The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 4

Diary of a Rescuer

Mehdi Khandan, the commander of the Meqdad Battalion, was also martyred. His troops said that 72 hours earlier, he had dreamed of his martyrdom and had a face-to-face encounter with God. At ten in the morning, we set off by car to scout the captured areas. We reached a grove where a road had been built. On the left side of the road, there were four trucks that had previously carried supplies ...

The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 3

Diary of a rescuer

There wasn't much to do in the camp, as we spent our time learning to swim in the river nearby. The number of the wounded in emergency ward fluctuated depending on the movements in Iraq, sometimes there were few and other times many, which left us with little to do. After a while, I went to Tehran for some time off. When I returned, I was ...

The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 2

Diary of a rescuer

The intense physical training resumed, this time at the Imam Hussein (AS) barracks in Tehran. Unlike before, strict discipline and respect for military principles were required. Upon entering the barracks during Ramadan on a Thursday, we were instructed to return home and arrive at 5 pm on Friday. I arrived a bit past 5 pm on Thursday and, ...

The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 1

Diary of a Rescuer

As we approach the end of this writing, the spirit of sincerity and purity within it becomes more evident. I can't help but feel a sense of admiration and envy for these courageous and devoted young individuals who, in less than half our lifetime, have achieved a level of status that inspires a spiritual ascension when their experiences are recounted.

Da (Mother) 143

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

Until that time he had been in the border areas with soldiers overseeing the United Nations peace. Some of these soldiers were the same ones who had taken us prisoner or had killed our forces. Habib agreed to come to Tehran at a time when the city was secure. Life had been very hard for us the whole time he was away. Things would crop up that needed the presence of a man;

Da (Mother) 142

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

After various other incidents and things I can’t speak about for lack of space, the war finally ended in August 1988. Nevertheless, Habib, because of his specialty, had to stay on in the region. The children were growing up, and their problems were multiplying. They had reached school age. All responsibilities for raising them fell on my shoulders.

Da (Mother) 141

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

There were four other apartments on the fourth floor. In the first was a woman from Tehran living on her own. She was what they called an “oppressed” person, who was given the apartment because of her economic circumstances. In the second was the family of a father martyred in the war who had been married to an Afghan woman.

Da (Mother) 140

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

Around the time Mansur came home, the weather turned warm. He was at his wits’ end, because his leg itched and he could not do anything about it. He would bang on the cast in frustration. Mansur’s general weakness and instability, and the many times he was under anesthesia during the operations, had a bad effect on him. He would fly into a rage, making me feel helpless.

Da (Mother) 139

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

Sa’id was in a song and theatre troupe, which was part of the High School Student Corps. The leader of the troupe, Seyyed Javad Hashemi, a movie and television actor, wanted to take it on a tour of the front. The boys in the group were all between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. I went to the Cultural Institute on Horr Square and, with mother’s ...

Da (Mother) 138

The Memoirs of Seyyedeh Zahra Hoseyni

When I saw my stay in Tehran would drag on indefinitely, I raised the issue with the Martyrs Foundation. The Foundation wrote to the superintendent of the building, who put two rooms at our disposal. Habib was always annoyed by my constant need for things. He was even opposed to accepting gifts. He would say, “Be thankful for God allowing me to serve at the front.”