At age 72 yrs old man still member of Eilat counter terrorism team

[mord]

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=4322   





Not done giving it his best shot


At age 72, "A," a combat soldier and sniper in the Eilat IDF counterterrorism unit, is still going strong • He still serves 30 days of reserve duty per year and mentors high school students ahead of their military service.
Ronit Zilberstein

Every day is like a vacation for A, who still serves as a combat soldier some 50 years after he first joined the IDF.
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Photo credit: Ziv Koren
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Fifty-one years ago, "A" was a highly motivated young man, a combat soldier in a Swiss commando unit, who came to Eilat for a three-day diving vacation. What started as an adrenaline-filled exotic vacation turned into a half-century odyssey, and now at the age of 72 A. still lives in Eilat. Every day is like a vacation for him, perhaps not as exotic but full of action and unusual experiences.

A. eventually married an Israeli woman and had two daughters. Despite his advanced age, he still serves as a combat soldier, a sniper and sniper instructor in the Israel Defense Forces counterterrorism unit for Eilat and the Arava desert. The unit was established in 1974 to defend the residents of Eilat and the Arava following the terror attack in Ma'alot. This week A. will be honored at an event saluting reserve soldiers. He will be commended for his volunteerism, his contribution to national security and the personal and familial effort involved in doing reserve duty.

Last August, A. was deeply involved with the army's counterterrorism unit's response to a series of terror attacks along Route 12, on the Israel–Egypt border. He was one of the first soldiers sent into the field with a sniper rifle in an attempt to neutralize the terrorists who had infiltrated Israel from the Egyptian desert.

"Within the counterterrorism unit, I am considered the group's elder. I started with the unit, when it was established 40 years ago, as a rank and file fighter. Today I also work as an instructor, but when there is a terror attack or the fear of terror activity, I go out into the field like all the other fighters. During these incidents, I don't think about my age or my fears, there's just adrenaline," he said.

In his free time, A. is also a member of the Eilat and Arava police rescue unit. He spends about 30 days per year doing reserve duty. "Belonging to the counterterrorism unit is part of my life," he said. "I have a strong sense of duty and will continue to perform it for as long as I can still walk. My uniform hangs in the closet and my kit bag is always at the ready," he said.

About 40 years ago A. also decided to become a tour guide. Today he leads groups of journalists and VIPs on tours throughout the country. "If I weren't a tour guide, I would be an archaeologist. I am always reading about new developments in the field."

A. is a familiar figure in Eilat. Beyond his membership in the counterterrorism and rescue units, he also volunteers in special education schools, helping mentor students ahead of their military service. In his early years he also became an expert waterskier, and even held his wedding under water: "I was among the founders of the Eilat diving club and they told me that we need to promote scuba diving, so we decided to hold our chuppah under the water. All of the residents of Eilat were invited guests and waited on the beach."