The three top reasons Ari loves reserve duty

Ari Abramowitz..
Times of Israel..
03 June '13..

Have you ever heard a sixth grader admit they love school? It’s just not done. Admitting that one enjoys reserve duty, known in Hebrew as miluim, carries the same stigma but I, right here and now, am coming out of the closet and shamelessly confessing – I love miluim. And I know that I’m not alone.

Three years ago the battalion commander in charge of my unit announced that the terms of our service may be changed from one month a year to two weeks every two years. Sixty of my fellow soldiers present at this briefing, who just moments before were complaining about the oppressive demands placed on us, erupted in riot-like fury. “What? How can you defend a country like that?” shouted one. “This is unacceptable,” shouted another, “we will simply not be effective soldiers should a war break out."

Deny it as they may – everyone loves miluim. And as I am now finishing my fifth day in miluim in the Gaza/Egypt region, despite the exhaustive patrols and ambushes in unbearably scorching heat, I candidly confess that I am loving every second of it. Here are the top three reasons why:

1. Redefining comfort

Since my initial service, my threshold for what I consider comfortable has gradually decreased. It is human nature. In our day and age, there are countless luxuries that have gradually adopted the status of indispensable necessities. In miluim this seemingly insatiable quest for higher levels of comfort and luxury is fundamentally recalibrated. Any toilet paper becomes the new “two ply scented toilet paper.” Any toilet becomes a source of celebration. Staples as basic as a pillow and mattress are now embraced as lavish opulence. After a month in reserves one is left with one primary sentiment regarding the basics of normal civilian life: deep appreciation.

"To the miluimniks [Reserve soldiers], first, thank you."

Paula R. Stern..
A Soldier's Mother..
26 November '12..

Elie went to his engineering courses today, as he did yesterday and every day before he was called to Operation Pillar of Defense. Last week when he was near Gaza, there was a homework assignment he should have handed in and last week, students were given an assignment to hand in this week. He is now two assignments behind the rest of the class and they are learning now what they need to hand in next week.

The first thing the instructor did after the class gathered was to say, "To the miluimniks [Reserve soldiers], first, thank you."

I have to admit, for that alone, my eyes filled with tears as Elie continued. The two assignments he did not turn in - have been marked as if he did them, "I still recommend you do them," said the instructor, "but you already have credit for them." In addition, there are pages and pages of notes that need to be copied - the school is granting each soldier a budget of 50 NIS per day (enough to copy close to 150 pages of text per day) to compensate their having to copy notes from their friends.

When saying goodbye to reserve duty

Betsalel Steinhart..
Op-Ed Contributor/JPost..
22 October '12..






I must admit, it wasn’t what I was expecting, this feeling. Far from it.

I opened my mailbox and took out the white envelope. One glance at the IDF postmark was enough to give my heart in a familiar twist. I opened it, ready to digest the dates of the next bout of reserve duty, or miluim, the usual thoughts forming in my mind – how long? Where?

Only this time, it was different. In typical IDF short and blunt terms, the letter informed me that my discharge ceremony would be held next week. Unless there is a major war, God forbid, IDF soldier No. 50***75, several months into his 41st year, has worn the all-green for the last time, shot his last IDF bullet, stood his last hour of guard duty and eaten his last can of luf (the mystery meat in emergency rations – thank God for that!).

To be sure, if there’s a war and a tzav-8 (emergency) call-up, I’m going whether they call me or not – it already happened to me twice – but it’s not going to be the same.

I’m done. Finished.

What’s strange is, I’m really not sure how I feel about it. God knows a part of me has been waiting for this day for most of the 22 years that I’ve served in the IDF in one form or another. For years I’d dreamed of this day. How many countless hours had I cursed my fate, standing in the freezing rain trying to keep warm, or lying in the sand in the boiling heat trying to do the opposite? How many stints of miluim had I looked jealously on my older army friends who were finished, and with anger at those civilians who never lift a finger to do their bit? (The “sucker” feeling at the fact that many other able people dodge miluim, was always hard to stomach. Especially after eating the luf.) I had been certain that this day would bring with it intense joy – but now that its here I don’t feel elation.

Mixed feelings, to be sure. Confusion.

In memorium of Yotam Lotan – 6 years later

Yotam Lotan. Maj.(res.) z"l  

Asher Zeiger..
Times of Israel..
09 October '12..

It was at a one-week training exercise in milu’im (army reserve duty) when I first met Yotam Lotan, a Lieutenant, and the newest mem-mem (Mefaked Mahlaka, platoon commander) in the unit. He was 28 or 29 at the time, but the older, more seasoned guys in the unit teased this baby face “kid,” which Yotam took with a smile.

And with all the good-natured ribbing aside, it soon became clear in the actual tank exercises that the young officer had honestly earned his officers’ stripes. As a commander both of the tank and his platoon, Yotam was definitely a pro. He was also one of the kindest, warmest, most gentlemanly and most giving people I have ever met.

