The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 10

Diary of a Rescuer

Sabah Piri
Translated to English by M.B. Khoshnevisan

2025-6-8

The Embankment Wounded Shoulders – 10
Diary of a Rescuer

Sabah Piri
Translated to English by M.B. Khoshnevisan
Persian Version (1990)
Sooreh Mehr Publications

***

I was on my way back to Dokoohhe, feeling familiar with the railroad, its tracks, and wagons. As it was dinner time, I went to get a drink on the train and that's when I saw Haj Mojtaba Asgari in the train corridor. I hadn't seen Hajj in about a month. His father had suffered a stroke, and the Haji had been taking care of his father's hospital work. It took two or three days for Haj Asgari to come from Dokooheh, but he didn't say a word.

In the evening, we drove to the Karkheh camp where the night battle was scheduled to take place. That night, I took charge of leading the battle, making the guys run for 7 kilometers.

A few days later, in the evening, Haj Mameqani pulled me aside and addressed my rumored desire to resign, mentioning that I was even willing to go to prison for it. I confirmed his suspicions, stating that I would go to prison if necessary and even begin saying the Qada or missed prayer. He reacted by grabbing my ear and twisting it firmly, warning me to keep quiet and focus on my duties. I nodded in understanding, left without further discussion about resigning.

I was camping with Haj Mameqani, Ghiyassi, and the rest of the commanding guys. One night, Haji wanted to launch a night battle, but there was no news. The second and third nights passed without any action. The guys became dismayed and started protesting. Some even cursed, saying that they had been sleeping with their boots for three nights and begged to be spared from the night battle. The next night, as the guys slept peacefully, the Haji brought the demolition team and laid mines all around the Karkheh camp. The artillery team also set up double-barreled cannons. DShK machine guns were aimed at the camp from the trenches. The tension was high, and even though the guys knew a night battle could happen, the scene felt incredibly real and many were afraid.

The sound of explosions and bullets filled the air, frightening everyone. Ghiyassi came and, with a sad smile, said, "Sabah! Do you remember that night battle?" He was referring to the same night battle in which I had played the role of a dead man. He said, "A night battle should also involve lessons, not just a lot of work." After some time, Haji Mameqani gathered us one night and announced, "We have to go." We were tasked with building sheds once again. An operation was planned to take place in a location called Khosrow Abad, which was seen as a setback. Despite several days and nights of collective effort, we managed to construct an emergency room, build a road, and dig a few trenches. Throughout this period, I didn't even have the chance to take a bath, my clothes were in tatters. Twenty days of sweaty work, you can imagine how it was.

Two nights before the operation, approximately 700 troops arrived. I asked Haji to send me to the battalion as well, but he objected. I even cried, but eventually Haji agreed to take me to the aid post after some time. I was happy when the night of the operation arrived. Near the morning Azan [call to prayer], the flares started flying as the operation began. The weather had started to rain lightly, and we were praying. News came that the soldiers from Ammar's battalion had taken the line, but we didn't know where they had attacked yet. Later, we found out that it was "Fav", and the soldiers had passed Arvand and started advancing. In the afternoon, they brought the wounded, and our work began.

The next morning, we headed towards the front line with Haji Maemqani. We brought along plenty of IV fluids and an electric engine. Our activities began approximately 2 kilometers from the front line. Whenever planes approached, we sought refuge in the palm grove. Additionally, the naval unit was actively operating in Arvand with their boats. Our goal was to cross to the other side of Arvand, but the river's tide was very high. Although we were supposed to use 2 boats, the boat supervisor only provided us with one and urged us to hurry due to the incoming fog. He assured us that the next boat would be sent after the tide changed. Haj Mamqani and Murtaji were sending salawat and reciting Ayat al-Korsi. As we had not yet set foot on the shore, ten prisoners were brought, followed by captured trucks. Haj Mameqani, Haj Murtaji, Dashtbanzadeh, Masoud Hosseini, and I went to the other side of Arvand. On the water, the guys in a boat could be seen reciting dhikr. The guys had seized half of the Fav and were bringing the captured trucks to the shore, loading the ammunition brought by the boats from the other side. Everyone was working non-stop.

Within 5 minutes, the truck was filled with ammunition and another truck was on its way. We also began assisting at the ammunition depot. It felt as though after twenty days of non-stop work, during which we barely slept more than four hours each night, we had somehow gained new strength. As we loaded the trucks with ammunition, Haji Mameqani arrived and instructed us to be prepared. To our left was a house functioning as an ammunition depot, which was currently on fire, with the sound of bullets echoing through the air. Three guys were trapped under the wall of the house, unable to move due to their injuries. I crawled over to them, managing to save one while the guys brought the other two. Meanwhile, mortar and artillery shells continued to rain down on us.

We were filling our IV fluids when suddenly I felt a part of my body get hot. A mortar had hit the ground a few meters away from me. The driver of the trail motorcycle who was there was injured. Shrapnel had injured the right leg of Haj Mortaji. My leg was still warm and didn't feel as though it had been injured by shrapnel. When I tried to walk, I realized it wasn't a serious wound. We began walking forward, and as Mortaji and I walked side by side, my limp left leg and his limp right leg created an interesting situation. Mortaji had a truck driver's license. He remarked, "The way we walk is very similar to the movement of ten-ton Benz windshield wipers!"

As we continued on our journey, more buildings came into view. Haji Mamqani had assigned one of the buildings to serve as a hospital. Each department, including logistics, intelligence, engineering operations, combat, and others, had their own designated building. In the Fav area, there were three missile sites, with the guys from the 27th Division and Vali-e Asr (may God hasten his reappearance) Division bypassing site one and destroying the enemy. The operation was moving forward rapidly, with the number of Iraqi prisoners increasing by the minute. Two of my comrades and I decided to head to the logistics department to grab a bite to eat. Upon arrival, we noticed that guards had been posted, indicating that the area had not yet been fully cleared as two Iraqis had been recently captured. While we were eating, Haji arrived in a hurry and performed a prostration of thanks.

The guys asked in surprise what was going on. It turned out that as he was traveling along the asphalt road towards the Fav, four people suddenly started shooting from a corner. Haji was on a motorbike and managed to pass by safely. Then he noticed someone giving a military salute and a car flashing its turn signal. It was then that he realized these were Iraqis who had not yet left the Fav. They began shooting at Haji, but fortunately, none of the bullets hit him and he was able to escape unharmed. Haji himself said, “It was because of the salawats I was sending one after the other.”

In the morning, when Haji passes by the same place again, he sees that the same Iraqis have been killed and some have been captured. The one who raised his hand in military respect was just a statue!

The battalions were slowly arriving. Ansar, Malek, Ammar, and the soldiers from Malek's Battalion took up positions on the side of the Umm al-Qasr road. They aimed to advance towards missile sites two and three to capture them. On the other side of the site, there were three salt factories that they also had to clear.

To be continued …