Memoirs of Alireza Moradi about springs in West and South of country

How did ten days of vocation pass?

Interviewer: Mehdi Khanbanpoor
Translated by: Fazel Shirzad

2016-5-1

Alireza Moradi is a judicial Colonel. He was a special force officer during the Iraqi imposed war against Iran, and he has changed his military arm after the war.

•  Gardaneh- ye Khan (Khan Col)

In 1360 (1986), the road of Baneh city towards Sardasht was being swept of mines. Before we entered into this area, a battalion of Army units (ground troops) have come there to sweep the road; the battalion was under pressure by forces that were Kurd apparently but were fighting against the hypocrites, monarchists, SAVAKIs, and groups and against the revolution.  So, they dominated the heights since it was a strategic area and they paralyzed our one of Airborne Brigade there. It was clear on the road border, all cars were burned and I have some photos of them. So, it caused the road to be unsafe on ground.  Air Force, our hero, came there. It means, we were able to cover all the fighters of Baneh and Sardasht, and even we provided their foods and supplies through sky. In this way, special force unit and army 28, especially Brigade2 were settled there; our troop also went that area.

I have always said to friends everywhere and I have written and recorded that special force unit is a strategic unit that it is so called political-military unit. This unit moves when the area really comes into a major crisis, then it move their teams. For instance, when a team is charged to join an army, in fact the battalion has taken a mission to join army camp, and when it goes and take a mission to join the battalion, actually the unit will not be called for us. Everywhere of history, it is recorded as south army camp, north army camp, army troop 21, army troop 92, but our unit took a mission to come here, specially come for liberation operations of Khorramshahr city, that now, everybody  speak about it. We have also been taken mission to join main unit, that it was armored troop 92, for 34-day siege or fight or resist of Khorramshahr city. There were also some soldiers of Marine who acted together and strongly. There were popular forces, Basij (mobilization), Army units and Gendarmerie. Now, it is depicted poorly for its own reasons unfortunately, because the army forbade media units and journalisms to take a film and didn’t allow them to enter into area for some resistance protection reasons. It is why military units are not always in the picture or TV shows. We could always complain to the Army because they always tried to overcome them for their own reasons and it was in their positions of authority. They didn’t allow the cameraman to enter in the area easily. I remember, Mr. Iravani, who was a movie director, came there to take film for Week of War (holly defense week), but he was forbidden and prevented. He complained to me, and said:” they don’t allow us to inter into area, but other organizations allow us to enter their area and shoot with no checks and no problems”. It is one of reasons why militaries complained to the film “Kimia”, we (military community) should go back to see ourselves, and see where our problems come from. We did not create much space for the media activities. I am a military and I am saying a fact.

The memoir that I want to say is about the road of Baneh city towards Sardasht. There was a great and a very height and wide Col where is called “Gardaneh- ye Khan”. After revolution, the government tried to make a tunnel in this road because it was always closed in the winter and people have to stop in other side of road. Thanks God, there is a tunnel that I cannot find time to see it after war.  I loved there because we languished in there. When the fighters wanted to come from Baneh to Sardasht and go to other city, they were forced to pass through Gardaneh- ye Khan. When we wanted to pass through the Col, if it was not winter and snowy day, we would be able to pass through it easily, but if it was snowy, we should be stayed and stopped in other side of road.  

In 1360, we went to liberate the area from enemy, heights and mountains were under control of Special Forces, soldiers were deployed in the left and right edge of road to keep its security. There was a garrison in the Baneh city; it was our army camp where the soldiers would feed and then went and deployed on the heights and mountains. Whenever they finished operation, and they wanted to go vocation, they should pass through the Col and come to military camp of Brigade 2 army 28, that were deployed in the Saqqez County, and rest there. They would move from there to their city in the morning. For doing this process, we should receive the information from the Gardaneh- ye Khan, where we have a station in, to find that is the road opened or closed?

• I go with a backpack just!

