Memory Telling in the Annual Assemblage of Ansar Battalion Fighters

Humor of the Front Narrated by the War Writer

Maryam Rajabi
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi

2017-12-12

According to Oral History Website of Iran, the 17th anniversary of martyrs of Ansar al-Rasul battalion of 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division (pbuh) was held for commemorating commanders of platoons of the battalion, participated by fighters of Ansar battalion during Holy Defense Years and their families in Andisheh Hall of Hozeh Honari on November 30, 2017. In this program, Davood Amirian and Haj Hussein Guran, of Ansar al-Rasul battalion fighters during the holy defense years, spoke about memories of Iraqi imposed war against Iran.

Supters (Ghaterchiha) Battalion
Davood Amirian, now a well-known fiction writer in field of the war satire in the country, stated in the 17^th memorial of martyrs of Ansar al-Rasul battalion, "When I went to the front, I was a teenager. The first time I went to Dokuheh Garrison, we were sent to the cooperation unit because we were newly forces. I initially thought that it was supposed we work in a shop, saying that we had come to the front to become a combatant, but they sent us for porterage to sell goods and take packets to this and that side! When we also heard names of "combatant" battalions such as Ansar, Malek Ashtar or Habib ibn Mazaher, we thought t we needed to learn Karate and Kung fu training so that we could swipe them in single combat with Iraqis. The battalion guys also bantered us in this issue; for example, we went and said that is here that battalion? They replied, what color is your belt? We said we have ammunition belt and do not know what belt we should wear and they responded that you still do not know anything, go and learn. After a long time, we realized that they bantered us.

Shortly it was destined and we entered battalion Meysam. It was night of one of stages of Operation Karbala-5 on January 12, 1987. In those days, one of my friends, Reza, had thin arms, if you ask old guys of Ansar, they would remember him. We were after Shahadat crossroad in the watchtower that they said Ansar battalion came. When Ansar battalion passed, Reza was also among them. I got up and we kissed each other. The guys of Ansar battalion went and attacked the front. They returned about half an hour to forty minutes later and said they did not succeed. Reza died a martyr there and his body remained there. In brief, after a few months later it was destined, and I who had been dispatched with guys of Javadieh entered battalion of Ansar. Ansar battalion had just returned from the operation. The troops were on vacation and the battalion wanted to re-energize. Everyone had gone, and only a few, who were worse than us and did not know anything, remained. They became our superior and we also did not know and thought they were commanders. One of them named Seyyed Mehdi, I do not say his family name maybe some of you know him. They sent us to instrument unit. He scalped us. We had Night Wrath (in Persian: Khashme Shab, military readiness at night) every night! There was a building in which there were companies, telecommunications, and battalion instruments. Every night he came and shot and did reveille for us, kicked the door and expelled us. Guys of other units began to protest. Two of the old forces, Amir-Hushang Fotohi and Mohammad Khoshtinat were with us. They told Amir-Hushang, Amir Gandhi. He was both thin and tall and put a spot on his forehead. One night we went and saw that Amir-Houshang spoke to Seyyed Mehdi and discussed about the Khashme Shab. We entered the fray and we realized that Seyyed Mehdi was not commander! In summary, we interposed in order not to keep on quarrel.

When the battalion forces returned form leave, Mohammad Bazrafshan became our commander, and helped by other dears like Sha'ban Salimi, Mohsen Ghaniyari and others, we got more organized. In the battalion, I had a comrade named Jalal who loved singing and his song was a little different with cock! We had another Seyyed whom we told him Seyyed Jushan (gushing). The two loved singing. We were wakeful because of the Khashme Shab, and on the other hand, they started to eulogize every night for any occasion; night of birth of Noah, night of martyrdom of Muslem ibn Aqeel! Our legionnaire was Asghar Kazemi. He was in telecommunications unit and was very demure. At the ceremony, they beat their chest and head, and he had to dance to their tune. For several times we poured boiling water on their pants and ink on their head so that they repent and do not offend us so much. They competed with each other, as we sometimes woke up until morning and read prayers of Tavasol, Kumayl and Jawshan Kabir! Until they took us to Karkheh area. In telecommunications unit that was near us and Asghar Kazemi was servicing there, they had a commander who was madder than our Seyyed Mehdi; he was called Abbas and is now a resident of New Zealand. His height was short, wore six-pocket pants with blond hair, and he felt commanding so much. Their unit was even worse than us, and they had constantly fall in and sitting to standing exercise. Their unit was called Ghamar (moon) Banihashem that we named it artificial moon unit and he scared! He also wanted to hold Khashme Shab. We were in camp of Karkheh and slept suddenly a red light came and blew up our tent. That Mr. Abbas had woken up and placed an audio grenade inside a cement block. Our tent and tent of telecommunications unit were broken completely, and it was raining too and weather was cold."

