Medal and Leave - 3

11 notes from an Iraqi captive

Compiled by Hedayatollah Behboudi
Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

2025-8-17

Medal and Leave - 3

11 notes from an Iraqi captive

Compiled by Hedayatollah Behboudi

 Translated by: M.B. Khoshnevisan

***

Episode three: Code word

Ya Zahra!...

Then everything came to an end, and the situation transformed. Voices reach the ears with different tones and melodies. The sound of screams and the whisper of pens blend together. The wind roars like the rebellious winter thunder, rushing through polished, weathered rocks, carrying delicate snowflakes within it. The blows of snowy waves upon the cheeks are excruciating. The eyes cannot withstand this blizzard. The biting cold has brought all the guards to their knees. At the peak of the cold, in the damp and deep trenches, no empty space remains. We circle around the fire. The gentle warmth and nighttime stories bring comfort to our gathering. Teacups accompany the delicious family cake as they go around, and story after story is told. Everyone tries to contribute to this storytelling to pass the slow-moving time, each hoping to captivate their listeners. Tales of fantasy, personal epics, and legends akin to the stories of “One Thousand and One Nights”—filled with war and warriors—are shared. Each speaker, dreading the thought of their audience drifting off to sleep, strives to carve their name into the pages of history.  One claims to be a hero of the battle of the "Leader", another shines in the battle of "Birth of the Leader", while yet another earns a medal in the "Eyes of the Leader", and ... 

Our conversations invariably revolved around Saddam's Qadisiyah. Among those present was Lieutenant Movaffaq, a party comrade and commander of the first company of the second battalion of the 604th Infantry Brigade. To ingratiate themselves with him, the attendees accused the Islamic Army of weakness, negligence, and inability to confront the Iraqi forces. 

Much of that long night had passed, and the gathering was pleasant for them. Topics were presented in the form of love and war stories.

The guards abandoned their posts due to the extreme cold and to escape the snow that stung their eyes, while the support forces, weakened in morale and terrified by the dreadful valleys, left their weapons behind. On that dark night, none of us could see what lay before us. Moreover, the arrival of an uninvited guest on such a night seemed impossible. Thus, with hearts assured and calm, our eyes were surrendered to the embrace of sleep. Between the nights of March 18th and 19th, 1988, some were dozing while others remained fully awake when suddenly a raging volcano roared to life, shaking the earth and forcing the lofty peaks to bow before its majesty. Yes, this volcano was the code of “Ya Zahra”, which penetrated our trenches; it seized their attention and made the bodies trembling from extreme cold and fear shake even more. They—the combatants of Islam—reached the trenches and overturned the sandbags. The cries for help from our own forces echoed in the surrounding air: “Dakheel al-Khomeini… Long live Islam!” … “Dakheel al-Hossein!” And yet, some who were far off in the distance walked barefoot on the frozen snow, their weapons leaning against a corner, desperately searching for a way out, running back and forth. Sometimes they ran north, but it didn’t take long before they returned to their previous spot. Death cast its shadow over every inch. All paths were sealed, the valleys surrounded, and the peaks had surrendered to the warriors. Our forces had lost their way, circling the path like one who paces between Safa and Marwah.

Before sunrise, the Iraqis formed into columns, bewildered and lost, waiting to be guided to the land of salvation. At dawn, our forces passed behind the heights of "Bandoora," "Kordi Hilkan," and "Kojar" and set off toward the disk of the sun. As they continued this sacred advance, they suddenly saw the green flag adorned with the name of Zahra (peace be upon her) and the code phrase "Ya Zahra (peace be upon her)" waving in the air.

To be continued …

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