By Mira Zenati
Memorie.al / For many years, the wheelchair has become his most expensive thing. His life would take a different course, from the morning of February 6, 1981. At that time, Pëparim Veliu from Saranda, was a student of the Joint Officers School “Enver Hoxha” (today the Military Academy), and was in winter camp, in the village of Feken. But the avalanche would cut short the dream, to be a pious soldier, as he remained paralyzed. Now, almost four decades later, he has no support from the Albanian state, even though he was paralyzed while training with the school. Progress lives with his mother and father, a former career officer for years and years. His parents are both elderly.
“The strength to serve my son and not let him get bored gives me strength as well,” says Progress’s mother. Going back many years in time, Progress, tells us with tears in his eyes about that day he starts to tell and about his current naturally difficult life.
Mr. Veliu, how do you remember the day when the disaster happened?
It was dawning on February 6, 1981. We were in a winter camp in Feken. It was snowing a lot. The school had to line up, but the school didn’t line up, because the great cold prevented us. Then, seeing that the students were breaking the discipline, the commander of the school, Rustem Peçi, takes us out to the yard and gives the order for combat duty, to capture the peak of Mecek. I say that this thing did not happen often, but it must have been a coincidence.
Because whenever it snowed, they never took us to the top, they took us down, on a road above the workers’ camp. We were military students, third year. For seven days they ended and February 6 was the penultimate day. We set out to start the climb towards the top of Mecek. I had a close friend of mine, Gjovalin Kola, from Kukësi. A year ago at the same place, but in different conditions, our platoon did climbing in PE class at that place, but that day, the ground was frozen.
We didn’t walk long, although I was somewhat separated from the group of friends, because I was there from the beginning of the column. I remember well, that shortly before the event happened, I said to Gjovalini: “It’s amazing, in the same place, we’ve been in danger for years, I don’t know if you remember.” After that, I felt absolutely nothing. That’s all I remember. I was mentioned three days later and saw that I was in the Military Hospital in Tirana. My friends told me how the events unfolded.
Can you tell us how your friends found you?
They found me on the snow. Aleko Gjoni, from Gjirokastra, died only because they did not find him in time. In the first avalanche, there were those who came to save their friends. When they helped me, they put my body on my cape and dragged me for about 1 km. some way I don’t know how. That many my friends knew that’s what they did. The school was unprepared for such events; there were no stretchers to transport the seriously ill.
One of my friends told me later, when I was mentioned after four days in the hospital, that I said: “Avashni mor, what are you doing to me”. This is because, even in a comatose state, I had excruciating pain in my body. Therefore, I say that even from the blow, but perhaps also the crawling, has affected the rest of my legs, as they are now motionless, paralyzed.
So me and my friend, Luan Muço, remained as you see me today, paralyzed for life. After four months of fighting in the Military Hospital in Tirana, Luani and I were taken to Hungary. For four months in the Military Hospital, I fought with my life, because the high temperature never went away. After four months, we were taken for specialized treatment in Hungary.
What is the current state of Progress?
After I returned from Hungary, my mental state was very heavy. I cried a lot, for life, but I saw that everything was in vain. When I came to Saranda, I was faced with problems necessary for my life: I rightly won a pension of 4,300 ALL, we are talking about the years 1982. I was initially told that; “You don’t deserve a pension because you were a student.” But when I told them that I worked as a stash, building fire stations, then I was able to earn the right to a pension.
Engineer Mane Lula and the former chairman of the Executive Committee, Stefan Qiriako, have also given me a great help, who helped me by making me a garage and a sloped road to move with a wheelchair. I don’t forget to say that in 1991, I was also awarded a bravery decoration.
And nothing more. Pluralism came and there was still some complete oblivion. I don’t know who encouraged them, but around 1999, the former mayor of the Municipality of Tirana, Albert Brojka, together with the government of that time, declared our 11 comrades, who were left dead in the event of February 6, “Martyrs of the Motherland”, and while for me and Luan, nothing was done.
I say it is not much for our life. If I say about a special pension, I honestly ask for it to be said as such even if I am not given a reward at all, in monetary values. So, one thing is clear, that my work, I say, has not been appreciated at all by anyone, in all these years. So, for the state, we have been and are nothing.
Has anyone from the school you attended remembered to come see you or be interested in all these years?
Apart from a meeting we held as a platoon, who we were most affected by the event of February 6, no one else has asked about us.
What is a typical day like for Progress?
I get up in the morning, do physical culture, go out and drink coffee, come home, lunch as usual, then continue with physical culture again, read a lot of art books, but also watch different TV shows.
How did the disaster of February 6, 1981 happen?
On February 6, 1981, during a winter training at the height of Mount Mecek, 11 students, together with their teachers, lost their lives. The commemoration of the tragic event of Feken has dimensions and strong emotions, even though it has been a long time since it happened, almost four decades ago, on February 6, 1981, it was a Friday. The mountain of Meçek, with a height of 1872 m., was covered by heavy snow. The training center of Feken had “guests” the students of the United Officers School “Enver Hoxha”.
They had become friends with the environment, since every year in this military town, built at the foot of the mountain of Mecek, military student youth were received and escorted, and their training would also be followed by a group of high-ranking soldiers from Tirana. The snow slide (avalanche) “chosen”, the officers Nikollaq Bero, Dushan Shameti and Çlirim Pula, as well as the students; Pëllumb Rrapo, Qemal Lika, Nexhip Çopa, Ilir Gramatiko, Bujar Aga, Bilibil Pasha, Aleko Gjoni and Besnik Shehu. Memorie.al
