Cans Full of Dirt
Seyyedeh Pegah Rezazadeh
Translated by Ruhollah Golmoradi
2020-03-03
According to Iranian Oral History Website, the 311th session of memory night was held in commemoration of women of the imposed war on February 20, 2020. In this session, Iran Torabi, Seyyedeh Fawzia Madih and Hajji Mehdi Zemorodian narrated their memories.
The first narrator of the night of memory was Iran Torabi. When Susangerd was captured by the enemy, she witnessed single combat in Bostan, Hoveyzeh, and in Hamid Garrison and had been in the war for a long time. Torabi started to talk by quoting a verse from Quran, said: "The enemy came up diplomatically in time of the war. I think wherever we failed has been because of irreligious politicians. Believe me this has been considerable from the same time of Fatima Zahra (PBUH) and Hazrat-e Ali (PBUH) in Battle of Siffin until today. Knowing enemy is important at any time and in any situation. Some statesmen have fallen into the trap of the enemy at any time when they were not literally enemy knowers. In the Eight Years War, wherever and whenever we were defeated, we certainly felt the same lack of insight in depth of knowing enemy. But on the other hand, in my opinion, the youth who died a martyr, were wounded and disabled veteran in Khuzestan and Kurdistan, their enemy knowing was at a high level.
When I went to Kurdistan, Paveh was under completely siege. The Paveh women did not hesitate to do as much as they could. Paveh was occupied by the counter-revolution and only one-third of this critical area was under control of people. Women provided relief, nutrition and supplies. After Kurdistan when I returned to Tehran, the imposed war had been begun, and again women in Basij bases and schools and mosques undertook part of hardships of the war. If women were not present in the sacred defense, we wouldn’t be certainly won in the war. Imam Khomeini rightly stated that we would not have achieved victory if women had not involved in the imposed war. Women did tailoring and packing foods and sent them to various war zones. In Susangerd If these packages didn't reach the warriors and us, we would surely have starved. In fact, it was with extensive provision and support of ladies that we were able to survive in Susangerd. If women were not involved in the imposed war, we would not have achieved this victory. Past women have been and are models for today's women and girls. The women would convoy their husbands and children in Basij basements and garrisons for entry into the war zones, then they themselves tie their Chador to the waist and went to war zones in search of supplies. I believe that today, just like fateful period of the imposed war, women can still play an important role in society. Past women of the war kept the country with their hands, and with their sacrifice they showed everyone that they were skillful enemy-knowers. They had rightly realized that the enemy might be able to bombard us but could not have any influence on our faith. If the martyr and warrior’s women and mothers and wives weren’t agreed with the youth and men go to the front, we would never have achieved victory. Women are the first role of the imposed war and we are beholden victory of the sacred defense to our mothers and wives.
Let me take a look at past memories. I was in Ahvaz that martyr Dr. Mustafa Chamran, as he knew me, ordered me to go to Susangerd. I went there to Susangerd Front and the hospitals, which included Hamid Garrison, Hamidiyeh itself, Bostan and Hoveizeh. When Bostan was collapsing and Hoveizeh was under siege people participated to help. I witnessed that 35 young women in Bostan kept Bostan for 48 hours by Molotov cocktail and the simplest weaponry against enemy; in front of the enemy which was armed to the teeth. When they found out that the women were still in the city, when they entered Bostan, the women died a martyr in a catastrophic situation. Believe me, after that, we ourselves witnessed mass grave of women. When Hoveizeh was besieged, martyr Alamolhoda with the students, they filled empty compost cans with dust and threw them toward the enemy so that the enemy thought they were grenades. Bani-Sadr ordered the army to withdraw without anyone being informed. The enemy entered with tank and squashed people and warriors after a few weapons of the warriors were exhausted Hoveizeh. Many became martyrs in the same enemy action. A narrator in Susangerd told us that people and warriors, like meat in the meat grinder, were grinded. The narrative of war operations in the three regions I attended, such as Hoveizeh, Komeil Battalion and Hamza Battalion is available in a book entitled "Hello to Ebrahim Hadi." The warriors channelized near to Iraq and were heavily besieged in Komeil and Hamza battalions, then they were bombarded and the tanks entered Komeil Canal. The warriors were left without water and food for a week so that support force reach, which unfortunately finally they could not help them. When Susangerd was completely besieged, and Bostan and Hoveizeh were collapsed, single combat was raised in Hamid Garrison. Iraqi forces and tanks had coveted for fully collapse of Susangerd. We were with a group of troops in Khuzestan. Martyr Ali Ghayouri and Martyr Chamran were breaking the enemy's barrier that water swamped the area and tanks bogged. The two loved ones thought that bogging the enemy tanks was a trap so they retreated. It was at this point that Imam with his clever command entered the army. It was just then that we were saved literally. It is joking that in Susangerd domestic mercenaries had appointed governor general and governor in the same city. A 22-year-old boy went to the fake governor general and governor to get food for his aging parents. He jangled with them, and they immediately shot at that boy, the baby, and died him a martyr on the spot. When he was martyred, his elderly parent came to receive their son's body that they poured oil on his body and set him on fire just in front of his parents' eyes. A pregnant lady told us this memory from Khorramshahr, saying that when she entered one alley of Khorramshahr, she saw two Iraqi officers surrounded her, after they found out she was pregnant they bet for her fetus whether it is a boy or a girl! They stabbed her his stomach with a knife. They took out her child and shot and killed the baby.
