Veterans toiled in secrecy, scorching heat

Their top-secret mission funneled supplies through Iran to the Soviet Union.
BY AMANDA GARRETT
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- Sixty years ago they crossed deserts, battled heat exhaustion and hunted gazelle.
On Thursday, veterans of the Persian Gulf Command gathered at the Avalon Inn and Resort to share their memories of a little-known front in World War II.
Between 1941 and 1945, the 33,000 strong Persian Gulf Command funneled badly needed military and humanitarian supplies by truck and train through Iran to the Soviet Union.
Although they didn't see battle, the men and women of the Persian Gulf Command faced hardships, said Pete Perich of Warren, who was a sergeant in the command.
"We suffered with the heat and disease," he said. "The roads were so bad through the desert that some guys got killed driving."
Fighting the supply war
The members of the Persian Gulf Command were responsible for carrying out the $50 billion lend-lease plan the U.S. had promised to the Soviet Union.
At that time, Iran was the only place the Allies could use to get their supplies through to the Soviet Union.
Command members funneled supplies off ships in the Persian Gulf and onto trucks or trains bound for the Soviet Union.
The mission was done in the utmost secrecy.
Perich, who was in Iran from 1942 to 1944, said the veterans were not informed of where they were going when they left home.
Once they got to Iran, their letters to and from their home were monitored to ensure they didn't reveal any top secret information to their families.
"We used to call them lace curtains because they were cut up so much," said Robert Patterson of Danville, Pa., who was a truck driver in the Persian Command.
Other hardships they faced included the searing heat, which could get as high as 160 degrees, Patterson said.
"I was stationed at the hottest place on earth," he said. "You didn't wear dog tags and you didn't wear a watch because they'd melt right on your skin."
Soldiers frequently came down with heat exhaustion and dehydration as well as malaria and sand fly fever, said Lillian Toll Tekel of Philadelphia, who was a nurse in the Persian Command.
While in Iran, the veterans had to improvise to make up for their lack of fresh meat, said John Varner of Farmville, Va.
"At night we used to hunt gazelles and wild boar," he said. "We'd take off after them in our jeeps at about 70 miles per hour. That was a big deal when we brought back fresh meat."
Then and now
The soldiers of the Persian Gulf Command built most of the roads and railroads they traveled on and also left much of their equipment with the Iranians.
"We left with good relations," said Rudy Hindman of Golden Valley, Ariz. "They liked us, and we liked them."
Many of the Persian Command Veterans feel the United State has squandered much of the good will they left with the Iranian people.
"When we were coming over on the boat, we were taught what to say and how to behave," Toll Tekel said. "Now, the soldiers go over there and they don't even know how to say 'stop' or 'come here' in Arabic."
Many of the veterans feel they were never given proper recognition by Russia for their service.
The Persian Command veterans were promised medals from the Soviet Union right after the war ended.
"We helped save Stalingrad and Leningrad," Hindman added. "It took us 60 years to get our medals, and we had to pay $5.12 in postage to get them."
Ready for next year
Although the numbers of the Persian Command veterans are dwindling -- most are in their mid-80s -- the members were making plans for next year.
"We have a good time getting together and reminiscing," said Anna Connelly Wilson of Madison, Ohio, who was a nurse in the Persian Command.
In recent years, deaths have decreased the numbers of the Command.
At one time, the organization had about 1,800 members, but now it numbers 875.
For the remaining members, tales of coming home are perhaps the sweetest.
Varner never informed his family that he was coming back to his Virginia home.
"It was about 11 o'clock at night or so when I got home," he said. "My mother heard my footsteps, and she turned to my father and said 'John's coming.'"
agarrett@vindy.com