SABAH (83)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

At least now she could be covered under martyr foundation coverage and her poverty issue could be solved because she couldn’t fee her children. Poor woman was mourning her husband’s death with two little children. We would like to do something for her but in that condition, we could not do anything. We got on the bus. We ate cooked chicken for dinner in Khorramabad; this was the food that my father would bring us home while ...

SABAH (82)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Mr. Karoubi said: “There is a building called Koushk in Ferdowsi Avenue. This building belongs to martyr foundation and is the residence of a number of war-stricken families from Khuzestan. I give you an introduction letter, go to martyr foundation and tell them that we are war-stricken and get a place to stay temporarily until the situation with our father gets normal.” We said goodbye. When leaving, Younes Mohammadi said: “If you have no place to stay in Tehran, come to our place with family.”

SABAH (81)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

It was the second month of winter but we had no news of Ali. We had all accepted that he has been held prisoner. My mother and father had become calmer. Each was trying to comfort the other and make the acceptance easier for the other one. My mothers name was Farang Banou but my father called her Farang and said: “Farang! We think that we were in Karbala dessert and we sacrificed a boy for Imam Hossein.”

SABAH (80)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Fouziyeh and Shahnaz could not believe that I wanted to do such a thing. Fouziyeh said: “Sabbah, are not you really afraid?!” I said: “What else we can do sister?! Poor woman is left here for two days. If we do not do it, nobody knows if anybody will be ready to do it. You can come with me and stand beside me so that I don’t feel frightened. I can see you and not feel lonely and frightened.”

SABAH (79)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

A few days after joining emergency ward, Fatemeh Bandari and Noosheen Najar came and said: “Please talk to the manager so that we can also join this hospital. The personnel in OPD hospital are sufficient and we have nothing special to do and our presence is more required here.” I talked to Mr. Hassani. He said: “You know how sensitive medical sections are during the war. There is the possibility that the enemy might want to enter these sections and we have to be ...

SABAH (78)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

We had no news of Ali. One day Shahnaz and I decided to go to the army base and meet Jahan Ara and ask him for updates on Ali. At the entrance of Persian hotel, we were stopped. They asked whom we wanted to meet. We said: “We are sisters of Ali Vatan Khah and it is quite a while that we have not heard anything from him. We have come to ask Brother Jahan Ara if he ...

SABAH (77)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

On the first day of first month of winter, we were in the hospital when my mother called. She went to telecommunication office of Sarbandar once in a while and called the hospital to know our whereabouts. Although we did not want to make her worry but we had to ask her about Ali. We thought he might have gone to visit them instead of coming to Abadan. My mother said that ...

SABAH (76)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Zolfaghari front and the margin of Bahman Shir had been stabilized and the war in Dairy front had been suspended somehow. When a front was suspended and there was no movement or special conflict, there were less injured. It was not good for us as women to stay there and there was no explanation for our stay. Therefore I did not feel like returning there. From the other side Iraq was bombarding Abadan. Oil refinery, hospitals, markets, mosques, ...

SABAH (75)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Ebika company was between Sarbandar and Mahshahr, right after the camp B station. As Saleheh said Ebika was a company for foreigners that army took charge after revolution and start of war. I asked Saleheh to take me to the company to visit her friends. I knew some of her friends prior to the war. Robab and Sakineh Hoursi, Fatemeh Deyhim, Banouyi, Kobra Aref Zadeh and Fatemeh and Narges Bandari were those individuals I knew. Saleheh accepted.

SABAH (74)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Then Ali took us to Sarbandar at aunt Maryams place and returned to the front without hesitation. I heard from Nahid, auntie Maryams daughter, that there are a few rooms at the mosque allocated to war-stricken families. I went to the mosque and told them about our problem. I said that my husband is injured and cannot move. They gave us the room. Then uncle Hossein brought the children from Boroujerd to Sarbandar.”