Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised the large turnout June 16 for the Tehran funeral of 270 veterans from the Iran-Iraq War as being “one of the most memorable events of the revolution.” The return of Iranians killed during the war with Iraq during the 1980s is not new. But this funeral consisted of 175 Iranian divers who were buried alive with their hands tied, news that shocked Iranians and served as a unifying event in remembrance of a painful era.

Gen. Seyyed Mohammad Bagherzadeh first told reporters on May 18 about the bodies of 175 Iranian combat divers who were buried alive. The news was shared widely on social media, with many sharing the last known pictures of the divers on the Iran-Iraq border. Later, as officials shared pictures of the corpses, Iranians online were once again moved by the tragic event, sharing those pictures online. Many Iranian designers created graphics dedicated to the divers. A blog called “175 shahid” (175 martyrs) was created to compile the graphics and other images Iranians shared online.

When the 175 Iranian divers were finally buried June 16 along with other veterans whose bodies were recently returned from Iraq, millions reportedly attended the funeral ceremony.

Pictures of the ceremony showed a mixed crowd of religiously and liberally dressed in attendance. Some held up pictures of their children who were killed during the war. Young and old men and women were pictured crying alongside the coffins.