Mohammad Ali Safa
Mohammad Ali Safa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 March 1950 Bojnord, North Khorasan Province, Iran |
| Died | 26 October 1980 (aged 30) Abadan, Khuzestan Province, Iran |
| Allegiance |  Iran |
| Branch | Navy |
| Years of service | 1964–1980 |
| Rank | First lieutenant File:12-Navban 1.png |
| Unit | Bushehr Marine Rangers Battalion, Iranian Navy |
| Battles/wars | |
Mohammad Ali Safa was an Iranian commando and First Lieutenant in the Bushehr Marine Rangers Battalion, Iranian Navy.
After joining the Iranian Army at 14 and training in various countries in the 1970s sympathetic to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s Regime, he sided with the Council of the Islamic Revolution after the Iranian Revolution. Wounded while fighting counter-revolutionary forces in Khorramshahr in 1979, he recovered in time to fight in the Iran-Iraq War, becoming a successful tank hunter before he was killed on 26 October 1980 by shrapnel from an Iraqi mortar shell in Abadan, Khuzestan Province, Iran.[1]
Early life
Mohammad Ali Safa was born in Bojnord, North Khorasan Province, Iran on 7 March 1950. He completed his elementary education at Ibn Sina Elementary School and his secondary education at Hemmat Bojnord High School.[1]
In his early years, Safa had a keen interest in various martial arts, including Karate and Kung fu. He believed that all Iranians should serve and defend their country and he joined the Iranian Army on the basis of this belief in December 1964 at the age of 14.[2]
Career
Safa joined the Iranian Army in December 1964.[2] There, he participated in the navy commando entrance test. In this test, 250 military recruits were selected and trained for 18 months.[2] After 18 months of intensive commando training in Iran had passed, instructed by British Royal Marine Commandos as part of the UK's, US', and Israel's backing of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s Regime, Safa was selected as the top recruit during initial training and special operations training.[1] He was then selected to lead the Special Operations Command and was sent to a Royal Marine training base in the United Kingdom, along with eight others, to continue specialized training in tank hunting.[1][2]
While in the UK, Safa spent one year in various training courses which included tank hunting, parachuting, the Royal Marine's Tarzan Assault Course, martial arts courses (Judo and Kung Fu), and Land, Sea, and Air combat courses. He distinguished himself in all of these courses. His training obtained him the role qualification of tank hunter specialist.[1][2] After successfully completing the courses in the UK, Safa went to John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in the United States to undergo specialised training on warship destruction. After completing several training courses in the US, Safa became the first Iranian to receive and successfully pass specialised commando training in the destruction of warships.[1] While outside of Iran, he also completed training in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.[3][1]
Upon returning back to Iran, Safa was chosen to train Iranian commandos with his newly acquired experience and knowledge at the Army Naval Command Base in Bushehr.[1]
Wounded in Action in Khorramshahr
After the Iranian Revolution, Safa sided with the Council of the Islamic Revolution. In May 1979, when Khorramshahr was threatened by counter-revolutionary forces and separatist rebels, Mohammad Ali Safa was sent to Khorramshahr whilst serving as a First Lieutenant in the Bushehr Marine Rangers Battalion. Khorramshahr was later cleared of counter-revolutionaries. During this fighting, Safa was shot in the abdomen during a clash with counter-revolutionary forces.[1]
After being injured, Safa was evacuated to hospital and, after three surgeries, had parts of his intestines removed, surviving the incident. When the Iran-Iraq war began in 1980, Mohammad Ali was over halfway through his two-year medical leave. Believing he had invaluable expertise from his long training in Iran and abroad, he re-joined to train the army and later to fight.[1]
Involvement in the Iran-Iraq War
During the Iran-Iraq War, Safa's unit, the Bushehr Marine Rangers Battalion, destroyed many Iraqi T-72 and Type 74 tanks.[3] Safa was nicknamed the "Tank Hunter" after being credited with numerous Iraqi tank kills using the BGM-71 TOW rocket launcher.[4][3]
Death
Mohammad Ali Safa was killed by a mortar shell on 26 October 1980 in Abadan not far from the border with Iraq, less than two weeks before the Siege of Abadan commenced; the explosion sent shrapnel into his forehead, leg, and side.[5][6]
Cultural depictions
In 2013, a biographical documentary film about Mohammad Ali Safa was produced in Iran by the Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works and Values, an Iranian Government agency.[7]
See also
- Iran–Iraq War
- Liberation of Khorramshahr
- Battle of Khorramshahr
- Siege of Abadan
- Islamic Republic of Iran Navy
- History of the Iranian Navy
- Iran's Navy Ranks Insignia
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 "شهدای ارتشی خراسان_شمالی را بیشتر بشناسیم؛ از "شکارچی تانک" تا نخستین شهید "مدافع حرم" ارتش+فیلم- اخبار استانها – اخبار تسنیم – Tasnim" (in فارسی). Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "وقتی پرچم پایگاه کماندویی انگلستان به احترام شهید ایرانی نیمه افراشته شد+عکس- اخبار فرهنگی – اخبار تسنیم – Tasnim" (in فارسی). Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "رکورد شکار تانک در جهان چگونه شکست؟ – ایسنا" (in فارسی). 30 December 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ "شهید صفا را بانام "شکارچی تانک" می_شناسند – خبرگزاری مهر _ اخبار ایران و جهان _ Mehr News Agency" (in فارسی). 25 October 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ "قهرمانی در اندازه رستم؛ بزرگترین شکارچی تانک" (in فارسی). Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ "نگاهی به زندگی پرافتخار شهید سرهنگ محمدعلی صفا" (in فارسی). Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ "فیلم مستند امیر شهید _محمدعلی صفا_ در خراسان شمالی تولید شد" (in فارسی). Retrieved 16 November 2019.
External links
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