Mikve Alon.
Balls.
Thats all I have to say about that. I'm just about done with this hebrew/army course. When the army first sent me here I was like, ok no prob, I'll learn a little bit of the heeb, chill with some people, do some army work, then go to my combat unit.
No...what happens was because I know hebrew and attained the highest level in the base (tzevet shmoneh, mishpacha) we essentially became the army's bitch. Now we had some good times (bussing up to hermon to hang with the nachal for a week), and some bad times (closing shabbat, being bitched at by incompetant 19 year old girls, lots of bitchwork) but it all came at the expense of learning hebrew. The irony of being told by the army you need to improve your hebrew and then not getting courses in it because youre too good was not lost on me.
In the end, though, it was helpful. I learned the parts and use of the m16 in hebrew, the radio, first aid and basic fieldcraft. I made a ton of friends I never thought Id ever socialized with, and learned that being tough is getting up at 3 am to do guard duty no questions asked after finishing a shift a couple hours before. I learned, most of all, that its more important to be tough mentally than physically.
But, sof sof, we come to the last week. This week I have a march (10 k), a hebrew test and then a siur in jtown. Then I'm being sent to my normal unit. What unit, I still don't know, but I gave my preferences to the katzin miyun (bakum guy) and we'll see what happens.
Here's a breakdown
Tzanchanim-
The paratrooper unit of the IDF. Not really used a lot but cool anyway, they used to require a day long gibbush to join but have now for some reason broken it down into an interview, which I'm scheduled to take sometime in the future. We'll see what happens. I'd like to be in the unit because essentially my family was in it, they liberated the wall and, lets face it, its fun to jump outta planes.
Nachal
Outside the paratroopers, this is my #1 unit that I could request. In the last few years these guys have earned a reputation for not only being good fighters, kicking ass troughout the west bank and lebanon, but for being cool, chill dudes. Ask anyone in israel and they'll tell you "nachal ze achla."
Kfir
This was my second choice. Once known as the Chir Mak (designated infantry), the several independant units were unified into one brigade and transformed into urban warfare/counter terror specialists. Nobody knows Ramallah like Kfir and nobody can take terrorists down like them, so goes the IDF saying. If I went there, id prefer the Nachshon unit, because they're badass. Only downside is that they're stationary in one location throughout their service. That and their camoflage beret, which I actually dig.
In addition to these the army made us select an unpopular unit as a third choice. You had to choose tanks, artillery or combat engineering. I chose combat engineering.
Basically the most unsung of the ground forces, everyone grudgingly accepts the combat engineers as doing an extraordinarily difficult job extraordinarily well. They do everything from laying mines to blowing bridges and bunkers to driving massive demolitions vehicles. They work all over Israel, pretty much doing operations all the time. Their special forces is one of the top ones, working with our SAS-equivalent. They get basic infantry 05 training combined with advanced sapper 07 training. Essentially, while not infantry, I'd be blowing stuff up and seeing a lot of action which is pretty cool.
Essentially, I cant really see how I can lose.
Balls.
Thats all I have to say about that. I'm just about done with this hebrew/army course. When the army first sent me here I was like, ok no prob, I'll learn a little bit of the heeb, chill with some people, do some army work, then go to my combat unit.
No...what happens was because I know hebrew and attained the highest level in the base (tzevet shmoneh, mishpacha) we essentially became the army's bitch. Now we had some good times (bussing up to hermon to hang with the nachal for a week), and some bad times (closing shabbat, being bitched at by incompetant 19 year old girls, lots of bitchwork) but it all came at the expense of learning hebrew. The irony of being told by the army you need to improve your hebrew and then not getting courses in it because youre too good was not lost on me.
In the end, though, it was helpful. I learned the parts and use of the m16 in hebrew, the radio, first aid and basic fieldcraft. I made a ton of friends I never thought Id ever socialized with, and learned that being tough is getting up at 3 am to do guard duty no questions asked after finishing a shift a couple hours before. I learned, most of all, that its more important to be tough mentally than physically.
But, sof sof, we come to the last week. This week I have a march (10 k), a hebrew test and then a siur in jtown. Then I'm being sent to my normal unit. What unit, I still don't know, but I gave my preferences to the katzin miyun (bakum guy) and we'll see what happens.
Here's a breakdown
Tzanchanim-
The paratrooper unit of the IDF. Not really used a lot but cool anyway, they used to require a day long gibbush to join but have now for some reason broken it down into an interview, which I'm scheduled to take sometime in the future. We'll see what happens. I'd like to be in the unit because essentially my family was in it, they liberated the wall and, lets face it, its fun to jump outta planes.
Nachal
Outside the paratroopers, this is my #1 unit that I could request. In the last few years these guys have earned a reputation for not only being good fighters, kicking ass troughout the west bank and lebanon, but for being cool, chill dudes. Ask anyone in israel and they'll tell you "nachal ze achla."
Kfir
This was my second choice. Once known as the Chir Mak (designated infantry), the several independant units were unified into one brigade and transformed into urban warfare/counter terror specialists. Nobody knows Ramallah like Kfir and nobody can take terrorists down like them, so goes the IDF saying. If I went there, id prefer the Nachshon unit, because they're badass. Only downside is that they're stationary in one location throughout their service. That and their camoflage beret, which I actually dig.
In addition to these the army made us select an unpopular unit as a third choice. You had to choose tanks, artillery or combat engineering. I chose combat engineering.
Basically the most unsung of the ground forces, everyone grudgingly accepts the combat engineers as doing an extraordinarily difficult job extraordinarily well. They do everything from laying mines to blowing bridges and bunkers to driving massive demolitions vehicles. They work all over Israel, pretty much doing operations all the time. Their special forces is one of the top ones, working with our SAS-equivalent. They get basic infantry 05 training combined with advanced sapper 07 training. Essentially, while not infantry, I'd be blowing stuff up and seeing a lot of action which is pretty cool.
Essentially, I cant really see how I can lose.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
ill make a long story short.. i just saw a palastinian guy who just "had to" show me the scar that he got when a israeli soldier shot him "for fun"
ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
thats all.
showing me that did nothing and the disscusion we had just showed me that the siuation we have now will never change. and it really bothers me. naturally..