I had ten off days; there were 75 days or 80 days before I go home for vocation of Nowruz (New Year). I very loved to be at home in the beginning of New Year, that it was my first New Year after getting married, to visit my parents and my wife as well.  For going to vocation of New Year, I stayed there for one or two off days to set times for going home for 5 days or 3 day before New Year i.e. on Esfand  26^th and 27^th of 1359 (17 and 18 March 1981). After this displacement, I got permission to go vocation of New Year. I called to soldiers of khan Mountain where there was a station: “how is the road?” I said. “It is blizzard” he answered. “My one off day is wasting, what a blizzard! Please let me go, if the road is opened and cars are passing” I said.  “You know it is hard to go. You cannot go, it is blizzard”. I said him: “I will com”. We had a big backpack that we called it “French Rock Bag”. I put my things in backpack and said: “I go”. The date of my letter of vocation was passed for one day. It was very painful. I arrived to road. I said by myself: “I will go through cars are going toward the station, then I will change the car with those are came from Saqqez and stopped in other side of the station”. In short, one of the other two friends arrived there, and said: “Moradi goes, so we will go.”  We moved toward the mountain. We were in middle of Col and found that the cars could not move and they were gliding on snowy road. I said friends: “Let's walk along this short remained path to peak; the other side peak would be slope. Anyway, some cars are probably coming toward Sardasht, and they cannot pass through this road and they should be returned, so we will be able to come back with them.” some friends of the station said us: “don’t come, it’s very dangerous, it is possible to get caught in snow by all of your body.” We wanted to go, but they did not allow me, so we came back that day. On the one hand, that night, I was tried so much and I slept in the garrison. On the other hand, my off days were wasting. Two days passed. I liked to go home, but I was in the garrison, not at home. It was painful, and staying in the garrison will not be accounted anywhere.

• One of our sport equipments was big shells of gun

The next morning, I saw a car was passing. I take my Rock Bag quickly and rode on it. It moved and reached to top of mountain, and we saw there again that cars were coming back. It was blizzard again. It was sunny in the low area and Baneh city, but blizzard in the mountain. By 3 or 4 p.m, I said: “I go”. I ride off the car and put the Rock Bag on my shoulders, I have also worn a top boot. You just have to wear top boot in the snowy weather, the boot is not useful in snow. Boots were sent by people’s donations. Wind catchers, that people have sent, were also very useful. When I wore the top boot, put the wind catcher on the top boot, and I started to walk on snowy road. I closed to top of mountain. If I started to walk early, I would arrive to higher, and to a station where there were friends. I was walking for one half hour. The wind catcher, that was waterproof, was losing its resistance, and I was feeling moisture under clothes gradually. I felt my pants are wetted under wind catcher, and snow influenced in my top boots. My socks also were wetted. Sometimes I dipped into snow by waist and top of knee. On the one hand, it was difficult to press snow and walk. On the other hand, Rock Bag was boring on my shoulders and when I was bored, I relied on it, and while my feet were in snow, I rested there. Persons, who were following me, wanted to came back. “We want to come back” they said.  But I have promised myself that I should not come back. I felt my hands and feet were numbed and unable to feel anything, they were so frozen.  My beard was iced as icicle. It means I could feel ices. My face was covered by ice completely. But I would hope to go, and I said by myself that I should pass the Col. I also could not communicate with the station. The sun was beginning to fall. I said that what if an incident would be happened for me and nobody help me? I did not have hope for behind and ahead. I wondered what I should do. I was not afraid, but I wanted to cry for disappointment, because I have tried hard enough and I determined to go but I could not move and walk in snow. Whenever I wanted to walk, I was immersed suddenly in a pit or part of height. Perhaps it could be a valley, but because it was very snowy, I would be immersed in it by chest. I got in a situation that I wanted to cry.  On the one hand, I said myself I could not go, but on the other hand, I liked to go. It brought tears to my eyes.

