Parents

I miss you guys deeply. I wish, I was with you guys every day and every moment.

I am taking this moment to correct a fact about my father. In his biography, I wrote that he was a Ranger. However, after I did further research about his military career, I came across some facts that he was a Green Beret. The US Special Forces trained him to prevent the Russian Red Army from encroaching Iranian land. He was trained to use a knife, a few hand grenades, and a handgun.

These special forces trained around the Caspian Sea mountains and carved the mountains to intercept the Russian Red Army as they were enroute to Tehran.

My father joined Imperial Iranian Armed Forces – Infantry. He trained as a Green Beret. He retired as a military judge.

This is a history of Green Beret of Iran.

In 1953, 10 Imperial Iranian Army officers went to France for parachute training. After returning to Iran, they established the Parachute Unit (واحد چتربازی) in 1955, which was evolved into the Parachute Battalion (گردان چتربازی) in 1959. In the same year, the 23rd Special Forces Brigade (تیپ ۲۳ نیروهای ویژه) was established, consisted of 5 operational battalions, one support battalion, one communication platoon, one base company, and an unconventional warfare school.

In 1970, the unit renamed to 23rd Airborne Special Forces Brigade (تیپ ۲۳ نیروهای ویژه هوابرد). A year later, a hostage rescue unit and a mental warfare company were added to the structure of the brigade. The establishment of the brigade was under supervision of American advisors from John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School. The legacy is still evident in the brigade’s green berets and qualification badge, which is nearly identical to the US Army Special Forces’ De oppresso liber unit insignia.