The Oral History of Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Telecommunication in Sacred Defense

Mohammad Ali Fatemi
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2019-3-5

The book "the Oral History of Sacred Defense: The narration of Mehdi Shiraninejad: Telecommunication" by the effort of Yahya Niazi and published by Center for the Sacred Defense's Documentation and Research in the year 1397." This 494-page book has identified by the National Library of Iran Islamic Republic on the subject of memoirs of Iranian commanders in Iraqi imposed war against Iran, and as you saw in the full title of book, publisher presented it on the subject of oral history of sacred defense.

This comparison was made for asking whether oral history is on the considered subject by National Library to provide information on the publication of books or not. If yes, how is it being used? If not, it need to be survived how subjects should be added, because the number of books that published on subject of oral history is being increased.

The book list shows that this work is the result of 24 interviews with Brigadier General Mehdi Shiraninejad, the successor to Revolutionary Guard Corps Telecommunication of Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during sacred defense. Of course, it is mentioned on the book’ cover that it is the result of 27 interviews. This can be a question for the curious reader. The interview and complier of the book wrote in his introduction about several supplementary sessions alongside the main sessions, which are somehow explanations for the difference between these two kinds of sessions.

A book list is a complete list and index of book's contents. Such book list-writing alongside the end-page of this book will draw the attention of researchers, because they open a way to text and increase the aspect of being source and reference in the considered subject of the work.

In the book list, at least these two points are under attention: one is sacred defense operation that narrator speaks about it, and other is the emphasis of the aspects of narrator's specialty (telecommunications) in each operation; it means, the narrator, according to his specialty, speaks about his observations.

Each chapter of the book in which "session" is mentioned begins in this way: the number of session, indicating its place where it is held in the footnote, the date of session, a title for the period of time when the session was held and the summary of session. With such arrangements, it is natural that the text of book include a set of questions and answers between the interviewer and interviewee. Photos, documents or the related documents of each content are mentioned near that content. The appendix of book's pages also include brief rationalization (introduction of persons and places, description of specific names and telecommunication devices, etc.).

The author of the book, using the method of bringing all of questions and answers between the interviewee and the interviewee, wants to show the oral history of text, but he sees himself in the judgment of oral history experts. In reviewing this book, we can talk with experts in this perspective.

The content of book "the Oral History of Sacred Defense: The narration of Mehdi Shiraninejad: Telecommunication" includes observations and experiments of narrator on formation, development, equipping and missions of one of the most important military units of Revolutionary Guards Corps during Iraq's imposed Iraq war against Iran; There is no doubt but it is kind of a start for doing interviews with commanders and telecommunication warriors in the war. This book open a door to raise further questions and gradually a role of telecommunication in the communicative network of various parts of the Revolutionary Guards Corps.