Soldiers Unearthed

Even though the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), also called "10-Years War", ended nearly two decades ago, bodies of soldiers who died in combat are still being found and returned to their families for proper burial. More than 1 million Iranians sacrificed their lives defending Iran from Saddam Hussein's brutal invasion. These fallen patriots will forever be known as martyrs.

Even children, elderly, and others killed by the relentless Iraqi bombing of civilian targets are remembered as martyrs, as are the veterans of the war who managed to stay alive (yet perpetually ill) after being gassed by Saddam's chemical weapons.

My friend's father is a martyr. He died fighting when she was only six months old. His body wasn't recovered until she reached 11 years of age. Only then were she and her mother able to bury him. Many families suffer the same type of loss, in which the skeletons of their fathers, sons, and brothers still lay somewhere trapped within the earth, along the former front. When, by chance, a digger happens upon the skeletal remains of a soldier, whose identity is known by the military dog tag hanging around a bony neck, an entire excavation crew is organized to fish out more martyred remnants.

Today, after Friday Prayers, a massive funeral procession took place for the 110 martyrs recently unearthed. The ceremony was held in Tehran University, and was attended by President Ahmadinejad. Afterwards, the 110 coffins will be sent to their respective hometowns to be buried by their families.

Many Iranian soldiers still remain buried along the enemy (Iraqi) front, but will likely be recovered in the near future, with the cooperation of Iraq's new and diplomatic government.