The Long and Tumultuous Journey of My Life

By A. Cyrus Tahernia

This Memoir entitled The Long and Tumultuous Journey of My Life consists of 183 pages with 112 interior pictures, most of immediate family pictures. It contains 10 chapters. Chapter One: portrays the first 24 years of authors personal and professional life. It illustrates the difficulty of authors life living in desolated area because of his father military assignments. It shows authors anxiety about the Second World War and occupation of his beloved country by foreign troops. It also gives information about his personal life, his immediate family, Persian traditions and customs and his father being prisoner of war. It demonstrates his feeling toward living in different localities with different cultures and environments. It also describes his elementary, high school and medical schools and how he endured numerous examinations and hardships.

Chapter Two: deals with his postgraduate study and training in different hospitals and difficulty to get familiar with American culture and society. How he finished Internship, Pediatric Residency and Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology, during latter of which, he met his future wife. He went through several examinations to be American Board Certified in the field of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology by passing written part of Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology examination and to an academic career.

Chapter Three: contains authors marriage and having three beautiful children. He obtained academic medical career and was promoted to associate professor. This was one of best part of authors personal and professional life in watching his children growth and success in his job.

Chapter Four: portrays authors sabbatical leave from the University and being quite successful in training, and passing the oral portion of American Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology to become Board Certified in American Sub- Board of Pediatric Cardiology. Academically author published four scientific papers in the prestigious medical journals during one year. This academic achievement caused some difficulty in his work due to the jealousy and inferiority complex of his colleagues. Chapter Five: explains happy and successful life at the beginning of his highest career but it caused authors adverse health problems and nervous breakdown . This part of authors life dealt with hard work in administration, teaching medical students, training pediatric residents, patients care and conducting research as being Full Professor and Chairman of the Department. He was also as Visiting Professor in the University of Pennsylvania and establishment of exchange program for faculties and residents between our department and the department of pediatric at the University of Pennsylvania. This period was another productive life academically by publishing numerous scientific publications and expansion of the department in every direction but to encounter budgetary problem and nepotism by University administration.

Chapter Six: describes my difficulty working in prejudiced, hostile and notorious medical community and facing a great of deal of jealousy and dishonesty in my profession. At least I and my family were well accepted in the community. This period was accompanied by great deal of authors childrens achievement academically and athletically. They brought a slew of trophies and awards and straight A. Author witnessed tremendous success in his children. This period also coincided with a lot of travel abroad and quite a few number of medical presentations locally, nationally and Internationally this chapter has been divided into Section A and B which represents two different era of authors personal and professional life. Chapter Seven: was the best part of my life personally and professionally. I had the best productivity academically and financially. I was treated as a celebrity and being popular, and liked by my patients and colleagues. There was a big demand for my work not in th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 5, 2007
• ISBN: 9781469102078

A. Cyrus Tahernia

Cyrus Tahernia, MD, graduated from Tehran University School of Medicine with a laureate degree. The author came to the USA for his postgraduate training in the field of pediatrics and pediatric cardiology in prestigious teaching institutions. The author met his wife at the end of the training, and he also became an American citizen. By training, the author is certified by both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board Sub-Board of Pediatric Cardiology. He is a fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP) cardiology section and fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). He held the position of professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and later on as clinical professor and director of both pediatric cardiology and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). He was a visiting professor in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of twenty-nine scientific peer-reviewed publications in American and British medical journals and also the author of two recent books entitled The Long and Tumultuous Journey of My Life and Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?, which were published in 2007 and 2010, respectively. He was a reviewer of two pediatric cardiology books. He has been involved in research studies of American lifestyle, particularly in the field of pediatric preventive cardiology, especially the problems of obesity, dietary regimen, and exercise. His book entitled Lifestyle Is Driving Us Toward Impending Demise. consists of fifteen chapters with prologue, epilogue, and appendix. Each chapter contains a variety of important and contemporary hot topics, such as health care, immigration, and airport dilemmas.

