Page 56 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'Av AUS 2021

GENERAL INTEREST STORY

ON THE

Front A Lone

Soldier’s

First-Hand
Photo: Israel Defense Forces Line Account

of Operation

Guardian of
the Walls

B eing at the front lines of the con- around the base. Ordinarily, guarding is suddenly I knew it was a mortar. I could
flict was a life-changing experi-
monotonous. You stand at a post and do
have sworn that it had my name written
ence. No matter how much train-
little to nothing. But during Shomer HaCho-
on it. A moment later, I heard a thundering
ing I went through, I never could
mot, we had to remain vigilant. On top of
boom and saw a flicker in the sky: Iron
have imagined myself in a war
that, mortars were falling all around us
Dome had intercepted yet another rocket.
zone by the Gaza border.
ter after the sirens were sounded.
My friends and I were stationed next to a and we had five seconds to run into a shel- Another time, we were asked to deliver
supplies to the troops in the shetach – on
Kibbutz on the Gaza Strip when Operation Since our bomb shelters were not entirely the ground. Many of the roads in the area
Shomer HaChomot – Guardian of the Walls closed off like the civilian ones, we were were exposed to the Gaza Strip and our
– broke out. We were there primarily to able to watch the aerial attacks transpire enemies were waiting for the perfect
react as first-responders in the event of like a live-action war film. There were mul- opportunity to blow up an Israeli vehicle
an intrusion by terrorist forces. Groups tiple times when I watched a small glim- like ours. We just so happened to be deliv-
like Hamas were attempting to breach the mer in the dark night sky zoom above. “A ering gasoline and my imagination was
border and inflict harm. We were there to shooting star!” I thought. “Perhaps an F-15 exploding with worst-case scenarios (no
make sure this wouldn’t happen. fighter jet.” After a few moments, I real- pun intended).
ized that this glimmer of light was heading
When we weren’t in konenut, ready to right in my direction. The light grew and During the last few days of the war, we
respond to an incident, we did guard duty grew, approaching at a rapid pace and were stationed in the shetach. If anything
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