“October… The Lesson of the Past for Building the Future” – By Dr. Hossam Badrawi

As usual, in the month of October, I connect with the dreamers of tomorrow assosstion , including the youth of my family and those who work with me in my civil society organizations, especially the Takaful Association and the Education First Association, as well as my students at the university.

In my recent discussions with them, we talked about the great Egyptian victory of October1973 , I told them, “The 6th of October is the greatest day of my life because those who have not experienced the humiliation of defeat cannot taste the beauty, impact, and value of victory.”

I was studying medicine at Kasr Al-Ainy in my final year, and each one of us had a brother, father, friend, or relative in the army fighting for the dignity of our country. We would gather around the radio, our bodies filled with anticipation, as we listened to the accurate military statements, unlike what happened in 1967. The media learned from past mistakes and was honest with the people, and the leaders of the country learned from the great Egyptian people and rose to the level of expectations and sense of responsibility.

One of the young people who was born more than thirty years after that day said to me, “Isn’t it true, Dr. Hossam, that there are books and articles claiming that Egypt did not actually win this battle? Who should we believe?”

Another one said, “You said the same thing about the 1956 war, and it turned out in the end that it was not a victory and that Israel occupied Sinai until the United States intervened and forced them to withdraw.”

I said, “This is not true because the outcome of a war is determined by who imposes their will on the other. In 1956, Egypt imposed its will on England, France, and Israel, and every country uses its armies and diplomacy to achieve its objectives. Egypt, in the end, regained control of the Suez Canal and Sinai, so the result of the war was a victory for Egypt and the resignation of the British Prime Minister.”

As for 1973, we believed and the whole world confirms that it was impossible to cross the Suez Canal and penetrate the Bar Lev Line, which was considered the strongest line of defense in the history of global military affairs, given the technological and strategic superiority of the Israeli air force. The world believed that this was an unchangeable situation.

“What happened in the end was the crossing of our forces with wise organization and leadership, changing the stable military situation, and then negotiating from a position of strength, not defeat. Everything that happened afterwards was the opening of the Suez Canal for international navigation, the return of the displaced people of Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez, and the recovery of Sinai.

The October War was part of an integrated strategy to regain dignity and land, through the coordination of military, diplomatic, and legal efforts to reclaim the last point in Taba. Sinai became fully under Egypt’s control once again.

They said: But our forces in Sinai were limited, and Egypt authority over Sinai was considered incomplete.

I said: You and I used to go to Taba, Sharm El-Sheikh, and St. Catherine, and every inch of Sinai, and until the Islamist terrorist activities started after 2011, we used to go to Arish and wander in Sinai as we pleased.

Every gain has a price, and we must understand that. We must realize that the Golan Heights is still under complete occupation after about sixty years, and so is the West Bank. In fact, Israel officially annexed the Golan Heights, and the world began recognizing Israel’s ownership, and now even America declares it.

Don’t let the pessimists, who only see defeat, transfer their negative energy to you. Egypt triumphed, through war and negotiation, and we changed a geographical and historical reality that could have remained unchanged until now.

They said: We doubt the truth because of the exaggeration in describing the events we are experiencing now, so how about the events of the past?

I said: You are right, and you have a duty… I agree with you that media exaggerations, exaggerating victory, concealing mistakes, and presenting ourselves as angels and superheroes raise doubts about the facts. Some even present the victory as if it depended on angels from god , imprinting that others

than the officers who planned, the soldiers who executed, and the people who produced the best they had to achieve victory to others.”

“It is also our duty to search, read the memoirs of our heroes and enemies, and activate our minds. The truth is that our army and people emerged victorious after defeat. We did not surrender, and we reclaimed the land after six years of Israeli occupation. The same people reaffirmed their civilized stance by rejecting the Brotherhood’s occupation of the country forty years later on June 30th, which we thought would be eternal, God forbid.

The truth is that the army relied on the high qualifications of the civilian society, which elevated its performance& Knowledge was incorporated into its ranks. Despite their concerns, the people supported their soldiers, endured patiently, and triumphed even though a quarter of the population had migrated internally.