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Copyright © 2007 by A. Cyrus Tahernia, M.D., FAAP, FACC.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006909789

ISBN: Hardcover 978-1-4257-4241-6

Softcover 978-1-4257-4240-9

eBook 978-1-4691-0207-8

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Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

Prologue

Chapter One

March 25, 1932-June, 1957

Chapter Two

July 1, 1957-August 1, 1963

Chapter Three

Pahlavi University

School of Medicine (Shiraz Medical Center)

September, 1963-June 1968

Chapter Four

Sabbatical Leave

July 1, 1968-June 30, 1969

Chapter Five

Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics

Pahlvi University

1969-1973

Chapter Six

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Section A: 1974-1982

Chapter Seven

Topeka, Kansas 1988-2001

Section A

March 1, 1988-September 30, 1994

Chapter Seven

Section B

October 1, 1994-August 31, 2001

Chapter Eight

Retirement

September 1, 2001-March 31, 2005

Chapter Nine

The China Trip

June 2-June 14, 2005

Chapter Ten

A Look Back at Politics in Iran and

Middle East Oil versus Western Foreign Policy

Preface

I would like to tell you a few things that I know about my husband. I met him in 1961 and we were married in 1963. During these forty-three years, he has taken me on a real life adventure from the Middle East, all over Europe, South America, the Orient, and to the

United States

Professionally, he is a superb physician who exhibits patience, kindness, disclosure, and a great knowledge in his field. He is a recognized authority on Diphtheritic Myocarditis and has been heralded, by his colleague, as a doctor’s Doctor. His academic achievements include twenty-nine scientific publications

Personally, he is a kind and patient man who is loyal to his patients, family, and friends. He has always been there for his children and me, offering advice and support to all of us. I wish all of you could know his love.

This book is a unique story of Cyrus’s journey from his early childhood to the present. It illustrates the nature of his relationships and is a story of courage and loyalty. It provides a rare glimpse into the medical community with all its political ramifications. I am sure that all readers will welcome this informative history and share in Cyrus’s good and bad experiences

—Mary Louise Tahernia

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge my wife of forty-three years, Mary Louise, who kindly helped me edit this memoir.

This book is especially dedicated to my beautiful and precious grandchildren; Philip, Eva, Alexander, Stefan, Nicholas, and Sophia.

I sincerely hope that they will gain some special insights in regards to the era in which I was born and grew up. You must know that things were entirely different during my time. I am also hoping that, if they like and appreciate what they read, they will perhaps pass it along to their own children and even their grandchildren.

This memoir is likewise devoted to my talented and educated adult children; Susan, Ahmad Louis, and Amir David, as well as to my sons’ very special spouses; Pamela and Kimberly. I expect they will, perhaps, find a few things that they have forgotten or missed. This book is tailored to my personal biography and the tumultuous life that I endured, which might help them better understand the kind of person I am at the present time.

Last but not the least, this book is dedicated to my parents and my dear sister whom I miss a great deal.

Prologue

I have had a hard time growing up in Iran and have encountered difficulties during my personal and professional life. I drifted from one location to another with different cultures and environments, and have had to cope with some difficult tasks, both good and bad.

As I grew older, my desire to explore my family’s and parents’ background increased, but unfortunately neither my parents nor my sister is alive at the time of this writing to give me gain access to more details of my life during my first twenty-five years living in Iran.

My main purpose in writing this book is the desire to pass along my experiences on how it was difficult to live in desolated areas, different cities and of course in America. I have tried to be very honest and candid about authenticity of my personal and professional life and my feelings toward persons and the world. The real names mentioned in this book are out of respect, love, and the care I have for these people. Of course, I have avoided mentioning the real names of some people for obvious reasons. Please don’t get me wrong, I have mentioned flaws in some people, but remember, I have also some flaws as well and nobody is perfect in this world.

