Military Service at the Verge of the third decade (2)
I said: I don’t remember you sir!
Interview with Haj Mohammad Hashem Soleimani
Ehsan Mansouri
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian
2015-12-29
Were you literate at the time?
No! I didn’t learn it here. I learned a bit during military service. We had a bit of literacy there.
Would they provide underwear?
Yes! They would provide underwear and shirts every three months. They provided three sets of clothes. We used to wash our clothes. There were no detergents and we used to wash them by soap. It was Ashtiyani soap and the green soaps that we have today. We didn’t have shampoo and we used to wash our head with soap.
Were there public showers?
When we were in Shemiran, there was no shower equipment. We had traditional baths. They would bring fuel from mountains. There was an old man who would bring fire wood from mountains and heat up the bath.
How would the showers in Kings Palace warmed?
I don’t know.
Did you have city tour vacation?
We were off one day. My uncle lived in Tehran. His name was Teymour and he was army veteran. I used to go to his place.
Was there electricity in Shemiran Palace?
Yes! There was electricity in the city as well.
Were there settlements from city to Sheiran?
Rarely. There were no buildings. There were houses in Sheiran and Tehran but in the way there were quite a few.
How would you travel from Tehran to Shemiran?
We would go by army Jeeps. Electricity distribution was not equal everywhere. There were generators that they would run to provide electricity.
Did authorities and kings of other countries visit?
King of Saudi came and stayed for 15 days. He was accommodated in Niyavaran Palace. I used to guard his palace. Food was provided from that palace. We could see the Saudi King but we were not allowed to talk to him. They wouldn’t drink tea but coffee, they brought me coffee as well.
Was there heavy snow in Shemiran?
Shemiran Mountains are snowy. The water running down the mountains in the spring was scary. Fruit trees and vines were cultivated along the running water.
Were you ever called for disciplinary action during military service?
No! not at all. The first night in Shemiran there was a post in front of the dorm and I was on duty that night. Our commander said: Soleimani! Don’t fall asleep. I said: I won’t, but I was sleepy after a while and I fell on the garbage bins and made a lot of noise. Everybody ran out. Out commander came and asked: did you fall asleep? I said: No. He said: You did, but it’s fine. It was the first time. It was the only time when I fell asleep. My commander was very supportive. Captains Makouyi and Asgari were my commanders.
I was just appointed as a guard. We were in Shemiran Palace. When we changed post the previous guard didn’t tell me that Shapoor Alireza [1] has left the palace. When I started my shift I didn’t know Shapoor Alireza is out of the palace. It was dark at night that I saw car lights from the road and a car was closing in. It flashed light. We had closed the gates. He said: hey guard! Open the door! I said: Sir! I don’t know you. He said: I just left few minutes ago. I said: I don’t know you. It wasn’t my shift. My friend was here. He wanted to open the door that I pressed the alarm button. Captain Makouyi came running and said: What’s wrong Solemani? Then he saw Shapoor Alireza. He saluted and said: Please! Enter the gate. Shapour Alireza said: This guard needs to be disciplined. Makouyi said: Sir! He’s new in this post! He didn’t recognize you! He hasn’t seen you leaving the palace. Forgive him. He had brought a lady with him. He took her back late at night.
So you weren’t disciplined for the incident?
No! Makouyi supported me. When my service was over one of my fellow village members served in the palace. Makouyi had asked: Are you from the same village as Soleimani? He said: Yes. Then Makouyi had stated couple of times that Soleimani was a good soldier.
What would you do with 7 thousand and ten Shahi salary? You didn’t have expenses?
I would spend it. I would go to the city and buy something.
Did you go to the movies?
No, I wouldn’t. The government would take soldiers to the movies. There were war movies at that time. Every couple of weeks, soldiers were taken to the movies.
Did they plan events for soldiers?
Yes, they did. They would take us to the movies.
Anything else?
No, they wouldn’t take us anywhere else. There was no recreational activity. No camps.
Did you have the Berno gun till the end of your service?
Yes, it was the Berno till the end. We had those short pistols that we have also these days. It had a long magazine. It was automatic and would fire close around 50 bullets.
Did you fire during these two years?
No, it was only during training. We were out of the city.
Wasn’t it difficult that you had only 13 vacation days during two years?
Difficult or not, I had to stay. I wasn’t married at the time and I had no children. It was difficult but I had to endure. I wouldn’t complain; everyone else was the same. Some didn’t even get one day. Some would get their vacation but didn’t know how to go back home.
Did you have guarding shifts outside the dorm?
We had. Two soldiers would guard every night outside the dorm. The shifts were in two.
Did you have pipe water in the dorm?
No, the water tap was outside the dorm. There was a small pond in front of the dorm that water would fall inside from above.
Did you have mourning events during Moharram?
Yes we had. A clergy would attend the dorm and hold the event. During the first ten days it was mourning. The Kings would arrange anything.
During your service, was Soraya King’s wife?
Yes, he had married her before I joined the service. His first wife was Fouziyah and he had a daughter. He divorced her and married Soraya. He married his daughter off to Ardeshir Zahedi’s son. Zahedi was prime minister. It was end of my military service that he divorced Soraya. Then he married Farah. I haven’t seen Farah but I did see Soraya.
