tha memorial day 2020

Adam was born exactly on his mother’s 40th birthday.”She always said it was the greatest present she could have gotten,” said Hanan, Adam’s older brother.

“Adam chose to serve in the Armored Corps, said Hanan. “He was trained as a loader-signaler for a Merkava Mark IV tank and was proud of his service.

When the Second Lebanon War broke out, Adam was due to be released and so was stationed as back-up for the main forces. “He wasn’t even supposed to fight in Lebanon. But for Adam to give up on that? He insisted to go and fight in until they finally let him,” explained his brother.

Adam joined a tank crew under the command of Captain Bania Rine. They were called “Force Bania.” They carried out heroic evacuations of wounded soldiers while under fire, in one such incident saved 8 soldiers from Hezbollah territory before they got hit by an anti-tank missile.

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On August 12, 2006, on their way to a complex evacuation mission, during the last days of the war, their tank was hit by a missile in the eastern Lebanon sector. It caught fire, and moments later exploded killing all crew members.

Adam received a citation for his “adherence to the mission and striving for victory, providing an example for fellow soldiers and showing remarkable comradely, decisiveness and self sacrifice.”

Two years after his death, his mother wrote a eulogy for him. “Adam. My sweet child. Not a day passes where I don’t think of you,” she wrote. “In the mornings, when I go to open the window, I touch your picture on the wall. I caress your beautiful face, your bright green eyes, and drown in them.

“Adam. My beloved son. I miss the evenings when we sat together in front of the TV and watched movies. I remember how we laughed about Gollum’s character from Lord of the Rings. I remember how you tried to impersonate him, and actually managed to do it pretty well.

“I miss the little things. Things that stayed with me, like the way you used to hum a tune, and how I knew it meant you were happy. I love you. Mom.”

Adam’s mother passed away six years after his death, due to illness. His father passed away three years after she did, also from illness. When the soul does not recover, sometimes the body gives up as well.

In a memorial room dedicated to Adam in his home town of Ma’abarot, a display showcases his rifle, armor, helmet and picture—a handsome and happy-looking young man.