Vulnerability in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the Persian Gulf War

If you read my first post of my memoir series, “An American Behind the Gun in the Israeli Army,” you’ll notice the words, “vulnerability” and “leadership.” I’m now considering changing the title of the book to, “An Israeli Soldier I Wasn’t Meant to Be,” because I know now that those pre-army days in the Israeli Defense Forces served to help me figure out how to best mask the vulnerability I felt as a soon-to-be inducted soldier in the Nahal divsion (serving mainly on kibbutzim and settlements) of the Israeli Defense Forces. (IDF)

It was the first week of the Persian Gulf War – 1991 and the news of the first rockets had already landed in Israel. Something told me I needed to find a way to get through that first week. So I ended up staying in Danielle’s room that night, which I never thought I’d do and especially with another annoying guy from our garin. You see, Danielle from Urguay, was one of those stout, annoying little twit guys in our garin. (a group of young people serving in the Israeli army together for an extended period of time and serving on settlements and on kibbutzim) The other four girls Eina, Svetlana and Vered – all from Russia, Geraldine from France and myself from the US would make fun of his Hebrew especially when he said, “basar” for “meat” and he thrilled on the “r” for meat which made the sound even more expressive.

Or he would say, “ein ba’ayah,” for no problem and elongate the ‘a’ syllable that was so expressive and comical. Each time he would elicit from us an uproarious barrel of laughter.

Truthfully, I don’t know what made me want to poke fun at poor Danielle’s accent when mine was terribly American as if I was a cow chewing on my own cud.

He would walk bowl legged everywhere and the two Uzis or M-16’s he slung across his shoulder from either side dwarfed him even further into the Gaza strip sand, but he was strong and sturdy.

In those days, poking fun of others was a way of life to deal with the stress of running in the middle of the night to one of the shelters. Even though our kibbutz was right near the Gaza strip, our kibbutz wasn’t taking any chances…

When Daniel told us that he had a [health profile] “profil tishim vsheva – 97” – I knew he would be one of those soldiers who wouldn’t complain.

Daniel was a good friends with the two Gustavos – one who left the army and one who stayed – also bowl legged. The other nineteen year old Gustavo was Danielle’s best friend – they both spoke a mile a minute in Spanish and of course, my junior high and high school Spanish from 8th grade teacher Ms. Vaughn didn’t seem to help …

Danielle loved picking on and teasing the Russian girls. They got into water fights and he was good at pushing them into the pool when they least expected it. I can hear Eina screaming, “Danielle, azov oti” – leave me alone! in her high pitched screech.

But yet, he never seemed to do any of these things to me. In fact, none of the guys in our garin did. I didn’t come across as a tease. I was the classy New Yorker. At least I tried to be. A New Yorker who he eyed forever, but never told me how much he cared about me.

Why get intimate with Daniel? He was a hard worker – both at the base and at the kibbutz.

His forehead always lit brilliantly in the hot sun – shone until the sun burnt it one day to a pulp. I thought hey, this much be what it is to fry an egg on this guy’s poor head.

When he told me he came from Uruguay and I immediately envisioned, runaway tunnels, and paradise of coves and islands. Don’t know why….

But when he wasn’t a soldier or working on the kibbutz, he was a flirt. And when he wasn’t a flirt, he was trying to be helpful. He would stick his tongue out and rub it all around his teeth when he was around the other girls. He always walked with his boots pointed outwards like Bozo the clown with his bowl legged walk and his shirts never fully tucked in. I couldn’t stand him and kept my distance. He would always miss at least one belt strap – the opposite of Andy from England who served as a fashion stylist for the guys. As once a former captain in the English navy Andy had always said that it was important to dress “clean” and “proper.”

He thought he was sexy especially on Friday nights when we went to the disco; I thought he was putrid. Everything about him repulsed me….but once day I found myself following him to his room on a dimly lit path just before we heard the sirens go off. That night would change me forever.

Following three years of serving in the Israeli army as a career officer, Dorit Sasson completed her BA and MA degrees in education and English literature in Israel, and soon after, began teaching English to Israeli schoolchildren in development towns and at kibbutz schools. In 2007, she left with her family to the US where she currently resides in Pittsburgh. Dorit is the co-author of the book, Pebbles in the Pond: Transforming the World One Person at a Time and is currently writing her memoir. She has become a sought after motivational speaker. You can contact her for more details by clicking here .