Returned with His Hand Bound to His Neck

Returned with His Hand Bound to His Neck
On the night of the operation, before we set out, he insisted, “I have to go with the troops.” I disagreed and told him to send a replacement.
But he persisted, “No, I must go myself.”
When the operation code was announced, he went with the troops and charged the line under heavy enemy fire. Soleimani’s battalion broke through the first line and advanced toward the second. It wasn’t long before word came back that the battalion commander had been wounded. I immediately sent people to bring him back, no matter what. I found him in the emergency room in Sosangerd, unconscious. A DShK round had destroyed his right hand, and a piece of shrapnel was lodged in his chest, leaving him bleeding heavily. I called for an ambulance.Twenty days later, I saw him at camp. He had been taken from Ahvaz to Tehran, where his hand injury had been treated. Though still recovering, he returned to the front with his arm bound to his neck.I didn’t hesitate and introduced him to Mohsen Rezaei. “This is Mr. Soleimani,” I said. “He’s both courageous and capable—he could lead a brigade with ease.” Mr. Mohsen then appointed him commander of the Tharallah Brigade.Narrator: Sardar Morteza GhorbaniSource: Chehel Seton TV program, broadcast on Panj Sima channel