A DEFIANT NATION
Last week I mentioned my
son living in Ashkelon and that two of his sons – two-thirds of triplets – have
joined the IDF. The family has also two older sons who finished their army
service some time ago. One of the triplets has recently joined the same fighter
unit as his cousin (the one who just got engaged and finished his IDF service
last month). His brother joined the IDF last week in the “Combat Engineering Corps.,
an unknown aspect of the IDF in our family’s tradition. [The third triplet has yet to change his
civilian clothes into an army uniform. In Israel, after completing high
school, boys and girls are allowed to
study for some time in special religious frameworks before beginning their army service].
In the 1948 War of
Independence, the CEC blasted bridges over the Jordan River and the
streams of the southern coastal plain in order to stop the advance of the Arab
armoured forces into the Israeli civilian rear. While helping to breach the “Burma
Road” into besieged Jerusalem there were many casualties. To commemorate
the fallen soldiers, a “Road of Heroism” memorial was erected near the Hulda
forest at the Burman Road.
In
the 1956 Sinai War, the CEC destroyed the Egyptian military infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula and was
awarded with a battalion recommendation
of honour.
In the
1967 Six-day War, the CEC stormed Jordanian fortifications along the
walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. After Israel
annexed the Old City, the CEC removed landmines planted
in the city by the Jordanians.
In the
1973 Yom Kippur War, the combat engineering battalions bridged the Suez Canal while
carrying tanks and paratroopers across the canal with amphibious
tank-carriers. This effort enabled the armored divisions to cross the
canal and surround the 3rd Egyptian Army, forcing it to surrender. The bridging
of the canal is regarded by many as the turning point of the war on the
southern front. On the northern front, a CEC Caterpillar D9 bulldozer
was the first ever motorized vehicle to reach the summit of the Hermon – Israel’s highest
mountain.
The 1982
First Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee, began
when the IDF invaded southern Lebanon,
after repeated attacks and counter-attacks between the PLO operating in southern Lebanon and the IDF, that had caused
civilian casualties on both sides of the border. The CEC worked
intensively to open routes for Israeli forces, as well as building
fortifications and outposts.
By expelling
the PLO, removing Syrian influence over Lebanon, and installing a pro-Israeli
Christian government led by Bachir Gemayel, Israel hoped to sign a treaty which the Prime Minister Menachem Begin promised
would give Israel "forty years of peace". Unfortunately, Israel’s
desire for peace was again thwarted. Following the assassination of Gemayel in
September 1982, Israel's position in Beirut became untenable and the signing of
a peace treaty became increasingly unlikely. The Lebanese civil war would continue until 1990, at which point Syria had established complete dominion over Lebanon.
In the
1991 Gulf War,
the CEC were on a "code red" alert for disarming Iraqi scud missiles,
armed with non-conventional warheads.
During
the al-Aqsa Intifada, which broke out in September 2000, the CEC were employed to disarm many
Palestinian explosive charges and booby traps. They also
dynamited Palestinian houses inhabited by terrorists, bomb labs. and smuggling tunnels.
The CEC took
a significant part in the Second Lebanon War that erupted in 2006 after Hizbullah attacked an
IDF patrol, abducted two soldiers and killed another 8 with anti-tank missiles that hit the rescuers.
During
the Gaza War (2008–2009) codenamed "Operation Cast Lead", the CEC were the first to enter the Gaza Strip to
clear IED's, booby traps and
open safe routes to armour and infantry.
During Operation Protective Edge (July–August 2014), the CEC played
a major role in destroying the Hamas cross-border
underground infiltration tunnels. In total, about 32 tunnels were destroyed! In
addition, combat engineers participated in the battles, neutralized
Hamas-planted improvised explosive devices, cleared booby-traps, opened routes
for armour and infantry, and destroyed terrorist infrastructure.
The CEC has an
excellent record of professional achievement and decoration. Their first
chief engineer, Brigadier
General David Leskolv developed many combat engineering systems for the IDF, and won three Israel Security Prizes. He served in the IDF until his death at the age of 86, making him
the oldest soldier in the world!
Looking at the above
list chronicling the wars and military campaigns incited by its enemies, is the
stark reality of Israel’s fight/right to exist.
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