Legacy of heroes live on

After nearly 4 decades, an elderly Iranian couple learn about the whereabouts of the remains of their beloved missing son who was martyred in the early years of the Iraqi imposed war against Iran.

19 year old Hossein Shokraeean is one of the tens of thousands Iranians who bravely sacrificed their lives to defend their country against an all-out military invasion by the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein back in 1980s.

“Considering the blood samples from the parents and DNA matching, Noor Genetic Center respectfully informs you that the corpse of unknown buried martyr number 1770 belongs to Martyr Hossein Shokraeean. The body of the martyr has been found and identified,” read a letter issued by an Iranian DNA identification center.

Olympic champion Mohammad-Reza Geraei read out the letter to the martyr’s bereaved parents, with his eyes filling with tears.

“May God bless his soul,” Geraei lamented, paying tribute to the young martyr who had been buried as an anonymous soldier in central city of Isfahan.

Martyrs are revered as national heroes in Iran. Their families are highly respected by Iranians from different walks of lives, particularly the athletes and national champions.

Born in 1996, Geraei is an Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler. At the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, he won the gold medal in the men's 67 kg event. In 2021, he won a gold medal in the men's 67 kg in World Wrestling Competitions in Oslo, Norway.

MG/HA