Statements to the Families of Martyrs and Veterans in Kermanshah Province

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I express my gratitude to the Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to participate in this gathering of great spiritual significance. For me, one of the most important and magnificent meetings during my travels to various cities is the meeting with the esteemed families of martyrs, veterans, and the disabled. The reason is that in the matter of sacrifice, there is a greatness that no society can achieve dignity and greatness without possessing such an important and decisive point. In the issue of martyrdom of the martyrs and the struggles of the veterans and the disabled, we usually see limited aspects; whereas the act and movement of sacrifice in society that leads to martyrdom or disability has multiple meanings; it has various dimensions, each of which deserves examination. One of these dimensions is the ability to seize opportunities and respond to the needs of the moment. There may be a sense of responsibility in some individuals, but at the moment of need, they may not recognize or act upon this responsibility; this is very different from the movement and action that occurs precisely at the moment of need. The brave, honorable, faithful, and self-sacrificing youth who felt the needs of the country and rushed towards danger have the distinguished merit of understanding the need in its time and responding to it. This is a very important aspect; it is a lesson for us.

Yesterday, I mentioned that the youth of Kermanshah felt a month after the victory of the revolution that there was a need to go. Martyr Seyyed Mohammad Saeed Jafari - a pioneering and leading martyr - along with his friends went to defend the garrison of the Sanandaj Brigade; they understood what the meaning of this defense was; what the control of the counter-revolution over a military garrison signifies. This quick understanding, timely recognition, and acting in response to needs is the prominent point that should not be overlooked.

Our dear martyrs across the country possess these characteristics. Friends and brothers mentioned the names of cities, shared memories from the areas of resistance in this province. Of course, martyrs of distinction and renown from all over the country fell to the ground in blood and soil in this land; however, the role of the people of this province, the role of the faithful youth, the role of that immense and precious feeling that existed in these youths - their intelligence, their sense of timing, their ability to seize opportunities - should not be overlooked; and this is what we always need.

Often, countries and societies suffer from not knowing their position and failing to recognize opportunities. When the enemy lies in ambush and we do not know that they are lying in wait, we do not recognize them; or if we do become aware, we do not provide a remedy promptly and in time; then we suffer a blow.

A good statement was made by this dear brother here. He said families would say if we do not send this warrior out of the house, tomorrow the enemy will come to our door, we must fight. This is a very important point; this is the same point that Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) said: any group that is attacked by the enemy within their own home and is heedless of the fact that the enemy is coming will be defeated. The enemy must be seen from afar, recognized from afar; this was the negligence that those who should have seen it did not see it that day. In Tehran, it was repeatedly said and news arrived that in the Kermanshah region, in the Ilam region - more in these areas - the enemy was engaged in military preparations. Where it was said, the politicians responsible for the work denied it; they said no, there is no such news. Until they bombed Tehran. On the day of September 31, 1980, the war did not actually begin - that day Tehran was bombed - the war had already begun. If the officials who were in charge that day - the same ones who later showed they were not capable of managing the country - had understood, recognized, and raised their preparedness, neither Khorramshahr would have been in that condition, nor Qasr-e Shirin, nor some other border areas.

That initial negligence caused such a sorrowful atmosphere to prevail over this region and the Khuzestan region, which I observed closely for a short period, that I cannot forget some of the scenes I witnessed up close. When the work is in the hands of the people, when the talents of the people and their presence find a field to enter, such negligence does not occur. This was something that day that they did not allow. In these areas, here and there, popular groups gathered, they struggled hard to procure weapons for themselves, they engaged in defense; they were dissatisfied there, they complained in official meetings about why someone was gathering weapons in such and such a place! Some youths were defending; therefore, they could not tolerate it. This is a lesson for us.