• No car moved down and no car came to top of mountain

I was at young age. Now when everyone looks at these our military signs and marks, looks at our green hats, and looks at our military rank, says: you were a real special force! Okay, I was a young person; I was a special force at 21 years old rather than an experienced special force. I had some experience, but not enough experience.  I was exhausted. I trusted unto God. It was twilight by blizzard, and it caused night to be much dark. Suddenly I saw a light. The friends, who were in station, have called by a walkie talkie (radio) that two or three persons are coming on foot.  Well, it was windy and blizzard and it helps us by waving the light of lantern to see. In the condition of disappointment, I saw the light of lantern by trusting to God. I wondered it is light of lantern, star, truck or jeep. But it was very hopeful. While I was going, I was able to hear their sound because I was in the opposite direction to the way the wind was blowing, so they shouted and I could hear. I got an extra energy, and I always thanked God. I was hurried to go faster, and I dipped to snow more. At the last moments, snow has influenced in my collar and neck, and my hands were iced. I just remember that I saw a bunker in the long-distance, and I heard that they were shouting: “come here!” I could see them, I realized later. But all of them hoped to see me with their sound and light of lantern. I tried to arrive the near of bunker. Two of them, who have worn a wind catcher, furry hat and glasses, came and catch my shoulders and hands and then pulled me into snow. I opened my eyes; I was in a cozy place in a bunker. They have brought me station, and I changed my clothes and warmed. They said: “why did you come in this way?” they said. “I decided to go home and I will go”. I was in the station, and friends called that those two persons, who were with me, came back. But I determined to go. I believed that I should stand on my words, and see that can I perform practically as I trained? “Now, you come here, but how can you go?” they said. “I can go by a car that has arrived here” I answered.  “Some soldiers could come here from Baneh because its military station is near here, and some people say that if someone wants to come back from vocation, he won’t have butterfly in stomach. But if someone is going to go vocation and off days, he will be worried, and when the weather is blizzard, all cars will come back.” They said.  "So what should I do?" I said: “"Nothing, you stay here, and when a car is going to down, you can ride and go with it” they answered. “What does that mean?” I said. It is possible, cars won’t move down.” They answered. “But I have tried very much!” I said. So I hope you won’t be caught in problem, we also stayed in the station for one day. There was no car to go down or come from down, because the cars were not allowed to go down. I said: “oh Lord, how do you play with me, you don’t like that I go home for night of New Year.  When do you like it? Just at night of New Year when I wanted to be at home. The friends said: “take your time! Why do you want go?” I answered: “I have tried to go home for seventy days.” There was no any car and also I didn’t interest to come back. I saw that these friends were ready for beginning of New Year, and prepared a Haft-Seen. I said myself that I should come back tonight; if it is not possible, I will be hear along with friends and their Haft-See. There wasn’t any car to come back and go home. It was my fate that I should be stay in the bunker for night of New Year. Anyway, my off days were passing.

I have tried very much to go home. It was my fate that I should be stay in the bunker for night of New Year. It was sunny in next day. It was pretty good, I could go with cars that were going to come and come back. The first car that arrived there was our unit’s. They thought I was in Tehran and at home. The cars arrived to top of the Col at 9 o’clock.  I shook my hands and all were surprised and said: “Moradi, are you here still?” I answered: “I was going to go home very soon, but it was my fate to stay here for night of New Year and come with you on the rest of way.” I rode on our own truck and went to brigade station 2 of Saqqez. We had lunch there. I regained myself, I changed my clothes and I went to terminal of Saqqez. There wasn’t any bus, because it was crowded for beginning of New Year. Some of drivers were fairness to raise costs! (Smile) We would pay huge cost to buses and taxies to arrive somewhere. I took a bus to come Zanjan city. I rode off the bus in Qazvin road police station, and took a car to go Qazvin, and there I took a car to go Tehran. I spent the rest of vocation in Tehran. I think it was finishing. I was in Tehran for 2 or 3 days. Once I went to visit garrison of Tehran and see what friends were doing and to know what they had to get for military camp of Saqqez. Then I came back to Saqqez. It was snowy again and there were so beautiful snows and mountains, and beautiful landscapes. I received pleasure or satisfaction of Kurdistan and west’s landscapes. I always said: oh Lord, when will war be finished, and come here with to see how beautiful landscapes they are, and haw many natures do people have here that can be used? But I did not have enough time to go there, But I like go there once with my family to see the area.

• Did you remember what was fighter’s Haft-Seen in that New Year?

Yes, we measured containers of canned tuna by G3 machine guns tape, and put shell casings on it, and made it shiny by handkerchief. We papered seven such items for Haft-Seen. We were not being able to prepare some items such as vinegar, Samanoo and etc. we put the items that started by letter “s”, for example stone, into the containers of canned tuna and other created containers. But it was very difficult to find a stone in our military station. We were not being able to find a stone and soil, because there was snow on ground in mostly 5 or 6 meters. Soil was not seeable. People who were living there knew that we could see soil and Vegetation covering for a short time of winter. Whenever we wanted to go out of bunker, we should use of sunglasses, or else eyes would be injured.  The friends put the stone in one of containers, and put other items that started by letter “s” in another container, such as Sekeh (coin), Sim Anten ( wire of antenna), Sim Chin (wire clipper) that we provided them form friends who were working in Telecom unit. We prepared Haft-Seen by such available items.  We had also Sabzeh (wheat grass) in our Haft-Seen. One of friends had already gone to Saqqez city and bought some wheat grass. One of our sport equipments was big shells of gun. The soldiers filled big shells of gun 105; these shells were our traditional sport weight. We would provide an appropriate situation for us by available equipments. Every person can make your situation beautiful or ugly. That situation was a waiting situation. It was same for us in Kurdistan and south areas. We were not always fighting; we were most often bunker and waiting situation. If we did not use of this situation completely, we would be injured morally and bodily. The part of situation was belonging to attack and operation, but other one was for us, it was waiting situation. We should wait for operation plans and operations to be ready. We were sometimes waiting in bunker. Everyone did something, studied, did handworks until an operation, military excursion or mission would be ready.

