrible explosion was occurred under my right foot; I fell down on my back on the north-southern side of the minefield and my gun was dropped out of my hand... because of time limitation, see my book to read the continuation of the memories!"

At the end of two hundred and eighty-ninth program of the night of reminiscence, the display of book "Taxi Service for FAW" was done by the attendance of Mohsen Momeni Sharif, head of the Art Center, Abdul Hamid Qaradaghi, the executive director of Surah Mehr Publications and Mohammad Boloori's family.

Two hundred and eighty-ninth programs of the night of reminiscence was held under efforts of Center for Cultural Research and Studies of Culture and Literature Stability, and Office of Literature and Art of Resistance at Sureh hall of Art Center in the Thursday evening on 3 Esfand 1396 (2017-February- 22). The next night of reminiscence will be held on 6 Ordibehesht 1396 (2017- April- 26).