Please forgive me if I have been a little harsh toward some members of my family. This was done because I love them and care about them a great deal. If some of the contents of this book are offensive to anyone, I sincerely apologize.

I opted to name this book, The Long and Tumultuous Journey of My Life, because the contents of my memoir portrays and conforms precisely what I went through my entire life. If I forgot to mention some of your names in this memoir, it was not intentional and was due to the lapse of my memory. I am blessed to be an Iranian and am privileged to be an American. Because of this, I am able to share my rich Persian culture proudly and my candor views and thoughts with all of my American and Iranian families and friends.

I conclude this section with these beautiful and thoughtful sayings; Don’t Let Your Anger Consume the Last Days of Your Life, and Knowledge Is Power, Unity Is Strength, and Attitude Is Everything. You have to learn to forgive and forget people who are not appreciative of what you have done for them.

Chapter One

March 25, 1932-June, 1957

I was born on March 25, 1932 just a few days after the Iranian New Year (Norooz) the first week of Farvardin in the Holy City of Mashhad which is close to the then U.S.S.R. border in the North East of Iran. This city is the Capital of Khorasan Province, the birth place of internationally-known poet, the Ferdosi (City of Toos), also the birth place of one of our proud kings, named Nadershah, who conquered India. Nadershah brought a vast quantity of exotic and genuine jewelry to Iran; most of which is preserved in the Tehran Jewelry Museum (Mouseh Javaherat-é-Saltanaty). The Ferdosi’s Statue is still standing in Ferdosi Square in Tehran, even after all the changes that have taken place in Tehran, Iran. Most importantly, the city of Mashhad is known for the Shrine of Imam Reza (9th Saint or Imam). The suburbs of the city contain vast areas of orchards of different kinds of fruits, which makes it one of the largest exporters of canned and dried fruit; not only in Iran, but also to the whole of the Middle East and throughout the world.

I was the baby of the house and I was overprotected by my parents, especially my mother, who had already lost a son named Hossein at the age of two to pneumonia (prior to the antibiotic discovery era). My father, who was a military officer and very disciplined, liked to raise flowers and gamble. He was a heavy smoker. He had a hot house in which he raised the flowers. We used to send beautiful flowers to our relatives and close friends during Norooz (Iranian New Year), which coincides with the first day of the spring. As I said earlier, one of my father’s favorite hobbies was raising flowers and this is why I got interested in this field and I learned the name and a look of different flowers. I still remember the name of these flowers and I can identify them immediately at this writing.

He was promoted to full colonel in the Iranian Army prior to his early retirement at the age of fifty-six. He was fed up with the bureaucracy in the army. My father was from Tehran (Khiaban-é-Ray; Koucheh Abshar) and my mother’s family was originally from Tafresh and I believe she was born in the city of Mashhad. She lost her mother when she was only twelve years of age. She was taken care of by her stepmother by the name of Khanom-é-Keramatsaltaneh. Those days almost every middle high class family used to have a big title.

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Full Colonel Ahmad Tahernia (Author’s Father)

My mother was married at the age of nineteen to my father who was twenty-eight years of age and was an army lieutenant at the time. My mother was a religious Moslem woman who did not miss praying five times a day. She even went on a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Karbella (the grave place of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson; Hossein; Shiite Sect) which is located in Iraq. Then she went to Mecca to pay her dues to God in the faith of Islam and she became Haji Khanom.

My father was a very strict, honest and compassionate man. I lost my father when I was twenty-eight while training in Pediatric Residency at the Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, New York. He was only sixty-two years of age when he died. My father and my mother used to write a shared letter to me almost every month, when I was studying in the US. I got worried when I did not hear anything from my parents for three months. I received a letter from my uncle (my mother’s brother) that my father had died a couple of months previously and he had a military honor guard with full military music band during his funeral procession. I was really devastated. I was in denial for quite some time, because he seemed to me to be in very good shape and he was slim. I surmised that he died mainly from having a lot of stress in his job and he was a heavy smoker. He apparently died of a massive heart attack. My mother was devastated because of his sudden death. She said my father died so suddenly that his cigarette was still burning in the ashtray. My mother was a kind woman who did not touch any alcoholic beverages and she never smoked throughout her whole life. She died at the age of eighty-two because of a secondary pulmonary embolism following a hip fracture surgery which occurred when she fell from the bed. Unfortunately, I could not go to see her for several years, because of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). I believe she died in 1986. I still feel quite guilty that I was not with her, as well as with my father, at the time of their deaths.