I mentioned yesterday; a system like the Islamic Republic, with these ideals, with these goals, with this great claim it has - the enemy is oppression, the enemy is global arrogance, the enemy is the arrogant greed of international powers - faces challenges; in various colors, in different forms; therefore, it must be prepared. This preparedness relies more than anything on the faith of the people. That supportive barrier, that supreme guardian in defending the identity of a nation and the dignity of a nation and saving a nation from the plots of enemies is the awareness of the people; we experienced this in the war. Today, in every sector, in every collection of work where the officials are consciously attentive and give the people a role, the same will happen.

It is the Islamic Republic, it is popular governance; it is Islamic popular governance. Popular governance must have meaning; it has a real meaning, it is not a formality. The martyrs, the veterans, the freed ones, and their families have given the best test in this path. This immense patience that the families of the martyrs have shown is very valuable. If the families had shown impatience, ingratitude, or lack of insight, the atmosphere of struggle would have cooled; hearts would not remain eager for self-sacrifice and heroism. The families showed patience. Many years have passed since that period of sacred defense, but the door to martyrdom has not been closed; we still see families mourning their loved ones who, on various occasions, open the way to martyrdom, they spread their wings and go. If this insight and this patience exist in a nation, without a doubt, this nation will conquer the peaks.

We have never doubted in identifying our goals and determining the path to these goals; we have not doubted our path; we thank God. The Almighty God has never left our hearts empty of the light of hope. And in reality, we have seen that these hopes were not vain; they were correct hopes.

There was a day when when some looked at the scene, apparently nothing hopeful was visible; but insightful people - at the forefront, the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) - gave us hope, they announced good tidings. Sometimes we listened with mere acceptance, but we were unable to analyze. We accepted it with mere faith, then we saw it happened; then we saw that this divine hope, this heavenly good tidings came to fruition. And today, when we look at the thirty-two-year experience of the revolution, we see the successive successes of the Islamic Republic.

In meetings with the esteemed families of martyrs, veterans, and the disabled, what is primarily of concern to me, after honoring and respecting and expressing gratitude to the dear families, is that the entire dear nation of ours should pay attention to the spirit of self-sacrifice, which is the salvation of a country, the salvation of a nation. The spirit of selflessness, the spirit of sacrifice, recognizing the time to fulfill duties, and performing the work timely and appropriately is salvational.

Fortunately, today we observe the signs of progress and success in our country; we see that we are moving forward; of course, effort is necessary, work is necessary. The tasks are becoming more delicate and complex. The intelligence of our people today is much greater than in previous years. Thanks be to God, there are many faithful, committed, and devoted people to the ideals in our society; in this dear province, it is the same. In this province, what we have seen, what we have heard, is the courage, gallantry, and nobility - as we mentioned yesterday - the noble qualities of heroism in both men and women.

They mentioned that a woman in Gilan-e Gharb captured an enemy prisoner; a woman, a faithful and brave lady. The manifestations of courage in this province are so numerous that one cannot count them. From the very beginning, when this place was established, the popular and revolutionary forces alongside the dedicated army forces made sacrifices. There were brave and capable officers here; the commander of the helicopter unit, who was martyred, and others used his support and resources to carry out these extraordinary flights; both in Brigade 81 and in various sections; some brave and faithful officers we saw up close in this very Abu Zar garrison that they mentioned. They worked with such sincerity and self-sacrifice that they filled the atmosphere of this region with these signs of sincerity, self-sacrifice, heroism, and selflessness; and this is among the honors of your province, and this will remain for you. You stood at the forefront of the sacred defense. Many of the honors of the sacred defense pertain to this province. You supported, you sacrificed; God willing, He will grant you spiritual rewards; just as He has granted you the worldly reward - which is the dignity of the country - to you and to the Iranian nation.

This trip is a very desirable and sweet journey for us, due to meeting with the dear people and their cheerful and smiling faces; which yesterday along this path, one could observe tens of thousands of cheerful and smiling faces; this is a sign of the vibrant countenance of this province. We hope, God willing, that the officials can carry out the necessary tasks in this province - many tasks must be carried out in this province, God willing. This is a very talented province and has shortcomings; these shortcomings, God willing, must be pursued with the efforts and work of the diligent officials.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.