Free Republic

As part of my IDF & Israel ping list, I am publishing a series of fascinating stories and facts regarding the IDF or Israel, every friday- one topic once a week. I will include Israeli-Arab wars threads, IDF famous missions threads, stories regarding the life of an IDF soldier, topics about Middle East's startegic balance, etc. Feel free to ask questions about the IDF and Israel- from any kind, and to give suggestions for future topics as the information is for you. Today is the 2nd publishment and today's thread will focus on the Founding of the Israel Defense Forces....

Yom Kippur War Volunteers - 30 Years On As I write the diary below, the first time retracing steps taken thirty years ago in Israel in October 1973, memories begin to pour back along with the anxiety and tears that we all experienced at the time. For many of us, the scars of war will never heal. Nor should they. - Joel Leyden Due in part to faulty intelligence and arrogance, Israel was unprepared for a Syrian / Egyptian surprise attack. The Yom Kippur War took the lives of 2,688 Israeli troops. Jerusalem---October 2003...Sitting in the relative safety of a...

Machal were the volunteers from around the world, many of whom gave their lives to defend this country in the War of Independence. I received an invitation from World Machal to participate in the Yom Hazikaron service to honor the memory of our 119 fallen comrades. They came from all over the world to lay down their lives for the defense of Israel. They didn´t have to come, yet they did, and they died to allow us to live here as a free people in the state of Israel. Soon after World War II ended, many volunteers came to help...