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Fatima Tahernia (Eftekharolmolook) (Author’s Mother)

Now let us go back to my early childhood and the city of Mashhad where I spent my youth. The city of Mashhad has a lot of resort areas. To name a few, Torghebeh was known for its proximity to the main city, and its beautiful river and waterfalls. The Anbaran and Vakilabad areas were also famous for their clear water streams, natural fountains, and swimming pools. The Shaftolazar (peach orchard) and Kooh Sangui (Stone Mountain) with its large international-sized swimming pool were scenic. I remember that a famous violinist named Abolhassan Saba, accompanied by a singer named Malakeh, were entertaining our family, including my maternal aunt’s family. As a very young child, I was fascinated by their performance and the beauty of these resort areas.

Our house in Mashhad had an entrance in the wall which separated our house from my cousin’s house (maternal aunt Nayerazam and her husband named Salar Shokat Amir Kalali with their six children) that were living next door. We were close to each other and most of my free time was spent with my maternal cousin Reza. We did almost everything together such as playing with the mud (Gelbazi), film playing, going to movies, and using sling shots called Palakhmoon to hit birds in Falakeh Shahreza (named after Reza Shah; the Iranian king at that time). The Falakeh Shahreza (Square) was located in the front of Shahreza Hospital where my mother had some sort of surgery there. I still remember that I could smell the chloroform odor from visiting Mother in the hospital after her surgery. When any of us, either my sister Shamsi or I would get sick, my mother would stay home to take care of us, although we had a nanny (kolfat), and my father used to go alone to any social activity or any party. She was such a dedicated mother. I had a nasal polypectomy by a new otorhinolaryngologist trained in the U.S.A. I was 3-4 years of age. I was quite sacred when I found myself in a pool of blood in front of my eyes. I remember also that I had my circumcision done by a barber when I was five to six years of age with a great deal of pain and of course without any local anesthesia. As a tradition at that time I was called as a man after circumcision. I remember my relatives were telling my mother that I was too old to go with my mother to the public women’s bath. When I was three to four years of age, my paternal uncle, Dr. Hossein Tahernia, who was also our family physician, put me on a new German-made sulfa drug by the name of Prontozil which caused me to have red, blood-like urine. I was frightened and also amused and fascinated by that incident (I believe it was back in 1936).

My entertainment, in my early childhood in Mashhad, was going to see cowboy movies and many other films involving dog fights of German planes. My favorite actors and actresses were John Wayne, Alan Ladd, Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan), Maureen O’ Hara. We used to go to Shahreza Square (Falakeh) which was close to our house and Shahreza Hospital; the largest and most modern hospital in Mashhad at that time. My best entertainment and dear friend was also my bicycle. I loved to race with other kids. I had this bike from my elementary school years until the first year of high school. I remember now why I was scared and hated dogs because in my early childhood, we had a rabid stray dog in Mashhad and my mother really frightened me about even being in contact with any dog. As I said earlier, I was overprotected by my mother because I was the only boy in the family after my parents lost their first son at the age of two. We had only radio and movie theaters, but no television, let alone computers and all the technology we have today. I remember we had beautiful garden grounds (Bagh-é-Melli) which had a confectionary store, a gorgeous lawn, and variety of flowers, as well as a piano player. I liked to pretend to be a cavalry soldier riding on a piece of wooden pole and running around the house. I had quite a few of colorful pigeons and enjoyed playing with them and pushing them to fly; at times, they would bring some other pigeon back from our neighborhood. Such fun! It was entertaining to watch a pigeon’s eggs and see how their babies would hatch from broken eggshells which would result in having an ugly featherless baby like a piece of red flesh. I got so upset to see one of my male brown-colored pigeons taken by an eagle or big hawk while he was flying. Such an awful experience and observation! I learned to play cards such as gin rummy, poker, and backgammon from my father in my early childhood. My father used to play backgammon with my maternal aunt’s husband, Salar, and they would bet on some Palmolive soap which was popular at that time. I still remember to this day that I was beaten badly by my father when I was about six or seven years old because I refused to accompany my sister to school. My sister who was eight years senior to me, was my father’s favorite and I was my mother’s favorite. During high school, my only entertainment was going to the movies, sometimes with my sister and other times with my classmates. I was sure to be at home before 10:30-11:00 o’clock at night. At times my mother used to come out and stand in front of the house until I got home. Of course we did not have a car at that time, so you were obligated to walk to school by yourself and carry your lunch box in addition to your books.

