The 338th Session of Memory Night-1

Guy of the Mall

Adjusted by Sepideh Kholousian
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2023-5-4

The 338^th Night of Memory titled “Bache Bazarche (Guy of the Mall)”, hosted by Mohammad Hossein Mahmoudian and attended by the fighters of Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) Battalion from the 10th Seyyed al-Shohada (AS) Division, was held in Hozeh Honari’s Sooreh Hall on Thursday August 25, 2022.

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The first narrator of the night of memory was Dr. Javad Chapardar. At the beginning of his speech, he said, “Expressing the memory for the soldiers and commanders of Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) Battalion is both a form of bravery and a form of fortune and happiness, because it is valuable to keep the memory of the martyrs alive.” Since this session is also the book launch of our dear friend Dr. Hamid Ghasemi, I will describe a memory of one of the operations, in which I had the honor to be present with him and many of my comrades in Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) Battalion, about characteristics of several martyrs of that operation.

Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas-6 was carried out in the west of the country, close to Sulaymaniyah province of Iraq and the heights of Assos and Strok, which was within the operational area of Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) Battalion. In order to know what characteristics the martyrs had that gave them the honor of to be died a martyr, sometimes we have to see what differences the martyrs had with others that God granted them this honor. It is necessary to know that both the martyrs are hard to get and we do not understand their position very much. One of the features of the martyrs who were our friends and today they are missed in this ceremony was their sincerity and humility.

One of the martyrs who was very sincere and humble in this operation was martyr Mehdi Einollahi. I was next to Mehdi at the time of his martyrdom in Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas. What caused him to be died a martyr was definitely not quiver of mortar, but his sincerity, humility, and fervent prayer that brought him to his goal. Hamid Ghasemi and I were together in Fath Company during Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas. There were guys in that company who had just joined the battalion. One of the newly arrived friends who died a martyr in this operation and was considered as an example of humility, was martyr Dehghan. We had a custom in the battalion that periodically one of the fighters was chosen as the mayor to wash the battalion's dishes. At night, we also stood watch on an hourly basis. Some of the fighting had a habit of washing dishes of others or not waking up those who had guard posts after midnight, and stood watch instead of them. A characteristic of Shahid Dehghan was that whenever we would get up we saw all the boots of guys of Fath Company had been waxed and lined up in front of the company’s tent. It was very strange to us who would do this. For this reason, one or two of our friends, including Hamid Ghasemi, and I tried for a couple of nights until we finally realized martyr Dehghan sometimes got up at night after the night prayer and waxed the guy’s boots and sometimes if there were any dirty dishes left, he would wash them. We understood this and this was the origin of our friendship in that operation.

We told him: If you want us not to reveal your work to others, you must promise us to make intercession for us. Usually, when you told your fellow fighters about their martyrdom, they would not accept it out of humility. He also did not accept until during the operation it was decided to give a platoon to Hamid Ghasemi to go to the direction of the gunfire that fired and paralyzed the company at the height of that area. Martyr Dehghan was with me until the end of the path where we were supposed to separate, and he was next to me when he was shot directly. I was by his side until the moment before his martyrdom, which may seem a moment passed, but sometimes the memory and effect of the moment remains for a lifetime.

Many martyrs' mothers asked what their children's requests were at the moment of martyrdom. I had also this experience. Martyr Dehghan asked me at the moment of his martyrdom: Where is the direction of Karbala? He wanted to die in direction of Karbala. I tried to navigate during the stress of the operation and martyrdom of my comrade. But for a moment I saw he gestured with his hand. He turned his face to a side, smiled, whispered something, and then died a martyr. After the operation, when we navigated, we realized that the same direction that the martyr turned his face toward it was the direction of Karbala. Most of the martyrs were the same. He had promised us to pray for us to being died a martyr and make intercession for us.

In the same operation, we had another martyr who was just added to our battalion in Fath Company. His name was Hamid Moslemi. When the operation was over, according to the routine and tradition of Hazrat Ali Akbar Battalion, we would divide into several groups and go with our friends to the house of the martyrs, and the guys who were with the martyrs during their martyrdom would narrate memory of the martyrs to their families. The guys of our battalion again became several teams after Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas-6. The team with which we decided to go and tell memories of several martyrs for their honorable families included Mr. Mohammad Ghorchian (Commander of Fajr Company), Mr. Reza Feiz, Amir Ghasemi, Masoud Hasani, Mr. Sartakhti who was the battalion logistics officer at that time, and I. it was supposed either I narrate memory of martyrdom of Moslemi or Hamid Ghasemi narrates it.

When we got near the house in that neighborhood in the south of Tehran and saw a banner that had been hanged with congratulation for martyrdom had been written on it on behalf of Artesh (Iranian Army) Command, we realized sir Hamid was commander of another command and he had already had experience of being a fighter and commander. This was one characteristic of the martyrs. Many martyrs died a martyr in anonymity. Some of them were both veterans and had served as commanders in another command or battalion, and many comrades and friends had been died a martyr along with them in that battalion. But they were separated from their own battalion, joined another battalion, and died a martyr anonymously in operations of that battalion. We had many such martyrs in Hazrat Ali Akbar Battalion.

When we went to the martyr's place of residence, they told us the funeral ceremony of the martyr had been held in Grand Mosque. We went inside the mosque. Realizing that Shahid Moslemi had been one of the commanders, it was no longer an easy task for Hamid Ghasemi and I, who were very young, to narrate memories. I remember we asked Mr. Ghorchian to narrate the memories. But sir Mohammad did not accept either. When we entered the mosque, the maddah (eulogist) said the commanders of Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS) Battalion are present. There, we introduced our dear brother, Mr. Sartakhti, who was the battalion logistics officer, as commander of the battalion, and he narrated the memory of martyr Moslemi. It was the first operation that martyr Moslemi participated in it with us in Fath Company. He himself was one of the commanders, but he died a martyr in absolute anonymity. I always remember these two traits of the martyrs. What made the martyrs different from us was that they, unlike many others, tried with utmost sincerity and humility not to be seen, and for this reason, God granted them the honor of such martyrdom. I hope we would try both to keep memories of the martyrs alive as much as the friendship and camaraderie between us and the martyrs, and also learn from the sincerity, humility, and forgiveness of the martyrs.

Regarding the first narrator's memories, the host said, “We were also in Hazrat Rasool Division in the in Hazrat Abdul Azim Battalion, and then in Kumail Battalion, and we had a defensive line in Mehran before Operation Karbala-1. There, we had someone named Mr. Hosseini, who was an experience and efficient person, and he helped all of us. After our operation, Artesh was supposed to come and take over the area. At the time, the first team of Artesh came to visit, when they reached Mr. Hosseini, they all did a military salute and said, “Colonel; what are you doing here.” It was there that we found out Mr. Hosseini was from the special forces and had taken a leave to come to the front with us as Basij forces.

To be continued…