Memoirs of Marzieh Hadidchi (Dabbagh) (Part 53)

2018-8-14

Memoirs of Marzieh Hadidchi (Dabbagh) (Part 53)

Edited by: Mohsen Kazemi

Tehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company

‎2002 (Persian Version)‎

Translated by: Zahra Hosseinian

Zealotry of the People

When Kamyaran city; a city of Kurdestan and borders on Kermanshah, was attacked by Democratic and Komala small group, the zealotry of people of Kermanshah simmered. They were very upset and angry and wanted to protect their own honor, as well as the honor of their land, but they were empty-handed.

These angry people rushed to the back of the wall of garrison of Guardian Corps and demanded weapons and ammunition. We felt that it would cause riots and chaos, and it was not unlikely that the foreign instigators (hypocrites) were involved. We refused to comply with their request. Facing with our refusal, the people gradually began to shout slogans against us. Therefore, we were certain that several hypocrites probably were among them.

They said that we want to fight with aggressors, but you opposed, so you are with them. Indeed, we did not want to face them, but we could not separate them in that situation and saw who told the truth and who lied; and we knew that if the weapons would fall into the hands of these angry people, the hypocrites will fish in troubled waters.

In order to calm the atmosphere, the first step was holding a meeting with brothers of IRGC. Then we decided to resist against people’s demands and did not allow them to enter the garrison, and if they did, we arrested them. In the next step, we spoke with them, but it was in vain and they were not convinced.

We thought about another remedy, and asked them to surrender an identification card in order to get arms, but it was useless too. When people saw our excuses, said that if we did not give them any arms, they would fight with shovel and pick and stick and knife, and then they returned to do that. Observing this situation, we suspected that lest a slaughter occurred. We gradually made sure that most of them really wanted to defend the city. As a result, we decided to allow them to enter the garrison and then to separate those who were suspicious, and to train the rest very concise and brief the way of using weapons, at least how to fire, how to aim, how to assemble and reassemble them and how to change the clip of cartridges. People also welcomed and participated enthusiastically in these training sessions.

It was hard times, the brothers sincerely and earnestly worked hard, indeed no motive other than the divine one could effect on these brothers to work day and night. They worked three full days and nights and I accompanied them too. On the third night, after performing evening prayers, I suddenly felt weakness. I could not see, hear, and understand properly. I noticed that my presence was in vain, so I told the brothers that I wanted to go for rest for half an hour to feel better. There was a small garden in which no light was on for safety and it was dark. I was in a state between wakefulness and sleep when I stepped into garden and spread a blanket and lied down; not knowing that it was wet. I was so much sleepy that I did not notice it was irrigated and wet.

I slept deeply for about 45 minutes when suddenly jumped up due to hearing a firing. I saw I was soaked head to toe, and had gone down into wet soil with the blanket. It was a strange situation, while water was dripping from my clothes, I went toward the brothers. I saw a brother who had grouped people, shot a bullet by mistake and it hit the heel of one of people.

The sun had not risen yet when the hypocrites attacked one of other military bases for the excuse of taking weapons to confront with the intruders and have plundered the arsenal. It was turned out that our concern was not in vain, and thank God, we did not get into trouble, because we had separated suspicious people, while trained many.

Salary and self-sacrifice

The guard brothers, who collaborated with us in the IRGC at that time, had come wholeheartedly, and they did not mean anything other than a divine motive. Their revolutionary spirit and passion and faith, as well as the hardships and unsafe conditions of the western region, had made them firm and strong, and they did not want anything except gaining a happy life and dying as a martyr.

They did not care day or night, family or parents, and ... but everything was in the circle of revolution and Islam. No one had joined IRGC for financial matters and even mentioning it was below their dignity. But our responsibility called for not being indifferent to their family and their needs. They were guardian of a family or at least their parents then we should not ignore their needs.

A letter had been received from headquarters which announced the guard brothers to propose their salary. They got upset when were informed of this announcement, and mentioned that they had not come for this reason; and if they were seeking financial matters, they could obtain it elsewhere or continued their previous job.

Whatever I reasoned, they did not convince to propose the amount of their salary. They said, ‘As long as we eat lunch and dinner here and take our clothes from IRGC, it is enough, and working for the Qur'an and God and attempt for strengthening Islam does not need salary. ’ I replied, ‘it is not only about your own daily needs; it’s about your family and people whom you take care of. If you don’t declare your proposed salary, at least say an approximation of your monthly cash then we pay for your family needs not for yours. We won’t give you salary, but pay for your family needs.’

These talks did not work and finally I myself announced the amount of salary for those who strongly refused to get salary.

There was a man named Hajj Aqa Mukhtaran, who had joined the IRGC enthusiastically and sincerely and worked very hard. He was a very devout and revolutionary person who helped us from the very first days of the formation of the Revolutionary Guards. Even though he had a confectionary store and gained a very good income, but he had sold it and spent the money for revolution. Those days he did not accept at all to get salary from IRGC. Later, we found out that his wife weaved socks during nights, besides doing household and taking care of her children during days, and his son sold the socks by day and their living expenses were provided in this way.

Lame Commander

Visiting Imam Khomeini to report or to get a word of advice, I called him, ‘Haj Aqa’ and he called me ‘sister Tahereh’ either when I served in his house in Neauphle-le-Château, in France, or later on, when I was in charge of different posts.

During a combat with counterrevolutionaries in the west of the country and in Kurdistan, my leg was injured badly during a patrol and reconnaissance operation, and I was transferred to Martyr Mustafa Khomeini hospital. After a while, surgery and treatment worked and I recovered. When I was able to stand up with elbow crutches, I went to visit Imam. Seeing my state, Imam smiled and said, "Wow! How on earth a commander could be lame!" In 1982, after this meeting, I quited from the position of commanding IRGC in Hamadan and took charge of women mobilization (Basij) and started working in another area.

I remember that one day during my serving period in Basij, I visited Imam. I had worn manteau and trousers and scarf as usual. "Why you haven’t worn Chador?" Imam said gently, "may I ask Ahmad to buy a Chador for you!" I said: "I have chador, sir. But climbing up the mountain and hill with weapon and belt of cartridges and other equipment become hard by wearing Chador." Imam said, "At the present you are working in the city." And his reminder stuck in my mind, in order to appear in all the conditions and in the view of the community with Chador.

To be continued…