I was 17 when the War Started

What you read above was a section of the memories of Mina Kamayee, the military rescuer during the eight year war of the Sacred Defense Era.

This lady regarding her presence in the battlefields of Iran-Iraq war said: I was 17 years old and I was studying in the second year of high school and the Imposed War Era began. Since I was an active member of Schools Committees, I went to school one day before all schools to open, suddenly the Red Situation was announced by alarm.

The first place that was bombarded in Abadan city during the Iran-Iraq war was the Education Administration. This attack led to martyrdom and injury of several teachers and students.

Since I had already experienced fighting against Khalgh Arab and anti-revolutionary militants and I had helped the flood victims of Abadan city, once again I volunteered to help the injured patients as a rescuer. I had accomplished the rescue courses before when I was a member of Basij.

Accepting this issue that to stay in Abadan city as a rescuer was a bit difficult for my family, but since my sister ‘Zeinab’ had been martyred by anti-revolutionary militants, presence of my brothers in the war and my won resistance and insistence satisfied my family to do my decision. That is why I was in the war zones from the beginning of war until 1985 and I was present in the hospitals.

Along with the assistance of some of my friends we entered Oil Company Hospital to help the injured patients. The Iraqi Baathist forces were advancing towards Abadan from Shalamcheh strip and eventually my family left Abadan city. But I and my elder sister ‘Mehri’ stayed in the dormitory of Oil Company Hospital. The female rescuers who had stayed there were 20 persons and we would go any place where our assistance was needed based on the announcement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or Red Crescent and we would help the injured patients.

I can remember: “During the military operation ‘Fathol Mobin’, I was dispatched to the hospital ‘Shohadae Shoosh’ located in Shoosh city. Since I knew how to stitch up open wounds, catheter insertion and first aids before that, so each of us started our work in different parts of the hospital. The number of injured patients was so high in a way that in some cases we would not sleep until 3:00 o’clock at night.

The situation was really dangerous and we could not hospitalize the patients for a long period of time in the Abadan hospitals; because the enemy had already bombarded that place several times. Therefore for the purpose of preventing more injury of the injured patients, we had covered all the windows of the hospital with packets in which were full of sands.

Someday, when the hospital was bombarded by the Iraqi Baathist regime’s missiles, I observed a miracle. One of the female rescuers was praying and she had bent her knees in prayer that a quiver passed over her head and it hit the wall. If she had stood up, for sure the quiver would hit her head and she would be martyred.

Since the Oil Company Hospital of Abadan city was close to Arvand River, it was bombarded in several cases and even the foot of one of my friends whose name was ‘Soheila Sharif Zadeh’ was shot by a bullet and also the foot, back and stomach of another female rescuer was injured as a result of attacks as well.

The attacks of Iraqis got intensified in 1985 and the bullets of Katiosha guns or the guns known as ‘Khamseh Khamseh’ would be shot towards us, that is why we left Abadan city, but once again we went to Ahvaz city through the form of Red Crescent. We went to Sina Hospital located in Ahvaz city and one of my friends whose name was ‘Ramhormozi’ was a rescuer although she was married and she had a child.

When the war ended, I continued my education and I was able to get my master degree. Following that, since I had much interest in teaching, I started the work of teaching in Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra’s high school located in neighborhood 14 of Tehran city.

Today when I look at our own society, I really understand that against the external appearances that some of the guys and girls have, but their nature is clean. There are many decent women and men and war veterans in the community. Each time that describe the situation of war to my students, they get influenced mentally and sometimes they cry in tears. They should be in the situation in order to prove themselves.

The End

Source: Iranian Student’s News Agency (ISNA)

What you read above was a section of the memories of Mina Kamayee, the military rescuer during the eight year war of the Sacred Defense Era. This lady regarding her presence in the battlefields of Iran-Iraq war said: I was 17 years old and I was studying in the second year of high school and the Imposed War Era began. Since I was an active member of Schools Committees, I went to school one day before all schools to open, suddenly the Red Situation was announced by alarm. The first place that was bombarded in Abadan city during the Iran-Iraq war was the Education Administration. This attack led to martyrdom and injury of several teachers and students. Since I had already experienced fighting against Khalgh Arab and anti-revolutionary militants and I had helped the flood victims of Abadan city, once again I volunteered to help the injured patients as a rescuer. I had accomplished the rescue courses before when I was a member of Basij. Accepting this issue that to stay in Abadan city as a rescuer was a bit difficult for my family, but since my sister ‘Zeinab’ had been martyred by anti-revolutionary militants, presence of my brothers in the war and my won resistance and insistence satisfied my family to do my decision. That is why I was in the war zones from the beginning of war until 1985 and I was present in the hospitals. Along with the assistance of some of my friends we entered Oil Company Hospital to help the injured patients. The Iraqi Baathist forces were advancing towards Abadan from Shalamcheh strip and eventually my family left Abadan city. But I and my elder sister ‘Mehri’ stayed in the dormitory of Oil Company Hospital. The female rescuers who had stayed there were 20 persons and we would go any place where our assistance was needed based on the announcement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or Red Crescent and we would help the injured patients. I can remember: “During the military operation ‘Fathol Mobin’, I was dispatched to the hospital ‘Shohadae Shoosh’ located in Shoosh city. Since I knew how to stitch up open wounds, catheter insertion and first aids before that, so each of us started our work in different parts of the hospital. The number of injured patients was so high in a way that in some cases we would not sleep until 3:00 o’clock at night. The situation was really dangerous and we could not hospitalize the patients for a long period of time in the Abadan hospitals; because the enemy had already bombarded that place several times. Therefore for the purpose of preventing more injury of the injured patients, we had covered all the windows of the hospital with packets in which were full of sands. Someday, when the hospital was bombarded by the Iraqi Baathist regime’s missiles, I observed a miracle. One of the female rescuers was praying and she had bent her knees in prayer that a quiver passed over her head and it hit the wall. If she had stood up, for sure the quiver would hit her head and she would be martyred. Since the Oil Company Hospital of Abadan city was close to Arvand River, it was bombarded in several cases and even the foot of one of my friends whose name was ‘Soheila Sharif Zadeh’ was shot by a bullet and also the foot, back and stomach of another female rescuer was injured as a result of attacks as well. The attacks of Iraqis got intensified in 1985 and the bullets of Katiosha guns or the guns known as ‘Khamseh Khamseh’ would be shot towards us, that is why we left Abadan city, but once again we went to Ahvaz city through the form of Red Crescent. We went to Sina Hospital located in Ahvaz city and one of my friends whose name was ‘Ramhormozi’ was a rescuer although she was married and she had a child. When the war ended, I continued my education and I was able to get my master degree. Following that, since I had much interest in teaching, I started the work of teaching in Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra’s high school located in neighborhood 14 of Tehran city. Today when I look at our own society, I really understand that against the external appearances that some of the guys and girls have, but their nature is clean. There are many decent women and men and war veterans in the community. Each time that describe the situation of war to my students, they get influenced mentally and sometimes they cry in tears. They should be in the situation in order to prove themselves. The End Source: Iranian Student’s News Agency (ISNA)