Bangladesh War Courses Foundation yesterday launched a book titled "We Answered the Call: Memoirs of Freedom Fighters" at a programme at Army Golf Club yesterday.

The book is a collection of stories on young heroes who joined the war to liberate the motherland. These heroes were members of first and second Bangladesh War Courses of Bangladesh Army.

The book was launched yesterday marking 50 years of Bangabandhu's historic speech on March 7, 1971, and 50 years of Bangladesh's independence.

A total of 135 members were in the two batches that were selected and sent to receive officers' training in India during the war.

Most people in those batches were students, along with some teachers, professionals and a few escapees from the military and air force academies of what was then West Pakistan, said an author of the book Major General Jiban Kanai Das.

Brigadier General Md Jalal Uddin Siddiqui presided over the event while the chief guest was Lieutenant General Md Akbar Hossain, commandant of National Defense College.

Lawmaker of Lalmonirhat, Motahar Hossain and Chairman of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Golam Helal Morshed Khan were present at the event.

One of the authors of the book, former ambassador Major Md Ashraf Ud Doula spoke at the event alongside Mahfuz Anam, the editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

Chittagong University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Shirin Akhtar also spoke at the event, mentioning her husband Major Latiful Alam Chowdhury, one of the authors of the book who passed away recently.

The 232 page-book has a total of 38 stories. The distributor of the book is Magnum Opus and it is priced at Tk 500.