My favorite actors and actresses during my high school were John Wayne, Tony Curtis, Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, Brigit Bardot, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, Red Skelton, Rita Heyworth, Vivien Leigh, Shelly Winters, and of course Esther Williams. I believe I saw all the Esther Williams’ movies; I enjoyed her style and her swimming. I have to mention that two of my favorite comedian actors were Laurel and Hardy. I also enjoyed Mickey Rooney and of course any war pictures. In my last year of high school and in my early education in medical school, we used to go to a resort area named Maigoon which had a beautiful river, streams, falls, and springs. This resort area was cool and quite green during the summer, and I had a lot of fun meeting some of my family, especially on my mother’s side. I remember during one of these gatherings we were staying with one of our close and good friends. I was very excited that I had somebody in my age group to have fun with, but unfortunately, the father of this family who was the best friend of my father died suddenly of a massive heart attack during that summer and our fun and excitement were over. His family, following the death of the head of the family, fell apart. It was such an unfortunate event and brought sadness for both families. We knew this family while living in the city of Kerman. I remember when I was in medical school, my mother was always advising me and was telling me Cyrus please allocate one day per week to see and treat poor and indigent patients free of charge. She was such an angel! Of course, one of my favorite sports was soccer. When I was in high school and I was playing soccer, I was the captain of the team. I know that at the time of this writing, my sons did not believe that I was a soccer (football) player in high school. Alas, that I did not have the time to pursue soccer or get involved in sports activities except ping-pong, because I was so busy in medical school. Of course we did not have any luxuries, or the fun that medical students have in America.

One of my favorite movies was Gone with the Wind starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. In my early childhood and elementary school, all foreign movies were translated to the Persian language and some of the spectators used to loudly read the translated text. It was really distracting to me and other audience members who happened to be sitting next to these people.

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My sister Shamsi and author standing on the chair with the help of nanny

During the Iranian New Year; visiting the family and close friends is almost always mandatory and tradition. The younger members of the family have to pay a visit to the older members of the family as a token of respect. We call these visits as, Deed O Bazdeed. It is customary to serve our family and guests with all kinds of homemade cookies, candies, and the older members of the family would give some gifts and/or money to children as (Aidee). I remember, at times, my mother and my older maternal aunt Khanom-é-Nezhatsaltaneh would get together to bake cookies and candies during Norooz.

I had a big craving for sweets in my early childhood that has persisted throughout my life. As soon as my mother and father would leave our house to pay a visit to a family member and/or a friend during Norooz, I used to pick up most of the delicious cookies and candies such as Baghlava, Nanné Nokhodchee, and Sohan, in their absence. When my mother and father would come back to the house, they would guess who had tampered with the cookies and candies. At times, my mother used to say these cookies and candies are on the table for the guests and not for you. To me it was a party and a feast during the Iranian New Year. It was also a tradition to wear new clothes during the New Year. At the New Year’s evening it was customary to have Sabzi Pilaf with Mahi Sephid, fresh Seer (fresh garlic), and Coo Coo Sabzi (rice, vegetable, fish and eggs with vegetable; something like quiche).

