For me to come up with my Dad’s ultimate trait is pretty easy. He doesn’t lie & He never apologizes for the truth.He rarely engage in meaningless conversations and if asked by a willing listener for his take on an issue he will in an articulate short form express his views yet being polite He always adds the phrase that “I myself am an avid student in search of truth & respect others opinion as long as it doesn’t insult comom sense“”..He didn’t lie when as a freshman officer in 1945 during the General Minbashian campaign against sessesionists in Azerbaijanwas directed by his superior to lie about some captured pro russian Pishehvari militia in Tabriz & claime that they took shots at his platoon& hence got jailed for 30 days. He didn’t lie in 1948 when some influential officers asked him to make a false claime on behalf of some corrupt officers on trial for awarding major contracts to friends & got his promotion stayed for a year… And he didn’t lie when in 1952 as a young Captain was charged by military court to belong to a pro Mossadegh officers network & spent, 2.5 years in “ghaleh Falak-ol-Aflack ” Army jail in Khoram-abad waiting in line to get a death sentence by firing squad as He watched many of his ranks did on a weekly basis…. He rarely talks about himself but my Uncles who were present at trial told me & transcripts that I later read after revolution showed me what He said in his own defence to that stern Colonel judge in 1954 ….””Your honour , I am an officer of Imperial Ground forces of Iran…..I am being charged for supporting the legal & constitutional prime minister of this country during his premiership.The same Prime minister that was sanctioned’supported & commended during the same time by his Imperial Majesty ‘shahanshah of Iran ..If that’s a crime then I stand guilty side by side his Majesty Shahanshah for supporting the same gentleman. …But I believe that the real reason I am on trial here today has nothing to do with Mr Mossadegh but doing my patriotic duty as an officer who stood against corruption in the officer’s club. …. I am being blackmailed & paid back by same individuals who found me in their way..etc..I don’t fear death & will die for my country but You should fear injustice since it will give birth to the victory of the corrupt & incompetent to run the affairs of our beloved Iran’s armed forces””…He was exonerated 2 days later holding my 2 year old older sister for the 1st time and joined the ranks once again…
He told a friend once that Sitting in that bus after release on his way to Tehran, watching average folks doing their daily chores unawareand ignorant to the pains of others made him realize that our nation doesn’t need heroes and change has to come from within themselves..
He liked Bakhtiar and respected Shah as a patriot who would have better served Iran as a tough prime minister in a democracy than a weak king in a dictatorship.
He rarely complains or whines about issues & He used to say that ” Sentence me to life in a closet and I,ll make it a heaven on earth for myself”..or..” I fall to sleep the moment my head hits the pillow since I am not slave to greed””..I remember as a kid playing with his Chess board made in jail by bread doughHe maticulasly shaped into roukh, vazir & etc.. Eventhough He left the Army as a Major in late 60’s and joined the private sector
He still prefers Khaki suite and to this age at 86 gets up at 4.30AM and works part time at his friend shop in Central Tehran not for the money but to keep busy.
He left his family & Joined the Army at a young age just like his Dad Bahram-gholi & some of his uncles who were part of Ashayer/army in Reza shah era andfought against Shaikh Khazaal sessiosionist in Khuzistan.. He is a God fearing man but not a holier than Pope sorta dude eventhoughnowadays He does his religious chores more often ..He is a quiet man who spends his free time reading in his tiny library and I must say thatwatching him read books and news papers got me into the habbit of reading the paper every morning from the young age…
But He had one weaknessthat got him into many troubles in his young days..”Women” . From Singers on Laleh zar Cabarets in the 40’s to The Russian women officers & polish immigrants in WW2 and from the fiancee of his superior officer & deputy to General Min-bashian division to what ever that moved , He paid homage to the female specie..He married & divorced 3 different women by age 30 until He met My Mom and settled down for good. Life as He once told me briefly “” is a process of trial & error..the winner is the personwho admits his/her failure and get on with it before the Bucks run away””. He is a kind man who gives more than He recieves and rarely looks back to bicker about folkswho did him wrong.. If You ask him about advice He will smile at you and tell you that You can come up with a better one if you trust in yourself. He doesn’t lecture any one, pitty himself , rush to judgement or engage in rethorical dialogue since He finds it pointless
..If he sense that you are a phonie or you talk jiberish or nonsensejust to make a conversation He will ignore you at once and believe me that is an awkward moment if You are in a traditional Irani “Mehmooni” since a lota that “Taaroff” goes on.
He eats small meals but the plate is shiny clean once He is done with it..exact opposite of me..During the days of revolution He used to tell me that this nation is not ready for change & that revolution happens when a nation goes insane knowing what She hates but having no clue what she gets. So making a decision under temprary insanity is the wrong way to go .He doesn’t talk about politics & smiles at you if you are too oppinionated. when asked about Ayatollah Khomeini, Shah, Bakhtiar or others ..He will tell You that it is a learning process & that figures in History are an unavoidable force and that Iran needed Mr Khomeini’the Shah & Mr Bakhtiar as much as It needed Cyrus, Darius & Ghajar to find a final middle ground that will fit her shoes & style.
This is is not all there is to his life but just some notes about that old dude still kickin in good old Tehran!…I know you don’t care for birthdays but…Happy 87th Birthday Dad!!
