Tale of a Soldier
in love of Egypt

Our hero is Mubarak Abdel-Mutagally Al-Sayed Mahran; a Nile valley plant who grew on its land, drank from its water and has the honour of being a descendant of the Ancient Egyptians. He was born on the 24th of March 1946, in Al-Labban quarter; Alexandria, where he lived till he was six year olds and joined the primary school.

He supported the Revolution of July 23, which broke out the year he ended his primary study. He passed the preparatory school successfully. In 1956 England, France and Israel launched the Tripartite Aggression. Our hero still young, not capable of hoding a shooting gun, but he was full of zeal and dreaming to be a soldier.

He joined the teams of scouting and nursing. He was a cheerer and hailer to national slogans voicing Egypt everywhere, despite his not being past ten years old. Still child but full of manly attributes; powerful, intelligent, trustful, he had all the requirements for heroism. In his secondary school, he was a brilliant figure, aiming at being an armed forces officer. He was fascinated by commandoes troops and admired their physical fitness, masculinity in speaking and wonderful uniform.

His results in the secondary school made him able to join faculties of medicine and engineering, but he insisted on joining the Military Academy. All his life was a strife for the aim; liberating the Egyptian land. Such aim taught him not to be selfish, he should love his homeland, relatives, colleagues, friends and commandoes troops.

Said characteristics indicated his fitness to military life; he was desttined to be a battlefield sodier of logical mind. His hobbies were hunting and playing basketball; semi-millitary tactics, a perfect planner, expert, cool and capable of achieving the desired goals. Really, he was a most-skilled man.

Mubarak was a deadly pursuer of knowledge. He sought to know everything about his religion and the existing world. He was grown up in a religious family, he committed to his memory most of Koran and of Prophetic Tradition. He was a competent preacher to his relatives and friends. His complete belief in God made him blessed. After some controversies and difference of opinion, he managed to convince his parents of his joining the Military Academy.

The setback of June 1967 happened when he was a student. He was graduated and joined the school of commandoes. He successfully passed all the divisions he was in charge of. He was such a conspicuous officer who captivated his leaders, colleagues and soldiers. He shared them all their happy and sad situations. He was serious, but beloved, a sound character who attracted his aquaintances.

In one of the commandoes' training projects, he was in charge of leading a platoon; a perfect officer whose soldiers listened carefully to his orders and followed him. His commanders and colleagues named him "the speedy"; he was a perfect planner and a quick player. He found himself in joining the Special Troops for which he gave his future and hopes. He passed all the stages of training as an A student and was classified as a first-class paratrooper.

On December 1, 1967, Mubarak was graduated as a Second Lieutenant, joined the commandoes after being a First Lieutenant. He was a supervisor of four divisions, who became mititary lions. He cultivated himself and became an expert of academic and practical military sciences. Now that he was a famous Captain who got the title of the First Basketball Player in 1973; Lagos Tournament, and globally became the basketball miracle as he was that of the Special T roops, by virtue of his physical fitness, morale, believing in God, seriousness in work and hard trainings; he was a model.

A touch of loyality
It was his turn to take a leave and while preparing his bag, he learned that his colleague will not be able to do a special task because of an ailment. He sacrificed his leave in order to do his friend's work. He was a model of self-denying; despite his being excessively long for his wife and daughter, he forgot all his needs in order to help his colleague.

When he went to his commander, asking about the nature of the job, he knew that it was 100 km walking. He asked his leader to take his colleague's part, a matter for which his leader greatly thanked him. A Sergeant Major, proudly, informed the soldiers that their head was "the speedy"; and all, cheerfully, cried with his name. He led the division which was a model for the next divisions.

After the end of his training in the School of Commandoes, he asked his commander to transfere him to one of the frontline battalions. His leader agreed saying "God bless you".

The preparatory stage
The process of restructuring the Armed Forces was a very hard-working one; all were busy with training, learning and shooting, it was a stage of sacrificing and self-denying. Now Mubarak was a second-in-command of the battlion. He did not like sitting in an office; he kept on working actively and participating in training, acting and reacting to get more experience in organizing units and sub-units of platoons.