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Family picture from left to right Khanom-e-Nezhatzaman; my mother’s maternal aunt daughter-in-law, my mother maternal aunt Khanom-e-Rafatsaltaneh,

author’s maternal aunt Khanom-e-Nezhatsaltaneh and author’s mother

I remember my mother would almost have to force my father to go outside of the house and bring in bread and goat cheese during the onset of New Year (Tahveel) to indicate that the New Year would bring us food and prosperity. I remember that the first person who would pay a visit to our house during New Year was my paternal aunt (Ammeh Moolook) and her husband. She was younger than my father. At times my father was so upset during these holidays, because he had not gotten his promotion from the army. Everybody in our home knew what was going on and my mother was a big moral support for my father and all of us. She was encouraging my father to get up from the bed and dress up and get out of the house so he would not have an ominous year. Whether you want to call it a tradition and/or a superstition, I will leave it to the reader’s judgment.

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Cyrus the Great’s Tomb around Fars Province, Iran

It was also a tradition, from the time of Cyrus the Great, to grow wheat and lentils in a dish almost two weeks prior to Norooz for greenery, or (Sabzeh), during the New Year which heralds the beginning of spring. It was also tradition to have seven items in which each first letter starts with s or Seen in the Persian Language for example; such as seeb (apple), sumagh (sumac), sombol (hyacinth), seer (garlic), samanue (a combination of flour and some kind of sauce), senjet (some kind of dry-tasting fruit), and serkeh (vinegar).

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Haft Seen’s picture, shows the seven items which its

first letter of the words starts with S in Persian Language

Furthermore, it was also a custom and belief to have a mirror and a candle (Aeineh va Shamdan) with a container of gold fish and Samavar to complete the Haft Seen (seven items starting with Seen in Persian Language or Farsi). If by any chance the gold fish would die during Tahveel or at the start of the New Year, it would bring bad luck for the family during that year. It was mandatory to throw out the grown up Sabzéh from your house on the thirteenth day passed Norooz or thirteenth day of the month of Farvardin, otherwise it would bring bad luck for the family during that year. It is also a custom to get out of your house on that day (the thirteenth day following Norooz), otherwise you would encounter bad luck. During that day, it is also customary for young girls to tie the long weeds in the field if she wishes to get married in that year. In the Persian tradition and habit, we would say Sizdeh Bedar; Sizdeh: thirteen and Sizdeh Bedar is the process of getting over with or passing over the thirteenth day of New Year. I believe we are also concerned about the number thirteen especially Friday the thirteenth, which is ominous to some people in America. Another custom and/or tradition is, to have an open fire outside, the last Wednesday of the year and people would jump over the fire (Chaharshanbéh Suri) and would say, Give me your beautiful red color (fire) and take back my sickly pallor which comes with sickness.

As I said earlier, the suburban area of the city of Mashhad was famous for its resort (Torghebeh) which is cool in the summer. My family and my maternal aunt’s family (Khalejan Neyerazam) used to spend several weeks in this area. My maternal aunt Neyerazam had six children; one of those children was closer to my age named Reza. We were very close and we played together. This period was one of my best times to be with him and enjoy the beauty of nature and the clean, crisp air. I remember we used to sleep on the floor and would listen to the creatures and bird’s singing until we would fall asleep. In the morning we used to have a breakfast with sweet and delicious bread; they would call it as Nanné Sheermal with milk curd called Sarsheer.

