Dilemmas at checkpoints
My last entry A Moral Army, generated many passionate responses, and I feel it necessary to add some context to the scene that I described at the checkpoint.
Wafa Biss, a resident of the Gaza town of Jabalya suffered severe burns in a cooking accident in her home in January of 2005. She received medical care at Soroka Hospital in the southern Israeli town of Be'ersheva. As an out-patient, Wafa was granted permission by the IDF to exit Gaza to complete her medical treatment. On June 21st of that year, Biss was arrested at the Erez Crossing leading out of Gaza with 10 kilograms of explosives in her possession. Her own words speak for themselves: "My dream was to be a martyr. I believe in death," she said. "Today I wanted to blow myself up in a hospital, maybe even in the one in which I was treated. But since lots of Arabs come to be treated there, I decided I would go to another, maybe the Tel Hashomer [Hospital], near Tel Aviv. I wanted to kill 20, 50 Jews. Yes, even babies."
Comments (17)A moral army
When armies begin to train combat soldiers, the main focus is on providing them with the skills necessary to fight the enemy. Soldiers are taught to shoot, run in formation, and treat wounded comrades. In this respect, the IDF is no different than any other army in the world. What separates this army from the rest is the moral emphasis placed on our training.
During my three months in the army, I have sat in multiple classes dealing with the humanitarian and moral aspects of military service. The IDF teaches its soldiers that there are certain orders that must be refused. Needlessly causing lasting physical harm to civilians is one such example. "Just following orders" is an unacceptable answer here.
A sense of accomplishment
Following my unit's completion of tironut (basic training), we were sent to guard a kibbutz just outside of Gaza. It was our first real mission as soldiers, the first time where we could feel that we were actually doing something of true importance.
While it was nice to get away from the base, the time on the kibbutz was not without its difficulties. For starters, we were required to prepare our own meals in the small kitchen allotted to us by the kibbutz. This meant that those of us who keep Kosher had to keep a watchful eye on everything in the kitchen, making sure that no one used the dairy pot to cook the chicken and that no one used a meat fork to prepare breakfast. We tried to be as vigilant as possible, but we could only run the kitchen while we were there. What happened when we were on guard duty was out of our control.
The mental challenges
It took two months, but I finally finished tironut (basic training). If there's anything that this first period in the army has taught me, it's just how much the key to success is mental. You learn to deal with the physical challenges fairly quickly. Eating rations for weeks on end, sleeping with someone else in a ditch, waking up to guard a couple of times a night, long marches with equipment and the many training exercises are all things that most people can handle.
The real test is whether or not you can live with the constant pressure placed on you by your commanders, the other guys in your unit and the general army environment. Everything you do, from going to the bathroom to setting up targets for a firing range, must be completed in the amount of time allotted by the commander. A simple misstep by you, might lead not only to your own punishment, but to that of the entire group. Overnight, you cease to be an individual living in a modern Western democracy, and instead become a soldier with essentially no personal freedom. The stark differences between army and civilian life are highlighted by visits home, and it is often difficult to regain your balance when moving between these opposite worlds.
Commanders are just regular guys too
Well, my friends were right. Basic Training really is a game, and the commanders really are just actors.
It's one of the advantages of having a People's Army. It means that your commander isn't some crazy guy who dreamed all of his life about torturing newly conscripted soldiers. Your commander is more likely to be a guy your age, or a bit older, from the next town over. He, too, wants to go home, and when he gets there, he too goes out with his friends, and gives a big hug and kiss to mom and dad.
The fact that the commanders are just regular guys comes through when they let their guard down. If you're lucky enough to see it, you'll see them laughing and smiling at the same things that you're laughing about.
Israeli teenagers to Israeli soldiers
I've been in the army for three weeks now, and I must say that I've been working hard. I've fired countless rounds in target practice, marched outside of the base with a bunch equipment on me, and learned about first aid and many other facets of soldiering.
But all of that is what a soldier does, not what a soldier is. First and foremost, a soldier is someone who puts the good of someone else before his own.
Our commanders have expended much of our energy while trying to instill a sense of camraderie. For instance, when we are given time to perform a task, if even one person is only one second late, we are all punished. At meals no one is allowed to eat until everyone is seated with food.
New recruit
There are a few milestones in a person's life that serve as markers, separating that person's life before and after that event. A wedding, the birth of a firstborn immediately spring to mind. I am currently on the verge of such a milestone event.
In approximately 7 days, I will take my place amongst the proud generations of Jews, who since the founding of the modern State of Israel, have had the right to join the Israel Defense Force and so defend the Jewish People and their land. The knowledge that I will now share in the burden of defending the State carries with it no small responsibility.
About this blog Army Life
A.J. made aliyah with his family in 2003 at the age of 15. After two years of study at a pre-army yeshiva , he joined the IDF's Armored Corp in August 2008. He writes about his day to day experiences as a soldier, and his observations about life in the army.
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