Did they cook food in Shemiran?
Soldiers had their own chef. The King had a different chef and food. By night, the chef would take the left over with him. He used to say: this left over is from King’s food, I want to take it. We would say: open it! We used to inspect so that he wouldn’t take spoons and forks since they were all gold. He used to put the pot on the ground and we would inspect it.
Shapour Alireza had travelled to Lar O Gallehdar village. He went hunting with the village leader. The next day he started his trip towards Tehran that he hit the plane to Lar o Gallehdar mountains and died. They searched for him for couple of days but didn’t find him until a shepherd had noticed something shinny while grazing his herd and realized the plane. I was on my shift that a sergeant and an ordinary man approach and said: Sir, we want to go to King’s office. I said: it is forbidden. You should hand over your letters to guard. Captain Makouyi came and said: Shapour Alireza’s body is found and they would collect it tomorrow. The next day, the corps came in. We carried our guns upside down so that the barrel would face the ground. We accompanied the cascade with the march to the end of the city. They took him to Sepahsalar Mosque. They washed their bodies along with the pilot in the mortuary and took them to Pahlavi tomb in Shah Abdolazim. King had said that he himself had to open the face of the corps prior to burial. When the King opened his face, he collapsed. Batemanghelich and General nasiri [2] assisted the King out of the grave and took him to the palace. I asked the mortuary: how was the corps? He said: forehead was gone.
We guarded couple of days in Shahabdolazim?
We stayed there for a week. When the King returned, we returned to King’s Garden.
Were you allowed to go out with dorm casual clothes?
We had our uniforms for the dorm. Uniforms for guards. When we returned from our posts we used to press our clothes. It was coal iron at the time. Then we would hang them and put them on during our shits. We suffered a lot.
What was the fuel for heating?
We had charcoal that they would soak it with coal water and then put it in a pot or in a heater. It would burn anything else like oil.
Did coal have any ashes or remains?
We used to empty the heater before fire.
When did you finish your military service?
I was there for two years and came back in 1054.
Do you have your service card?
No, it was destroyed. I had a picture in King’s Garden at the entrance door. It’s all gone.
Did they give your service card when your service was over?
Yes, they gave me my service card but in case of unrest I had to go back for two months to serve. It was written on it that in case of summon I had to go back.
Did you hand over your uniforms when your service was over?
Except for one set, I handed over the rest.
Did they pay you anything at the end? Award or money?
No, it wasn’t like that then. Our commanders were starving.
But we had disciplinary actions. One of the things that they would do during training was that they would blind fold us and we had to tear the gun apart and assemble it again. Those who couldn’t do it were disciplined. The disciplinary action was that they had to hold two barrels filled with water for ten minutes above their head or two guns.
Did you have morning ceremony in King’s Palace?
No, we didn’t but in King’s Garden we had. Someone would climb the stage and pray, then they would play music and soldiers had to march in front of the platform. I don’t remember the song but it was about the King.
Were all guards in Shemiran tall?
Short soldiers were not allowed in King’s Garden. When they needed forces they would issue summon to send tall soldiers.
You served in King’s Garden and Shemiran and Niyavaran?
Yes, only these three locations. I didn’t go to the palaces in North.
________________________________________
[1] Alireza Pahlavi (1922 – 1954) was the fifth or sixth child and second son and the last child of Reza Shah Pahlavi and Tajolmoluk Ayermalou and brother of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who was born April 2, 1922. He studied in Tehran and Lausanne, Switzerland and returned to Iran on May 9, 1936 and attended military university. He graduated in 1941 and travelled with his father to Saint Morris where his father was exiled and stayed with him till his death.
In 1944 he joined the military forces in France and served until 1947 then he returned to Tehran. During his military service in France, Alireza met and married a Police girl, Christine Scholovski and they had a son, Ali Patrick Pahlavi, however, the palace of Iran didn’t approve of the marriage and Shapour Alireza’s wife and son lived in Paris. On November 21, 1953 he was appointed as the chairman of military sports association.
On October 28, 1954, right when there were the rumors of his heir to the thrown (since the King and Soraya didn’t have children) Alireza Pahlavi was killed in a plane crash. He crashed in Lashak Mountains in Mazandaran Province and died. (Dr. Bagher Agheli, Iran History, Constitution to Islamic Revolution. Vol. 2, edition 8, Tehran: Namak, 1387, Page 23).
[2] Marshal Nematollah Nasiri (July 2010, Semnan, was the third head of Intelligence service during Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.
Marshal Nematollah Nasiri graduated the military university top of his class. His father, Mohammad Nasiri (Amidolmamalek) and his mother was Zarrin Taj Khanum. Nasiri was commander of first regiment of royal guards. During June boycott he surrounded Mohammad Mosadegh’s residence and announced the command of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and discharged Mohammad Mosadegh from his post as prime minister. On October 5, 1971, during Royal 2500 Years Celebration he was appointed as marshal and in September 1978, upon the curfew in Tehran and change of administration, when he was the ambassador of Iran in Pakistan he was called to Tehran and sent to Evin prison. After the Islamic Revolution he was executed on the roof of Refah School.
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