I want to remind you once again that October 6th is truly the greatest day in my life. We were surprised by our army crossing and achieving victory. I will never forget the feeling of pride and glory. Everyone volunteered according to their capabilities, and Egypt truly emerged victorious.

Another young man said, “Doctor, can you believe that many of our colleagues don’t even know the map of the lands still occupied by Israel?”

I replied, “Your observation reminds me that whenever I read a statement about the Arab lands still under Israeli occupation, I find that it diminishes in the daily and periodic memory of the media. Only the West Bank is mentioned, but the Golan Heights and recently Jerusalem as well, along with the sources of the Jordan River, villages in southern Lebanon, and the remaining villages and valleys of Palestine, which are expanding with Israeli settlements—I dare say—are slowly fading from the media’s memory. Unfortunately, there is a division happening in Syria itself, between Turkey and Israel and ethnic divisions. The Golan Heights has disappeared from sight, and the same could have happened to Sinai as well.

Those who lived through and remember October 1973 must now be over fifty years old, and teaching the October War in educational curricula should be based on a scientific vision, not verbal speculations that make students distrust the facts afterward.

There are heroic feats that are not often talked about, such as the heroism of the Egyptian people who welcomed back their defeated army in 1967, which suffered a harsh and humiliating defeat, forcing the country’s president to resign as a result of the failure. The people did not accept the resignation, not as a support for the individual, as I saw it at the time, but as a symbol of Egypt’s refusal to accept defeat.”

“I remember jokes and mockery of the Egyptian army throughout the world and the Arab countries. The Egyptian military uniform has become a subject of ridicule in words and actions, accompanied by the humiliation of millions of citizens who migrated from the Suez Canal area to the interior of the country.

Here, a civilized quality of the Egyptian people emerged, as they resisted the negative wave targeting the army and lifted its morale. Every educated individual participated in the army without knowing when they would return to civilian life, and the people accepted the immigrants in their homes and schools. This people restored the dignity and status of its army.

This is a battle that no one speaks of, and it has no memories. The Egyptian people revived their army after defeat, and the Egyptian army revived its people with its victory in October.

We must acknowledge that there are lessons learned what we remember and recall in October. Firstly, the army and the people are a unified system, and without the support of the civilian society for its armed forces, victory would not have been achieved. Any attempts to divide the country by separating the army from the people and dividing the people into ideological, religious, and geographical factions will fail in the face of the cultural awareness of this great nation.

Secondly, if we had entered the October war without a fundamental change in the concept of managing the military institution and coordination between civil, diplomatic, and military work, victory would not have been possible. We learned at that time that we cannot repeat the same action in the same way and expect different results. Therefore, the concept of military performance & governance was changed, leading from defeat to a new concept that led to victory.

Thirdly, there is no victory without mistakes and sacrifices. What is not documented is as if it never happened. Just as we analyze defeat, we must analyze victory. The defeat in 1967 was severe, but change occurred, and experience accumulated to achieve victory in 1973.

When the 1967 war occurred, I was in high school, and we were young under a false sense of strength, waiting for the entry into Tel Aviv by the end of June 5th. We were deceived by hypocrisy and afraid to express independent opinions, and the people were in a state of false euphoria until we woke up to find our army retreating and the enemy in the skies of Cairo.

It was a lesson I will never forget, which created in my political conscience a rejection of ideological singularity and a disbelief in anything without evidence. It created in my mental makeup a rejection of hypocrisy and a desire for transparency and disclosure.

This is a lesson I am contemplating now in 2023, fifty years after the October war and 56 years after the devastating defeat of the Egyptian army and the wonderful stance of the Egyptian youth in supporting its rebuilding and restoring its dignity.

Today, Egypt’s defeat will not be military, but rather intellectual, economic, and political. The Egyptian army must avoid getting involvement in civil governance, investment, and be responsible of the economy,and competing with privet sector. The military institution must not hinder the peaceful transfer of power, which may direct the people’s anger towards the great institution that has been and will remain the protector of the nation.

My children, the October lesson is significant, and its results can be applied today by insisting on the diversity of opinions, freedom of the media, respect for differences that reveal the truth, building rather than demolishing, positivity, and working as an integrated team, benefiting from the capabilities of all the people’s institutions, including the armed forces without discrimination.

Happy October to all of you.”