Whenever friends and I speak about the war, I say “Good old days”. In those days, we loved each other; we were in same morality and behavior. It was as Hajj (The Pilgrimage) tradition because when you wear Ihram clothe in Mecca, just it shows your body coverage. There is not any sign to recognize your personality, identity, job, knowledge, language, where you are from, amount of your property and married or single, just clothe shows your body coverage, and you come there to circumambulate  and visit the God’s house (kaaba). War was also such places, and when someone was wearing clothe, it would be a war clothe.  

We, particularly Special Forces, wore brown or dusty clothes and we didn’t have any logos and signs as our policy. All of us were wearing Basij clothes. We were in same clothes and appearances, exactly as if they come to circumambulate and visit kaaba. There was one goal for all, but in different forms. There were all kinds of people such as doctor, worker and farmer…but all of them were united and in one goal. It was a good and memorable mood and condition. It should always be kept. I love and admire this mood. I wish it would be popularized in our country. I wish we were in devotion and sacrifice together. In Yalda night (night of forty), If we saw someone should go to guard post but he was sleeping, we wouldn’t awake him. So when he got up, he would find us in his post. He would be sad, but there was a climate full devotion, sacrifice and forgiveness among us.

• Weren’t you in north during vocations of New Year?

Somehow, it was same for South. The friend believed altruistically that married persons should go vocation first, and then single ones. Those who were going to stay, try to prepare the climate. We provided items of Haft-Seen. In those days, we tried also to sort items of Haft-Seen, but in special form and using available items in war frontage. If we were in war at the moment of beginning New Year, we did same doings of New Year that we would do at home. We would put our neat and new clothes, the military and dusty clothes, under blanket to be ironed, because we slept on them. Everyone put his all foods on tablecloth.

• Taking vacations to go city and buy postcards

One very interesting thing was that we would go to Ahvaz city or Andimeshk all together for vocation of New Year to buy postcard. Military telecom did an initiative work that it should be appreciated. It gives war propaganda center some papers to hardest and furthest places where there were no facilities. We folded up these papers and made an envelope. There were a lot of such papers in bunkers. We wrote address on the envelopes, and friends put them in postal box. Of course, post office was powerful in action. It installed post box in every place such as roads and military stations, and then post officers came and gathered the letters. It was not need to stick postage stamp on the letters and anything else, we just would be able put them in postal box. So these letters, as common letters, should be distributed in cities. These envelopes have priority in distribution for their appearances included of war pictures and bunkers. As a result, when post officers saw these kinds of letters, they would find whose it is and who has a soldier in war, then post officers would deliver the letter to his home. When it was New Year, all friends tried to write postcard and put it in envelope and sent it to home. The Climate was very beautiful and it was true that we were far from family, but affection, interest, belief and responsibility kept us in worst situations. Perhaps, now nobody wants to be far from family, wife and children, but we were agreeing to go war in that climate, because we have beliefs and it caused to be success and win, and also now we are winner.

One of the most beautiful things we always liked to see in the south or the Kurdistan was growing of plants. When we see these plants, climate would be easier and more comfortable for us, because at that time, there wasn’t snowy and cold weather. In north, when the plants were growing up, we could see that climate was ready for us. Warm season was finished and it was better season.  I remember one year we went to patrol around the area during vocation of New Year. I think it was for liberation operation of Khorramshahr city. It was very difficult to move at night, so, some net as net of beekeepers, were sent to us. We put these nets on our faces to keep mosquitoes, because when we opened our mouth they would go into mouth. Whenever we opened eyes at night, we could see a lot of mosquitoes near hear. There were a large amount of mosquitoes. And we had been given some gloves in Abadan cities that we wore them. Anyway, these were beautiful days in despite of all mentioned situations.