An Important Story from the Battlefield: Moving Forward Slowly but Surely
Translated from the original Persian post. Images, if present, are from that post or thread.
Translated thread in its original order, with the images attached to each part
An Important Story from the Battlefield: Moving Forward Slowly but Surely
I wrote this story with our battle against the Islamic Republic today in mind. It matters deeply to me, so please stay with me. There is an important point I want to make.
We were fighting under difficult conditions. We had lost many people along the way, and many of our comrades were tired. Still, we were advancing, slowly.
We knew the enemy had powerful equipment and many troops. Yet the fact that we were moving forward showed that victory was getting closer.
The comrades in groups ahead of us sent bearings and information by radio so we could advance with greater focus.
One night, when we had drawn very close to enemy forces, we were crawling forward. One of the radio operators said, “Wait. It looks like new orders have come in.”
But this time, something was different.
The voice on the radio was different, and so was the strange order.
“Saman, Saman, this is Ramin. Saman, Saman, this is Ramin.”
“Ramin, I hear you.”
“Tell the others they’re moving far too slowly. It makes them look afraid. Crawling won’t move us forward. Tell them to stand up and move faster. Over.”
“Ramin, that’s dangerous. We’re under fire, and we don’t have many people. Over.”
“Saman, that answer tells me you’re afraid, too. If you don’t want to stand, don’t. This isn’t personal. I’m speaking generally. Courage will spread, and we’ll frighten the enemy and advance farther. Over.”
Those of us around Saman looked at one another in disbelief.
Then several comrades said it was an order and we had to move forward bravely. Before I could say anything, they stood up to head toward the enemy forces. But...
The moment they rose, bullets whistled and the enemy’s guns opened fire. Our comrades were in full view. One by one, they were shot and fell.
It happened so quickly we could hardly think.
Saman and I shouted, “Get down! Get down!”
“This isn’t courage, everyone. It’s foolishness. We mustn’t put ourselves in the enemy’s sights. It has nothing to do with fear. On the contrary, acting wisely is how we can win this fight even with fewer people.”
When things settled a little and we had changed position, I asked Saman, “Who was that? Do you know Ramin?”
“No.”
“I’ve heard his name a few times,” Saman said, “but I don’t think he’s in the field. He seems to be with intelligence, behind the lines.”
“Are you sure? Anyone could get on the radio and claim to be someone else.”
My fellow Iranian, my comrade, part of my own flesh: these days, in some X Spaces and gatherings of friends and strangers, I keep hearing people say, “Come forward under your real name and with your own photograph. Be brave. If you’re afraid to do that here, you’ve shown you’re afraid of the Islamic Republic, too. Show your courage and put fear into the regime.”
And when you say that isn’t courage but foolishness, they reply, “We weren’t talking about you. It wasn’t personal. We meant it generally.”
No, my dear friend. This is a tactical mistake. Standing up is not always the right move, and this is no equal fight. The enemy has no honor that would make this a fair contest.
So don’t be taken in by every apparent call to courage.
Long live Iran.
#LongLiveTheShah
