Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 32

By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

2026-05-31

Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 32

By Mojtaba al-Hosseini
Translated into Farsi by: Mohammad Hossein Zavar Kabeh
Translated into English by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

 

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Of course. Here is the translation from Persian to American English, rendered in a formal, analytical tone suitable for a historical or political context.

 

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Three weeks later, after the shelling had ceased, I visited the regiment’s positions. During this visit, I observed the traces and signs of the battle that had taken place on January 5, 1981, within the area controlled by the 35th Armored Brigade. I also noticed one of our own ambulances, buried under the soil, with visible burn marks on it. I examined it closely. I came across a few strands of human hair, indicating the presence of bodies inside. With the help of engineering troops, I brought the ambulance near the mobile medical unit, and we salvaged its usable parts. I also saw an unexplored TOW missile near the mobile medical unit, which had apparently been fired from Iranian helicopters during the battle of January 5. Engineering personnel detonated this missile a few days later. In addition, I encountered another remnant of that day’s fighting, one that was deeply distressing for others and me. The commander had sent a group of soldiers to a small, abandoned village west of our regiment’s positions, which had been evacuated by its residents and our own army. Their mission was to gather timber to build their own shelters. At the entrance to the village, they were attacked by several wild dogs. Initially, they tried to enter without firing their weapons, but the dogs, charging at them, prevented their entry. Surprised by the ferocity of the dogs, the soldiers opened fire and killed them all. They then entered the village to look for anything that might be useful. They noticed a foul smell emanating from inside the houses. After searching, they came across a heartbreaking scene. A person dressed in a commando military uniform lay on the ground, many parts of his body having been eaten away. This dismembered corpse was that of an Iranian soldier, who had been there for months, covered by dust and dirt. Apparently, the soldier had been only superficially buried, and the dogs had easily dug him up and fed on him. The soldiers returned and reported the matter to the commander. The unit commander ordered that the body be properly interred. He informed me that the corpse was that of a burly Iranian soldier from a commando unit, who had sustained deep head wounds.

"Abu Fouzi," along with his soldiers, buried the body near the village and placed a marker on the grave. On their way back, traces of grief and sorrow were evident on the soldiers' faces. It showed that the enmity between the Iraqi and Iranian nations is a superficial and unstable hostility, and that the hearts of both sides still beat for Islam and humanity.

In early July 1981, I went to the 11th Field Medical Unit to pick up medicine. Captain "Ihsan al-Haidari," the unit commander, informed me that, by order of the Minister of Defense, I had been promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant. According to this order, it was decreed that every physician, dentist, and pharmacist — with the exception of those who had non-Iraqi wives or mothers — would be promoted to officer rank. I was overjoyed to hear this news. On July 10, 1981, the promotion letter arrived at the battalion. The regiment commander summoned me and informed me of the matter. I did not keep the officer's insignia on my shoulder for more than two weeks. The commander was upset by this and strictly ordered me to affix the officer's star on my shoulder. The issue stemmed from the strict military regulations, which stipulated that any officer who tore off his rank insignia at the front would face court-martial. We had seen officers who, after tearing off their military insignia, fled the front, and this lowered the soldiers' morale. I took the matter seriously. In the evening, I went to the 11th Field Medical Unit. I entered the tent of a doctor with whom I had a prior friendship. He was asleep. I removed his rank insignia from his uniform and attached it to my shoulder, then returned to the regimental headquarters.

Before my promotion, although I was a conscript soldier, I was neither considered part of the regular soldiers nor part of the officers; rather, I was completely independent and could go on leave whenever I wished. From that moment on, my name was placed on the officers’ list and put in the regular rotation for leave.

The hot, sweltering summer of southern Iraq and the Khuzestan region had begun. The intense heat, combined with a suffocating humidity — known in Basra as "sharji" — had made the area unbearable. Typically, the months of July and August are when temperatures peak. During these months, people usually cannot tolerate the heat and humidity inside their own homes. So imagine what conditions we had to endure in earthen trenches, out in that torrid desert.

During those harsh, terrifying days and nights, I had lost the most valuable things: peace of mind and sleep. Mosquitoes and flies on one hand, and other biting insects on the other, had left no healthy spot on our bodies. The summer in Khuzestan is so intensely hot and scorching that by 9 a.m., you can see mirages. In those conditions, the trenches were uninhabitable both at night and during the day. When the sun was at its peak, we sought refuge in the shade of Kapareh[1] and fans. There was no limit to our water consumption. During the day, we faced extreme temperatures, and at night, we faced other problems. Before sunset, we would set up mosquito nets to protect ourselves from biting insects while we slept. As darkness fell, those annoying guests would come to us and torment us as much as they could. Although there were many kinds of insects, their danger was nothing compared to that of hungry snakes and scorpions. In addition, hundreds of rats lived in the trenches beside us, whose only job was to chew holes in our clothes and other belongings. I used many defensive measures, such as insecticides, to repel these insects, but nothing worked. Still, by midnight, we could close our eyes under the mosquito nets, but at 3 a.m., we would be jolted awake by the sound of Iranian army mortar shells. Even though our eyes would be heavy with sleep, the specter of death would appear before them. Sometimes it reached a point where we became indifferent to death. Even though bullets and mortar shells were hitting the ground just a few steps away, we were not willing to give up the sweetness of sleep. A person sometimes reaches a stage where he prefers death to that exhausting and tedious life. I was in that state. The personnel of the mobile unit lived in relative comfort compared to the soldiers stationed on the front lines, who were busy patrolling and setting up ambushes. The conditions of the region had left a negative effect on morale. For this reason, they were waiting for any suitable opportunity to escape service. In such circumstances, diarrheal diseases and skin inflammations spread alarmingly, and viper poisoned many people and scorpion bites. Cutaneous leishmaniosis, transmitted by the region's mosquitoes, was also widespread. The temperature had reached its peak. Activity stopped during the day, and all work and missions were carried out at night.

 

To be continued …

 
Number of Visits: 21

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