משתמש:Avihaip/under fire

Under Fire - Commander's Notes from the Battlefield

Lieutenant colonel (Res.) Yoni Chetboun’s First book, a member of Knesset (MP) and a former member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who was honored with a medal from the Chief of the General staff (IDF). The book has been published by Yedioth Books in 2016 on the occasion of a decade after the Second Lebanon War. The author of this fascinating document served as an officer and commander in one of the most turbulent decades Israel has ever known. We can now learn the story of Israel's struggle against the Palestinian and Lebanese terror in the years 1998-2008, from the perspective of an officer and combatant of the burning fronts in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. Using a unique, sensitive style on one hand and incisive style on the other, the author describes the story of those violent times, arguing that even in the technological era of innovations in which we live today, there is no substitute for the bravery and courage of the fighters at the front. “Under Fire” is a testimony to the determination of the elite units’ and infantry battalions’ combatants of the IDF(Israel Defense Forces), and their devotion, during days of routine or war, to the fate of an entire country surrounded by terror attacks from all corners, for several decades now. “This is the way,” says Chetboun, “and this is how it should be. This is the role of the army - the soldiers are at the fire front, while citizens live peacefully at the home front."

Structure of the Book

In his book, Chetboun retrospectively analyses his experiences as an officer and commander in all fighting fronts - Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank. Each chapter is dedicated to a significant battle in the long years of his impressive military service. The stories are given to the readers with deep emotions, and profound insights into the soul of a warrior, about Zionism in the 2000’s and the ?belief that terrorism can be defeated.

The team which was forgotten: the spine-tingling closure of Yoni Chetboun and Roi Klein

One of the great figures in the book is Major Roi Klein, who accompanied Chetboun throughout his military service. In the first chapter, the author brings the story of coming full circle with his revered commander, Roi Klein. In the summer of 2000, while withdrawing from Lebanon, a squad of Egoz Unit, which was commanded by Chetboun, was caught in a complicated encounter in Bint Jbeil region, where the soldiers' lives were in danger. The chain of command was deliberating on sending a rescue helicopter or, alternatively, approving the withdrawal. The high command was thinking over, while Chetboun and his soldiers were receiving fire from all directions, in real mortal danger. Then, “suddenly”, writes Chetboun, “something happened, which allowed dispatching the rescue helicopter. Klein, the company commander, usually a quiet, practical guy, began screaming into the communicator, “I do not care! Do you hear me?!”, as he uses a nonstandard language. ”Now! Immediately! You will send the helicopter”. His insistence, Chetboun says, was part of the determination to rescue the combatants. “Remember,” Chetboun told his soldiers after the rescue, "We should thank Klein, the company commander – it seems that we are still here thanks to him”. Six years later, at the same Bint Jbeil, the notorious Lebanese town, it was Chetboun who saved Klein’s body under heavy barrage, after Klein’s feat of falling on a grenade to protect his soldiers. Only six years later, on the sixth memorial day of Roi Klein, Chetboun mustered the strength to thank Klein’s family: “Two days before, Sarah, Roy’s wife, asked me to say a few words on that Day. The night before, I tried to jot down some memories and thoughts from the extended period of shared military service with Klein. The words and letters refused to connect to create logical sentences. It would just not happen. I decided not to make a speech and to let the words come out as they wish. “I want to share with you the closure, which has not taken place so far”. Specifically on Mount Herzl, six years after the war, it was the first time I told Klein's family about his insistence to have us rescued in 2000. “In 2006 during the second Lebanon War, again in Bint Jbeil, I really wished to repay Klein for what he did for us back in 2000. Unfortunately, I did not make it to get Roy alive. Since then, I failed expressing my gratitude for him for saving my life”. I looked at his parents, Shoshi and Aaron, Sarah and the children, and said: “Thank you".

A Fresh Bridegroom and Squad Commander in Egoz Elite Unit , at Operation Defensive Shield