I had the pleasure of serving with Yotam for three years of milu’im, until the IDF retired me for having reached the advanced age of 40 (for combat soldiers reserve duty ends at 40). By that time Yotam was the deputy commander of the company and held a Captain’s rank.

We teased him, and we laughed with him, but every single soldier in the unit would have gladly walked to hell and back for Yotam, and we all knew that he would do anything for each of us.

And that’s what happened. Two years after my release from milu’im, Yotam, who by then had been promoted to Major and served as the Company Commander was sent with his L Company of Batallion 294 (my former company and battalion) to fight in the second Lebanon War.

On Monday August 7 at 9:20 a.m., Yotam and one other soldier (Noam Meirson, who joined the unit after I left so I never met him) were killed when their tank was hit by an anti-tank missile near the southern Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil.

Unfortunately, at the time I never heard about what happened to Yotam, and only learned about it – quite by accident – this week while celebrating the festival of Simhat Torah at my synagogue. (I could probably write a separate blog about the hearing of sad news at a happy occasion, and the diametric between the two emotional extremes, but that will have to wait for another time.)

So here I am, more than six years late, mourning the untimely death of a friend.

Highest Number of IDF Reservists Per Capita Come from ...

Judea and Samaria

Aryeh Savir/Gil Lavie..
Tazpit News Agency..
The Algemeiner..
20 August '12..

A newly released IDF survey has found that the highest number of reservists per capita recruited by the Israeli Defense Forces over the past year have come from the Judea and Samaria region. The survey, conducted annually by the Israeli army, has found that Judea and Samaria residents are the top geographic group of Israeli citizens serving in the army at 34%. Residents of the North followed at 29%, 28% from Jerusalem and Central Israel and 27% from the South. Of the reserves members from Judea and Samaria, a majority of 60% were found to be serving in combat units.

The poll also showed surprising results in the national diversity it found in the Israeli Defense Forces. 1,200 of the reservists were from the Republic of Georgia, 720 originated from Iran, 30 from the Philippines, and 4 from Bahrain. The study highlights a rarely seen picture of reserve duty personnel, showing that minorities and immigrants play a larger role than previously thought. A total of 19% of reserve soldiers were born outside Israel.

The survey also showed that only 5% of the population served a meaningful stint of at least one week in the reserves this past year. 80% of those called up for reserve duty did report as called. 14% of those called up were women, a rise of 6% from the previous year.

(Video) Siver - IDF Reservist presents: Concerto on APC

Mati Siver
Israel Culture/Ynet
15 August '11

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4108755,00.html



Dror Gomel of Kibbutz Beit Kama can produce sounds of music from armored vehicle

What do a violin, a trumpet, a piano, an oboe, a flute and an armored personnel carrier have in common? They are all musical instruments.

If you don't believe it, watch the following video and see how an Israeli reserve soldier produces melodies from this armored vehicle:



His name is Dror Gomel, he's 36 years old, has three children, lives in Kibbutz Beit Kama in the Negev, has a degree in special education, and has been drumming since he can remember.

"I play on anything. Everywhere I go, I immediately start drumming," says Gomel, and his fellow infantry reservists can testify.

About two weeks ago, he took part in a military drill with APCs. If you've ever driven on this iron monster you probably know that it can create a lot of noise and smoke at the most, but Gomel has proved to his friends that it's capable of much more.

By tapping on parts of the armored vehicles with his hands and keys, he manages to produce joyful musical sounds. "Sometimes my friends join me," he says. Each one manages to produce a faint sound, but all together – he says – they create a joyful orchestra.

As far as Gomel is concerned, drumming on the APC conveys an important message too: "Although we have a strong army, I dream of turning the war machine into a musical instrument," he says.

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And when Dror Gomel is not on top of an APC, all the more so. Enjoy!



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Meluim Nostalgia

Emmanuel Navon
For the Sake of Zion
26 February '10
Posted before Shabbat

I never thought that my last military reserve duty (“Meluim” in Hebrew) would leave me nostalgic. Going to Meluim means dropping your family and work for up to one month every year and going back to your army unit. Typical tasks include doing guard duty in the middle of the night, shooting, helping in the kitchen, patrolling the border, and cleaning the restrooms. Then of course, there is this maddening “hurry-up and wait” pattern: You’re rushed out of bed at 5 am only to be told a few minutes later that something went wrong with the schedule and that new instructions will come –maybe, sometime during the day, nobody knows. Having just turned 39 and being in a combat unit, I no longer have to deal with this. “Good for you” you may say. Actually, what a loss.

The IDF’s reserve duty system is a logistical nightmare for the army and a highly disruptive occurrence for people with a life. And yet, it is one of the best things Israel has ever invented.

Meluim are socially and psychologically healthy. A commandant can be a 25 year-old student giving orders to a 39 year-old professor (who could incidentally be his teacher). A taxi driver can wake up the CEO of a multi-million dollar company at 3 in the morning to switch him on guard duty.