Martyr Dr. Mostafa Chamran saw my nursing experience in Kurdistan. Besides being a midwife, I was also an anesthesia technician, so he sent me to Susangerd. A medical team was dispatched with me to Susangerd that it hadn’t anesthetic technician. Together, we formed a surgery team and an orthopedic team, and I played role as an anesthesia technician. At Susangerd Hospital, there was just one recovery room and one operating room where the injured were hospitalized. I was not more than 21 years old. By the time we arrived at Susangerd, Susangerd Hospital staff had left there. Iraqi radio said repeatedly that if you did not join us, we would enter Susangerd and fire the hospital with all its staff! At midnight I went to courtyard of Susangerd Hospital and raised my hand toward the sky and said to myself, "God, you know that my hands are empty and then I point to my head and say it's empty too! Help me so that I can help!" And that was really responded and we witnessed divine relief. According to Imam, hand of God was present in this war. If there were no divine relief we would not have done anything. We had no water, no electricity, not even a phone! With the fewest facilities there, we had put the affairs in order. We stayed so long that there was no more medicine. Neither a tool remained for the orthopedic staff, nor the surgeons. I also had no more anesthetic medicine. So we had to retreat. Thanks to Iraqis bombing there was no transportation vehicle and the roads had been blocked! We arrived in Ahwaz from a detour. We talked to martyr Chamran, he said that I get no response how many times I call, and they simply say resist in the same situation! How did we resist?! Bani-Sadr had ordered us to resist so that, for example, we recognize know what should we do. Bani-Sadr said we should retreat to mountains of Allahou akbar mountains. This meant to hand Khuzestan overt to the enemy two-handed. When the wrong choice is made, all wrong things and totally mistaken measures are also followed. At the same time, Saddam Hussein had told a reporter that I interviewed you here today and I would interview you in the same situation and appearance and maybe better in Ahwaz the next three days. If we handed Ahwaz over at the time, believe me, what Saddam had stated would have happened. The warriors stood and resisted empty-handed without any support, didn’t allowed Khuzestan to be collapsed. People like Ali Ghayouri and Chamran and Ebrahim Hadi armed the forces.
After Susangerd, I came to Tehran to rest when Imam ordered Abadan siege should be broken. We were sent to Abadan. When we arrived in Abadan, the siege was broken by certain techniques. Immediately we went to Susa to coordinate forces to liberate Khorramshahr. When we arrived in Susa, the enemy aircrafts were so close to us that guards shot them by colt. Susa Hospital was camouflaged several times in various ways. Several IRGC and AJA brothers were stationed there, they defused bombs and rockets and missiles directed by the enemy. The main purpose of these loved ones was to save Andimeshk people from missile attack. A commander who was present to break Abadan's siege was summoned to Susa. When he came to Susa we were in the front line. Among the frontline friend was at the left and the enemy on the right. The missiles were passed over above us. The commander came to Susa and saw the situation and location and said, "I want two thousand guards from Hamedan and Isfahan to be martyred." These were warriors whose names and fame shone with sacrifice and jihad in the region. Then they were provided. One thousands from Isfahan and one thousand from Hamadan was prepared for the operation and made the operation. We told the commander at that time two thousand martyrs who could not do anything. They will make no changes to the history page with their martrydom. He said they must know that they will definitely become martyred. After the operation, Dezful was rescued from missile attack. Much of Dasht-e Azadegan was provided to Iranian forces for Liberation Operation of Khorramshahr. An Iraqi officer who had been wounded was captured and taken to Susa. The warriors asked him whether had you pity during the period you fired so many missiles and killed people? He said I only had pity a little one time. When we entered a house in Khorramshahr, we had killed the whole family, but I heard a noise coming from a corner of the house. When I pulled the curtain, I saw a baby in a cradle, I took out the dagger and place it on the baby's lips. He/she opened his/her mouth. He/she thought it was his/her mother's breast. She/he wanted to suckle, and then I stabbed in his/her throat. If one has no religion or conscience, one will be more savage than an animal. Religion is not separate from politics. It is a true parable that has been stated traditionally, but it is true of politics without religion. It is noted that politics makes strange bedfellows. Iraqis and Americans were taking everything from us diplomatically. But youth and people did not let this happen with sacrifice their loved ones and with their martyrdom.
People today need to recognize the Komala Party, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the SAVAK, the Ba'ath Party and ISIL, all of which have one thing in common that is they would be relaxed by burning, ruining and killing. Remember where we are in the history. All these destructions were for that we live in peace. When I was in Susa, I saw a parent. They said they had come there from Isfahan. Three of their sons had died a martyr and their fourth child had been martyred a few days before their departure to Susa. They had sold their house in Isfahan and had come to the front and submit their money in the front fund; they themselves helped the wounded and warriors as crews in hospital and kitchen. It needs a big heart to do such actions.”
The 311st session of night of memory was held in Sooreh Hall of Hozeh Honari by the Center for Resistance Culture and Literature Studies and Research and the Office of Resistance Literature and Art, on Thursday, February 20, 2020. The forthcoming session will be held on April 23, 2020.
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