Amirian continued: "We were supposed to go to Shakhshamiran area and did our operation. We were passing a plain where we saw that some mules were injured there and had been dressed. It was so surprising for me and I asked what is story of the mule? They said that these are forces of battalion Zuljanah! It was, as if, a serious matter, and these animals served forces of Islamic warriors and were responsible for carrying and taking up and down. They said that many of them were re-dispatching and were old timer! Many of these animals were sensitive to voice of bullet and mortars, and when they heard sound of mortar whistle, they ran before we jumped. It was very interesting to me and remained in my mind, and years later turned into book of "battalion Ghaterchiha".

When we reached Shakhshemiran, there was muddy. When we went out of the tent in the morning, as if we had come to Paradise, everywhere was green and it was very beautiful view. There was a martyr named Abdullah Husseini who had a pretty beard. We were teenager and still had no beards and mustaches, it was supposed to he come and justify us. We were unaware of everything stood in on a rise. He was explaining and we looked at him. We came back one moment and saw that Abdullah Husseini was not there. We looked at each other and asked where he went. We looked and saw him a few meters thither that was struck a bullet at his forehead and died a martyr. The enemy's sniper had seen that there were some people, and one who had a beard standing in middle of them. He had thought he was surely the commander and had struck him. We also escaped the same minute."

He added "We were both playful and weak at that time. There was a man named Abdulrahim Jamshidi who was Afghan and a very good and humorous man. He liftted up DShK individually and climbed heights. When the enemy fired chemical bullets into our battalion, as many as the guys had needled him that he did not believe they really fired chemical bomb. He became afflicted to a chemical disorder and for a long time was alone in hospital because his family was in Afghanistan. Eventually he died a martyr and buried him in Varamin in a strange way."

Amirian stated, "At the last days of the war, they wanted to elevate us and were constantly giving us Āsh, Sholezard, Haleem and Khash and displayed movies. When the war ended too, they said us: Well, you can go! We told that we had just warmed up and did not want to go; they said that battalion Malek needed forces. We liquidated and went to battalion Malek that was our neighbor. We were very afraid of Mr. Seyed Madani, he was very solemn. We became forces of battalion Malek, and he was still in battalion Ansar and there was not yet completely evacuated. He slept in the yard, and we purposefully came near him in the morning and told Ya Hussein loudly and awakened him."

He said at the end, "One of the guys of the battalion was wounded and quickly returned. He stated when he revived in hospital and opened his eyes, he was under a white linen and there was screaming and crying around him. He had thought that he must have been martyred, but he realized that they also cursed with screams: "Akbar, die, your mother should die Asghar ..." He had not been in good mood, and hardly drawn the linen aside and saw that there were around him twenty pregnant women slept on the beds. He had been taken to maternity by mistake! He thought what on the earth should I do now, in order to forget his pain. Suddenly a woman who had laid on his next bed found out and cried: "come to our rescue, here is a he-man!" Women had forgotten contraction and just cursed him! He just thanked God that those women could not attack him otherwise he would surely die a martyred there! Summarily doctor and nurses had came on him and laughed. Wounded and disabled veteran went to visit him for a long time only to find out what had happened and gave him a pacifier, flower and glass of milk. He eventually had come to the front in bad mood to escape only from there and prayed to be martyred so that it would be over! "

A memory of 36 years ago
one of other memory teller in the 17^th memorial of Ansar al-Rasul (PBUH) of 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division (pbuh) was Haj Hussein Guran. "In 1982, Hajj Agha Ghaffarnazari, father of martyr Mehdi Ghaffarnazari, had a nephew who was among the guys of battalion Eight" he said. Hajj Agha Ja'far Aqeel Mohtasham, Hajj Agha Qasem Ghorbani and the guys of battalion Ansar were in Sarpol-e-Zahab at that time. One day, Hajj Agha Ghaffarnazari said: Saeed, my nephew called from Sarpol-e-Zahab and said that we should go to Kermanshah, and he would take us to garrison Abu Dhar. I went to Kermanshah with Hajj Agha and Saeed followed us. We had to go from Islamabad -e Gharb to Kerend-e Gharb and entered Sarpol-e-Zahab and then went to garrison Abu Dhar. When we arrived at Sarpol-e-Zahab, we saw that Mr. Saeed is moving fast, as the machine could be overturned at any moment. We asked him why he was moving fast? He said: "The Iraqis are on heights and they shell mortars us when we're moving." When we reached garrison Abu Dhar and the guys of Battalion Eight, we met Hajj Qasem and Mr. Mohtasham there. After a short time we realized that martyr Gholamali Pichak, who had died a martyr several days ago at high altitudes, his noble body was in Abu Dhar garrison."

The 17th Memorial of Martyrs of Ansar al-Rasul (PBUH) of 27th Division of Mohammad Rasoolullah (PBUH), commemorating for platoons of the battalion, was held in Andisheh Hall of Hozeh Honari on November 30, 2017. This program is held each year attended by Ansar Battalion fighters during Holy Defense Years and their families.

The reminiscence of commander in the 16th congress of Ansar battalion

Visual report