Ruqqad, Golan Heights, Israel – setting land mines.
The Law in Israel draft you for three years obligatory military service. But that is not all – You have military reserve. We keep doing it until the age of 40, while most of the girls are free from it.
Like you know girl, but probably don’t remember I have some health issues. I don’t think they are problems, but they think they are. Because of them I don’t have to do military reserve – But I still do it.
The question is – why?
I think that the first reason is my father. No, he doesn’t push me to do it, nor he looked at me in a bad eye while I didn’t do it when I was a Student. It is because he used to military reserve long after he had to. He kept volunteering until the age of 55. I think the best way of education is by personal example – and in my case it worked.
But I am still a selfish son of a bitch. First – serving in reserve is a sign of normal person. You can argue on it – and say that if you still believe in “Don’t ask what the country do for you, ask what you can do for you country” – you don’t belong to the new normal Israel. The capitalist, selfish with less and less solidarity Israel. But for me – It is still something a normal person have to do.
Second – it makes you full of experiences. It takes you to places you would have never gone without it (if because it is dangerous or because it too far right now). It let you meet with people you never imagined you will meet. It takes you outside of the office I work in to the field. It let you touch things you wouldn’t have touch without it – explosives and guns (hi, I am still a man… 🙂
My first military reserve draft was for an activity along the Ruqqad stream, the stream that marks the border between Israel and Syria. It was setting a land mine – as we, combat engineers are trained to do.
Take Care
Gad
“A beautiful place at a wonderful time” – The Ruqqad At sunrise
The south slopes of the Golan Heights
The Ruqqad here it marks the Israeli – Syrian border
The Ruqqad flows from the left and the Yarmouk River flows from infront. Where the rivers meets is the borders triangle – Syria, Jordan and Israel. You can see the land were we set the land mines.
The Yarmouk River, here it marks the Jordanian – Israeli border.
01.07.2022 – I took a tour to the border triangle. I could not find the point where we set the mines, and I think we set it East of where we had the tour.
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