The author speaks at length about the tension between the particular and the general in the life of a combatant and commander in Israel, when on the one hand there is a desire to build and maintain life, home and family, while on the other hand, there is a need to safeguard the State of Israel. On the eve of Operation Defensive Shield , just before Passover 2002, where Yoni Chetboun served as commander in a squad of Egoz (an IDF commando unit specialized in thwarting guerrilla warfare), he married the lady of his choice, Ma`ayan. Times are stormy, with increased number of attacks. Israel is terror-stricken. “I came to the engagement ceremony fifteen minutes late,” Yoni says. “It was after a successful terorists arrest operation in Sebastia, Samaria region. In sweaty, smelly uniform, and camouflage still smeared on my face, I entered the events hall somewhat embarrassed, but mostly happy ... For a combat team commander at the beginning of the millennia, when every night includes an operation for arresting terrorists who plan to leave the next day for a terror attack, a wedding party marriage is almost considered a privilege ... Ma`ayan and I ... We did not expect that she ?would spend Passover alone in our new home, while I would spend it in heart of Ramallah, four meters from the Arafath office." In the evening of that Passover, after a murderous, bloody attack at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Ariel Sharon and Gen. Shaul Mofaz, the Prime Minister and Chief of Staff at that time, respectively, declared embarking on Operation Defensive Shield, which was aimed at pacification and bringing security back by eradicating terrorist infrastructure and achieving operational flexibility for the IDF in Judea and Samaria. “The morning of Passover 2002,” Chetboun writes, “was the first time that I left Ma`ayan as a married man. Looking years back, we did not really realize what could have been the meaning of this separation. Later, when we became a family with children?, the separations became harder and harder. I usually say that married couples hold special mental powers when the husband is called to service in, which overcome this difficulty.” The political echelon decided to create pressure on Arafat’s office – the Mukata`a in Ramallah. Yoni’s squad was assigned to transport the Golani Brigade entirely during the operation. During the prolonged operation, Yoni had not seen his newly-married wife, and only on Independence Day he would receive special 24-hour vacation approval, allowing him to re-unite with his partner-to-life for a short time. That tension between individual and collective has accompanied him from that very operation and still is accompanying him until these very days, serving as a public figure and as a battalion commander in the reserves. By fact, this tension accompanies IDF officers and commanders over the years, at times of military operations and war, and no less, in more peaceful times, since Israeli is a place where terror lies in the doorway. Yoni writes: “The quick transitions from civilian life to the battlefield are an integral part of the life of a fighter in the people’s army - the Israel Defense Forces. As much as those transitions are irrational and odd, they are proper and they way they should be. This is the role of an army. Soldiers at the front, citizens peaceful at the home front.”

Roi Klein’s Less-Known Heroic Act

Major Roi Klein, who accompanied Yoni almost from his day one at Egoz Unit and Golani Brigade, was killed in Bint Jbeil at Second Lebanon War after bravely falling on a grenade thrown towards the force under his command, in order to save the lives of his subordinates. The famous event, for which Klein received the medal at the end of the war, ends here. Chetboun, who fought and commanded at the same bloody battle, introduces to the readers another aspect of his revered commander and his best friend: “Itamar Katz realizes that Klein is still alive, and applies a tourniquet on his foot. Klein raises feebly his hand and delivers Katz his encrypted communicator, “Vered Heharim” (Mountain Rose), lest it fall into enemy hands. “I see my friend and commander, Roi Klein,” Chetbon writes, ”lying on Lebanese land, losing blood after the supreme feat. He realizes that these are the last minutes of his life. I try to imagine his thoughts in those painful moments; perhaps he was thinking of Sarah, his wife, and his children, Gilad and Yoav, or of his short life. But certainly, Klein would not think only of himself. “Mountain Rose” is an encrypted device. Klein knows that if this device falls into the hands of Hezbollah, they will use its information against our forces”.

Brief of the Security Concept by Lieutenant Colonel Yoni Chetboun presented in the book

1. Overpowering the enemy, even in the modern era (terrorism or regular army), can only be possible by ground maneuver in its territory, while creating a sense of persecution. Examination of world military history teaches us that no enemy has ever been defeated using exclusively air force (except for the use of non-conventional weapon) – “technology and its firepower should support the maneuvering efforts of our forces in the battlefield, rather than replacing them.” 2. Defeating terrorism and the concept of victory must reemerge in Western military terminology. In the years 2002 - 2005, the Israeli security system, IDF and Shin Bet included, proved that suicide terrorism in Judea and Samaria can be overpowered. Determined and consistent operational activities of penetrating into the densely built-up areas, which up to that point had been seen as “out of operational bounds”, were proven to be effective. Integration of accurate intelligence while operating several infantry forces led to the eventual collapse of the organizational system of Islamic terrorism in this region. 3. In the war against fundamentalist terrorism, the winner will be the side that is motivated by a clear ideological concept, a belief in the justness and social-national resilience. The “people's army” model, according to which Israeli civilians from all walks serve compulsory service and later on reserve, is proven to be particularly effective in times of stress. The sense of “Fighting for Home” is strong and leads the forces to win at all costs, even when the leadership is somewhat perplexed or indecisive. Particular examples of the “people's army”’s advantages can be learned from the War of 1973 (Yom Kippur war) and the Second Lebanon War in 2006. ‏