Sergeant, Anonymous.
Nablus Regional Brigade, Nablus. 2014.
It was when we were training, the commander said " that's how you will be ranked, with X's, every night I want you to be looking for 'contact' (an exchange of fire), and that's how you will be ranked.
I realised that someone who wants to succeed had to bring him dead people.There's no point bringing him arrests. The message was: "arrests are routine, the battalions are making arrests, you're the spearhead, the army has invested years in you. I want you to bring me dead 'terrorists'".
Sergeant Avner Gvaryahu.
2004-07 Orev ( special anti-tank unit) Nablus.
There was a checkpoint divided into three lines. A line for Jewish Settlers, a line for Israeli Arabs and a line for Palestinians. The settlers would just walk around the Palestinians and go to the head of a line. I approached one of the settlers and asked " why are you jumping ahead, there is a line here sir? he replied. " You don't think I am waiting behind Arabs do you?" He spoke louder. " You'll be hearing from your Commander".
Sergeant, Anonymous.
Kfir Brigade. Tul Karem, 2008.
"On my first or second day we went on a 'doll',a foot patrol in the casbah. One of my commanders, a veteran, took an old Palestinian man into an alley and started beating him up. They took him aside and just beat him and slapped him and punched him for no reason".
Gil Hillel.
2001-2003, Saclav (military police) Hebron.
On Shuhada street there is a part where Arabs can walk. I saw three Jewish kids beating up an old Arab woman. An older Jewish settler joined in, screaming "May you die". I think they threw stones. A policeman was called but did nothing. He was a settler from Kiryat Arba who comes to pray with the Hebron settlers.
Sergeant, Anonymous.
Nachal Brigade, 50th Battalion, Hebron, 2010.
During patrols we would do 'mappings'. 'Mapping' is when we go into a house to see what's in there, who lives there. We don't search for weapons. ' Mappings' are to let the Palestinians feel that we are there all the time.
We go in, walk around, the Commander takes out a piece of paper and starts to make a drawing of the house, what it looks like inside. I had a camera. I was told to bring it. They said.. " you take their picture, stand them against the wall and take their picture.Then the pictures are transferred, I don't know, The General Security Service, so they know what people look like. I do what I'm told, It's 3am.. I .. it humiliated them, I just can't describe it.
And the interesting thing? I had the pictures for about a month.No one came to get them. No Commander asked about them, no intelligence officer took them. I realised it was all nothing. It was just to be there. It was like a game.
Sergeant Nadav Bigelman.
2007-10, Nachal Brigade, 50th Battalion, Hebron.
We took over a central house, set up positions, and one of the sharpshooters identified a man on a roof, two roofs away, I think he was between 50 and 70 metres away, not armed. I looked at the man through the night vision – he wasn't armed. It was two in the morning. A man without arms, walking on the roof, just walking around. We reported it to the company commander. The company commander said: "Take him down." [The sharpshooter] fired, took him down. The company commander basically ordered, decided via radio, the death sentence for that man. A man who wasn't armed.
I saw with my own eyes that the guy wasn't armed. The report also said: "A man without arms on the roof." The company commander declared him a lookout, meaning he understood that the guy was no threat to us, and he gave the order to kill him and we shot him. I myself didn't shoot, my friend shot and killed him. And basically you think, you see in the United States there's the death penalty, for every death sentence there are like a thousand appeals and convictions, and they take it very seriously, and there are judges and learned people, and there are protests and whatever. And here a 26-year-old guy, my company commander, sentenced an unarmed man to death.
Sergeant, Anonymous,
Paratrooper, 2002, Nablus
Things That Happened Last Week.
- An Education Secretary had to say sorry while a group of Muslims allegedly used his flagship Academy Schools programme as a vehicle for promoting Islam.
- An 89 yr old D-Day veteran caught a train, went abroad, and was almost patronised to death.
- The yes/no Scottish Independence campaign continued. Please make it stop.
- A computer fooled people into thinking it was a 13 yr old boy. The computer is now currently on remand in Pentonville prison for online grooming.
- A newspaper uncovers facts alleging FIFA ( Federation of International Football Associations) may have been involved in corruption.
- A newspaper teaches us how to suck eggs.
- Apparently, unknown to many, the Greek far right political party Golden Dawn is anti-Semitic, homophobic, and full of neo-Nazi's. Well I never.
And finally, a tale of the British Luftwoofer.
Last weekend the D-day landings were commemorated, so I thought I would bring you a tale about some forgotten heroes.
On the eve of D-Day, three planes, containing 60 paratroopers from Britain's 13th Battalion,took off for France. In addition to the paratroopers each plane carried a dog, or a 'paradog' as they were known. These dogs, Bing a male collie-Alsatian cross, Ranee, a female Alsatian and Monty a male Alsation, were parachuted in behind German lines to sniff out mines and booby traps, keep watch, lookout for and sometimes attack the enemy or to act as morale boosters.
Following, are the recollections of Lance Corporal Ken Bailey, speaking about a training jump with his dog Ranee:
Following, are the recollections of Lance Corporal Ken Bailey, speaking about a training jump with his dog Ranee:
"After my chute developed, I turned to face the line of flight; the dog was 30 yards away and slightly above. The chute had opened and was oscillating slightly. (Ranee) looked somewhat bewildered but showed no sign of fear. I called out and she immediately turned in my direction and wagged her tail vigorously. The dog touched down 80 feet before I landed. She was completely relaxed, making no attempt to anticipate or resist the landing, rolled over once, scrambled to her feet and stood looking round. I landed 40 feet from her and immediately ran to her, released her and gave her the feed."
"Jump, land, eat: With each training jump, the dogs started enjoying their job more. In fact, the dogs sometimes allowed themselves to be thrown out of the planes or leapt out without any coaxing."
Monty was mortally wounded on D-day, Ranee was eventually lost ,presumed dead, and Bing, although landing in a tree and left hanging for two hours ,under mortar fire ,was eventually released and survived the war, receiving the Dicken Medal for animal bravery..He died in 1955.
You have enemy's, good, it means you have stood up for something in your life".
No comments:
Post a Comment