Memories of Farshid Eskandari

Compiled by Iranian Oral History Website
Translated by Fazel Shirzad

2026-5-5

Mr. Farshid Eskandari, a veteran pilot and former prisoner of war from the Sacred Defense era, was the guest of the 282nd episode of the “Night of Memories” program in August 2017. He shared his experiences from his time in captivity, stating:

"I had been colleagues with martyr Hossein Lashkari since 1973. Later, we were both deployed to the United States, where we served in the same squadron. After returning from the U.S., we were together for training in Dezful. Upon completing the course, I was assigned to the Tabriz airbase, while he remained in Dezful. Then, the war arrived.

On September 22, 1980, I was on standby for the afternoon shift when the attack occurred, and we all prepared to mobilize. The following day, the Air Force’s famous 140-jet operation took place. On the first day of the war, I flew three cross-border missions. On the second day of October, around 6:00 AM, I attacked Erbil, and at 11:00 AM, I carried out an attack on Kirkuk. While returning from the mission over Kirkuk, my aircraft was hit, and I was forced to eject and was subsequently captured.

When I was taken prisoner, my life mirrored that of martyr Lashkari in many ways; I had been married for only three months when I was captured, and by the time I returned, I had a ten-year-old son. The initial days of my captivity were consumed by interrogation, torture, and similar hardships. I spent over a month in the ‘Al-Ghurfa’ prison in Baghdad. The cell was extremely narrow and dark, and that became my entire world. When I arrived, the first thing I did was take the photograph of my mother and my wife that I had in my pocket, kiss them, and tear them up. Under those conditions, I had to cut all emotional attachments.

A month passed. One day, as I was standing in prayer, the cell door opened, two blankets were thrown inside, and someone was pushed in. After a brief conversation, he introduced himself as Ahmad Soheili, an F-4 fighter pilot. Having spent over a month in total isolation, receiving nothing but torture and beatings, I was so overcome with joy that I sat in the middle of the cell just talking to him. Shortly after, the door opened again, and another person was thrown in with two blankets. As soon as he entered, I realized it was Hossein Lashkari. When we saw each other, we were beside ourselves with joy; we hugged and wept. The three of us shared an indescribable feeling, reminiscing about the past and laughing together."

To date, 377 “Night of Memories” programs dedicated to the Sacred Defense have been organized by the Center for Studies and Research on the Culture and Literature of Resistance and the Office of Resistance Literature and Art of the Hozeh Honari (Art Bureau). The next program is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026.

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