Narration of fellow fighting with Kaveh in "Javid Memories"

Shima Donyadar Rostami
Translated by M. B. Khoshnevisan

2018-8-21

"Javid Memories" is the second book of "Oral History Collection of Commanders and Combatants of Khorasan Province" written by Alireza Miri. The interviews have also been conducted by Miri. It is the oral memoirs of Javid (Javad) Nezampour, the first commander of the Military Instruments of the Special Division of Martyrs during the Scared Defense from martyr Brigadier General Mahmoud Kaveh.

The memoirs of Javid (Javad) has started with a review of the conditions of the holy city of Mashhad during the childhood of his father. Thus, the audience not only gets familiar with ideological roots of him and his father, but also the reasons for naming him as "Javid", their immigration to the town of Torbat-e Jam and other events of his childhood are revealed.

"Saleh Abad in Torbat-e Jam was our destination. There was a neighborhood in the town whose houses had been built by the government and its inhabitants were mostly government employees or military forces. We were warmly welcomed by the kind people of the town in the first hours of our arrival…"

The book's first chapter titled "The Soldier of Imam" ends with the sweet and bitter memories and photos from childhood and teenage times.

Javad Nezampour, who had gone to work in the Mashhad's bazar because of the loss of his father during his adolescence, begins the chapter "The Dawn of the Awakening" with the incendiary atmosphere of the city's bazar since late 1355 (March 1977). He honestly expresses his feelings during the first popular protests to the Pahlavi regime. Somewhere in the book's page 88, we read: "I thought I should not be on the sidelines because of the problems I have in my life and considered the revolution as a slight event. All my efforts were to be able to secure my family which had become orphans for several years…" But the extent of the people's struggle was so large that could not be neglected. The next two pages (page 90) reads from the language of the narrator, "I felt that in addition to my family, I am also responsible for the society and the people …and the burden of this responsibility towards the society gave me a very good emotion."

The teenage Javid was trying to extend the scope of his responsibility day by day insofar as he not only followed the struggles of the people so that the Islamic revolution was born fruit, but became a member of Mashhad's Revolution Committee in order to protect the people's achievement. The city's organization after the victory of the Islamic revolution, fighting against anti-revolutionary and Mujahedin-e Khalq (hypocrites) groups in Mashhad and Kurdistan, being trained by an army warrant officer in Kurdistan, clashing with the anti-revolutionary forces and the story of returning to Mashhad and enrolling in an art school are among other events followed in the second chapter.

The writer has selected the title "Imposition of a war" for the book's third chapter. The narrator who was waiting for the month of Mehr and the reopening of schools, saw the war ahead of himself this time. The thought of the invasion of Saddam's army on the soil of his country did not leave him calm even for a moment and every time he went to Mashhad to make a pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), asked the Imam to be sent to the front as soon as possible. Finally, through an old friend (Nourallah Kazemian), he was introduced to Imam Reza (PBUH) Garrison for passing a training course. Then, he was dispatched to the front after passing a difficult training.

In the lines from the book's page 208 which is the first sentences about the front, we read from the narrator's language, "The firing of the friendly artillery and the hitting of the enemy's shells, was a scene from a real war which was considered for a combatant as a promise for entering the frontline of Jihad. But it was not such for all. A tall and strong man was among us who considered himself to be very bully, always showing strength and courage. He did not take the smaller guys into account, and boasted a lot. He continuously made threats against the Iraqis and Saddam. But as soon as he heard the sound of explosion, he became pale and his hands and feet started shivering. Then, he said immediately, "I will come back. I can't continue…"

The front of Shush, the resistance city, the first start of the New Year in the bastion, and the first showdown in the south are among other parts of the book's third chapter.

The book's fourth chapter narrates the battle against anti-revolutionary forces and the aggressor Ba'thists in Kurdistan. Thus, it is named "Again Kurdistan". Kurdistan has welcomed the narrator in this way, "A heavy snow had covered the whole area and it was too cold to go out. There was no enjoyable warmth inside the salon, but whatever it was, we were safe from the cold weather outside. Little by little, the combined breath warmed up the space, and most of the guys who were tired of the way went to sleep without having dinner…" (page 313).   

Expression of details about the childhood and comic events of the front during the war memories and the narrator's honesty in expressing memoirs have made the lines of this part of the book more charming. Also the gathering of all tribes and forces in Kurdistan for freeing the province from the clutch of anti-revolutionary groups have been demonstrated well in the chapter "Again Kurdistan". In part of the page 392, we read, "I had seen Major Sayad Shirazi several times when the military commanders had come to visit the region. But on that day, I did not think he had been the victorious commander of the operation. He came and brought with himself a world of morale and strength. Every soldier turned into a roaring and courageous lion. It was as if all the martyrs who had calmed down through the canal had come to our aid. The sun was still in the middle of the sky when the Arbaba became the arena of military forces and the Kurdish people. Forty-four days of resistance and forty-four martyrs were our gifts to my land, Kurdistan".

Being on duty as a sentinel, road guard, nightly patrol, finally an operation, a successful operation, and public relations are other parts of this chapter which ends with images from the battle in Kurdistan.

"Toward Sardasht" is the same chapter which describes about the narrator's acquaintance with Mahmoud Kaveh. A young, tall, white, and, of course, brave and tame commander draws the narrator's attention in the first lines of the fifth season. This chapter narrates the fight against the anti-revolutionary forces in Sardasht. The climax of the clash has been narrated in this way in the page 424, "Mahmoud jumped in the middle of the road and while sitting down started firing with machine gun at one of the cars. He also started firing along with him. The enemy forces jumped down and in the hope of finishing the bullets of Mahmoud and his companion, started clashing with them.  I also watched Mahmoud carefully until he pointed with his hand to fire. I started without interruption. With Mahmoud's trick, the vehicles empty of forces fled to save their lives. First, they tried to turn around, but the low width of the road prevented their fast turning ... "

The titles of deceived girls, local guy, and returning from the journey are other parts of this chapter, ending with pictures of the battle in Sardasht and Baneh.

"Shoulder to Shoulder with Mahmoud" is the title of the last chapter of the first volume of "Javid Memories". Javid Nezampour, who was relieved of the battle with anti-revolutionary forces, had returned to his city, until he was stopped behind a red light in Mashhad and this changed the path of his life. In the page 506 of the book, we read, "I saw a bike coming to me and stopped beside me, I raised my head and saw the biker cold-bloodedly. I could not believe, Mahmoud Kaveh had been standing beside me… he told me: What are you doing these days, Javad? I said I was working in a workshop. Mahmoud said with grief: Do you know to what extent the Kurdistan needs you, the Kurdistan-goers? Do you know how much we have shortage of experienced forces?..."

The sections titled grilled fish, the preparations for an operation, tireless, destiny road, and images from fellow fighting with Mahmoud Kaveh ends the book.  

The first volume of "Javid Memories" is the second book of "Oral History Collection of Commanders and Combatants of Khorasan Province" which has been released by Stars Publications with 1100 copies in 618 pages and with medium octavo and for the price of 27,000 tomans.