One time while cultivating himself, he contemplated and got the following result; he discovered the obscurity of humane, economic, political and social elements within the soul of his soldiers and that all such elements were complicated with the military life. He who managed to solve such obscurity and deal with confusion perfectly became a Commander. The only way for solving the obscurity was science. He was logical and capable of convincing who contacted him.

In fact, the competence of the leader could not be measured by his knowledge, it is his mentality and ability to accept development, renewing, innovating, flexibility and freedom of thought tthat should be the characteristics of the competent leader.

Now he was subsided to his soldiers; they are competent users for new weapons, all united under his sponsorship. He kept on encouraging them, planting seeds of honour within their souls. For Mubarak, such seeds were the positive motives which capture victory, create miracles and change the face of history polluted by the defeat. Such seeds are the spiritual power that help sodiers to be patients in facing the breakdown; seeds that help them to accept the concept of major sacrifice for the sake of honour and dignity for Egypt and the Arab nation.

His soldiers now were practised in hit and run, devices, shooting and hunting. They made all the obstacles just like a piece of Swiss cheese. And they waited for the day of reprisal with hearts full of zeal. They were decided on annihilation and sef-sacrifice. On the 1st of October, orders to be on the alert at maximum preparedness came.

Our hero was then convinced of being in charge of his homeland. He proposed to his commander with an appeal; he wanted to be the leader of a special troop fighting on the front-line in order to join in a direct battle.

He wanted to devastate the enemy rows and teach them a lesson that they will never forget. His commander accepted the offer.

Mubarak gathered his troops and started the process of preaching, debating and planning. He made them all zealous, full of energy and power to resist till the end of the line; total war that never knows mercy. Now it is the Hour, Mubarak recieved the pass-word, declaring the commence of the crossing operation.

At 2:00 PM on the 6th of October 1973, fighter jets of the Egyptian Air Force flew over the Suez Canal striking and bombarding the fixed sites on the east bank. The under-water explosives exploded turning the water into fire.

Under the siege of fire, our commando troops crossed the Canal cheering "Allaho-Akbar" (God is he Greatest). When they heared the voice of Mubarak, they divided everywhere devastating the enemy troops. Gunboats maintained their crossing, hiding behind fumes and platoons. Engineers started to prepare the bridgeheads.

Now the commander of the battalion was calling for Mubarak to give him more instructions; the new operation was to breakthrough the site of the enemy's operations in South Sinai, to prevent any support for the enemy troops in North Sinai and to provide a new front-line that could engage the enemy in another battle far from the basic battle. Victories followed and the spirit of success spread in all the branches of the Egyptian Armed Forces. On the 16th of October 1973, orders passed to our hero; he had to hea for the position of "El-Ganayen", in order to protect "Ismaelia City" and prevent the advance of the enemy troops that were, deadly, trying to capture and control the roads leading to Ismaelia.

Our hero leading the troop reached Ismaelia on October 19. Mubarak launched a reconnaissance of the whole area aiming to recognize the nature of the land, the number of the enemy troops, artillery and ambushes. Orders to deal with the enemy troops came, and the hero with his soldiers walked to the valley of death.

They were no more than a ploy that made an ambush for the enemy. The hero divided them accurately. The enemy artillery were paving the way for their tanks by shooting everywhere. Mubarak took the decision; no repel till the enemy's were in the ambush range. Now they were in, the hero cried "Allaho-Akbar" and the process of annihilation started. Our hero and dear soldiers pursued our enemy in "El-Ganayen". The enemy tried to recapture the position, but in vain; our soldiers were acting as if they were the whole Egyptian Armed Forces. Enemy troops were terrified and ran away leaving a large number of losses and casualties.

While fighting, our hero was shot directly, but his soldiers stood firmly fighting and flaming with rage; they should protect the land and win the battle on whatever costs. They got the victory and our hero became a martyr. Egypt bestowed honour upon his soul and gave him the best Egyptian medal; Sinai-Star Medal, as an appreciation to his efforts and in fulfillment of his deep love for Egypt.

Lessons to learn
His family affected his upbringing; a religious family made him always remember God.
He was a sportman who can suffer and endure.
All the qualifications indicate his being a hero and a first-class battlefield soldier.
He puts the plan accurately; everyone has a task for the sake of which he must endure.
The plan should fit the enemy's danger.
He was deeply concerned about the high morale of his soldiers.