Part 33 (2/2)
”If I understand your crudities, I assume this is an American joke, then, no Mr Foster, I do not know the difference”
”Depth perception” Miles looked for a reaction to his anatomi- cal doublette There was none other than ho no coh was enough I gotta do so with my life”
Miles had said his piece
”In other words, money is your motivation?”
”Money doesn't hurt, sure But, I need to do what I believe
Not that thatmy country, but if they don't listen to what makes sense, et them off of their keesters” Miles was on a roll
”Keesters?” ho
”Oops!” Miles exclaimed comically ”butts, asses, fannies?” He patted his ohich finally coreed ”So you feel you could best serve your country by attacking it?”
Miles only thought for a few seconds ”I guess you could put it that way Sure”
”Mr Foster, or should I say General Foster?” Miles beamed at the reference ”We shall march to success”
”Mr hoential silence ”I would like to ask you the sa to ask rin intact ”Because, Mr Foster, I a the favor”
Chapter 9
September, 1982 South East Iraq
Ah with pieces of as once another hu
The pain was intolerable His s fros shot liquid fire into his cerebral cortex His led to stay conscious He wasn't sure why, but he had to stay awakecan't pass outsleep, blessed sleeprelease me from the painAllah! Oh takefor your holy causein your namefor the love of Islamfor the Ayatollahtake me into your arms and let me live for eter- nity in your shadow
The battle for Abadan, a disputed piece of territory that was a hub for Persian Gulf oil distribution had lasted days Both Iran and Iraq threaves of human fodder at each other in as referred to in the world press as ”auto-genocide”
Neither side reacted to the monumental casualties that they sustained The lines of reinforcements were steady The dead bodies were thick on the battlefield; there was no time to col- lect them and provide a proper burial New troops had as h the obstacle coursesalive
Public estimates were that the war had already cost over 1,000,000 lives for the adversaries Both governreed only 250,000 had died The extrem- ist leaders of both countries believed that the lower casualty numbers would mollify world opinion It accomplished the exact opposite Criticism was ra to battle Orin the front lines, often without weapons or shoes, and used as cover for the advancing armed infantrymen behind them The children were disposable receptacles for enemy bullets The supreme sacrifice would permit the dead pre-adoles- cents the honor of martyrdom and an eternal place with Allah
Mothers wailed and beat their breasts in the streets of Teheran as word arrived of loved ones and friends who died in Allah's war against the Iraqi infidels Many were professional mourners ere hired by others to represent fa and flagellation came at a price The bulk of the civilized world, even Brezhnev's evil Soviet empire denounced the use of unarmed children for cannon fodder
The war between Iran and Iraq was to continue, despite pleas from humanity, for another 6 years
Ah student at the exclu- sive Teheran University when the War started He was reared as a dedicated Muslim by wealthy parents Soe after the fall of the Shah Ahmed was never told the real reason, but a distribution of holy rials certainly helped They were permitted to keep their beautiful home in the suburbs of Teheran and Ahmed's father kept his pro- fessorshi+p at Teheran University Ahht by his family that the Shah's downfall was the only acceptable response to the loss of faith under his regime
”The Shah is a puppet of the Americans Ptooh!” His father would spit ”The Yanqis coe our culture and our beliefs so we can make them money from our oil!”
For a professor he was outspoken, but viewed as mainstream by the extremist camps Ahmed learned well For the most part of his life all Ahmed kneas the Ayatollah Khomeini as his country's spiritual leader News and opinion from the West was virtually nonexistent so Ahmed developed as a devout Musliion