Because of my father’s occupation (military officer), my sister and I were exposed to quite a bit different locations, cultures, and schools in Iran, which goes with the Long Journey of My Life. As far as I can remember, I spent the first several years of my life in the city of Mashhad, including the early part of my elementary school (Hemmat Elementary School or Dabestan-é-Hemmat); the principal of the school was someone named Mr. Payravi. I was a good student and I met someone named M.Z. who was in the sixth grade at that time and I was in the first grade. I witnessed how the school principal was praising him as one of his best elementary school graduates. I was taken by surprise that this same person (Dr. M.Z.) would be the man to hire me as a physician at the Nemazee Hospital and as a faculty member at the then Pahlavi University in Shiraz, Iran. Because of the lack of available villas in the Nemazee Hospital compound, he also offered his house to Mary Lou and me (we were just newly married) while he was leaving Shiraz., Iran for the U.S.A., at least temporarily at that time. I must mention that although the Nemazee Hospital was in great need of pediatricians at that time, I did not accept although I appreciated his generous offer.

I vaguely remember that my father was very upset when he was informed to go to a small town named Sarakhs, located at the border of Iran and the then U.S.S.R. He was the head of this border (North East of Iran). They used to call him (Kalantar-é-Marz). I heard my father telling us that this assignment is like somebody shot him in the heart. Now I can see why he was unhappy about this assignment. It seems to me that he had some sort of premonition that something ominous would happen to him. Sarakhs lacked electricity and its water would come from deep wells by pump (called Tolombeh). This small town was very hot in the summer and we were obligated to get cool by manual fan or water sprayed over the thorn, placing them in doorways and via passing wind we could cool down (Kharkhooneh). It was nomadic and funny as compared with the present time. This place had only one elementary school and my sister was left behind to live with my maternal aunt (Khalejan Neyerazam) in the city of Mashhad, Khorasan’s provincial capital, to be able to go to high school there. In the summer, my father used to send me with my mother to Mashhad, which was considered a resort (Yailagh). In this small town, you could not sit outside with lantern light or Cheragh Toori and not be surrounded by a lot of insects; not only mosquitoes and cockroaches, but even poisonous spiders and scorpions. I was even frightened to go to the bathroom with a primitive commode with a lot of cracks and holes in the walls where either insects or poisonous scorpions could visit you. I was infected with oriental sores (Salack) or cutaneous Leishmaniasis. I also developed diphtheria with no doctor or antiserum available. I am not sure that the latter diagnosis was correct.

One morning in the summer, while we were living in the small rented house in the city of Mashhad, I was awakened with the extreme noise of roaring, numerous, U.S.S.R. planes over the Mashhad sky (the 3rd of Shahrivar). Our scanty antiaircraft was trying to shoot them down with no success. Mashhad’s sky was almost blacked out by these numerous planes. This was the time when I heard U.S.S.R. armed forces from the North and British armed forces from the South had invaded my beloved country. This was just an excuse to occupy Iran in order to send American ammunition to the Russian front where German troops had advanced up to the city of Stalingrad. Allies (U.S.S.R., Great Britain, and later on America) used our newly built and luxury railroads to help Russia by sending arms. No wonder why the allies called Iran later on as a Victory Bridge (Polé Peeroozi). This was of course during the Second World War. The allies accused Iran of harboring German spies because Iran, at that time, had a few German engineers helping Iran build railroads. We were quite worried about what had happened to my father at the Russian border. After my mother inquired everywhere and she went to visit the Russian Commander who had invaded from North East of Iran, and had occupied the city of Mashhad; General P. We were told that my father was possibly taken as a prisoner of war in the town of Sarakhs. At this time, my uncle Dr. Hossein Tahernia, M.D., who was also our personal physician, sent somebody to bring us to his house in Mashhad. The city was in the process of being bombed by Russian warplanes and soon we could see many Russian troops in the city of Mashhad ransacking our food and water supplies, and our armed forces’ barrack supplies. I remember my uncle’s medical office was located in a four-story building which was the highest building in the city and locals would call it Emarat-é-Chahartabegheh. My uncle was very worried that the Russian soldiers (Saldat-é-Roussi) would search his house and find my father’s uniforms. He and my mother decided to dig