Abstract Introduction: The imposed war was a war of self sacrifice and martyrdom. Holy defense and the imposed 8-year war were the proofs of Iranians resistance and patience which were recorded in the history. The aim was to study the nurses' experiences about self sacrifice and martyrdom during imposed war on Iran from 1980-1988. Methods: Historical research and oral history were the methods used which were conducted through active interviews. Twenty five nurses were interviewed about their experiences about sacrifice and martyrdom at war. Results: Descriptive themes of experience of nurses include "paramedics role in the war", "accepting responsibility in treatment units with sacrifice", "accompanying with the rest of the medical team in vital activities"," injury and death of nurses during activities", "different working conditions of nurses in the care of victims of chemical injuries and dedication in caring for them", and "creative activities to help the victims in battle field are describing the experiences of nurses involved with sacrifice and martyrdom. Conclusion: The results showed how the war may be the manifestation of the effects of certain conditions of self-sacrifice and martyrdom to the nurses and enhance learning and cause acquiring new experience. Thus, while learning from the experience gained, nurses used the lessons of the past to build the future effectively. Key words: Imposed war, nursing, self sacrifice, martyrdom, oral histor
