Israel Defense Forces

Major Roi Klein: Leapt On A Grenade

Klein and his men were fighting in the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil during the 2nd Lebanon War, when they were ambushed by Hisbollah terrorists. Together with a group of soldiers, Klein tried to attack the terrorists from behind, but they were blocked by a building. While Klein was treating one of his wounded soldiers, a grenade was thrown at the group. Without hesitation, Klein jumped on the grenade, absorbing the force of the explosion, thereby saving the lives of the soldiers around him. Despite having been mortally wounded Klein still tried to radio to his superiors and as his last act on earth handed his coded radio to his second in command so that it wouldn’t fall into enemy hands. Roi Klein was posthumously awarded with the Medal of Courage.

Maj. Roi Klein - A true Israeli hero

Captain Zvi “Zvika” Greengold: “Team Zvika”

Cpt. Greengold commanded a force of three tanks in the Yom Kippur War, when two of them were destroyed in the beginning of the battle. Even when left alone, Greengold continued to fight the Syrian enemy. In order to fool the enemy and make them believe that they were fighting a much larger force, other officers referred to Greengold as the “Zvika Force”. Later in the battle, Greengold was injured, which didn’t stop him from continuing fighting and eventually destroying dozens of enemy tanks. After the war was over, Greengold was awarded the Medal of Valor, the nation’s highest medal for heroism.

Cpt. Zvi "Zvika" Greengold - One against many

Sergeant Shaul Vardi: Kept Fighting After Being Blinded

The only non-officer in our list, Shaul fought in the Six Days War, were he served as a tank commander. While fighting, Shaul’s tank was struck and he was wounded in the face and temporarily blinded. Once he regained his sight he immediately continued to fight. Even after his tank was struck a second time and this time disabled, Vardi and his men continued to fight and clear out Syrian positions, armed with nothing more than Uzis and hand-grenades. Only after Vardi successfully completed his mission he allowed himself to be evacuated to the hospital. For his exemplary display of bravery and sense of duty, Vardi was awarded the Medal of Valor

Sgt. Shaul Vardi - It takes more than blindness to stop this man.

Lt. Col. Avigdor Kahalani: Saved His Country by Sheer Guts

Lt. Col. Kahalani commanded the 7^th Brigade’s 77^th Tank Battalion in the battle for the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War. After most of the tanks in the battalion were destroyed, Kahalani was left completely outnumbered with less than 20 tanks against an advancing Syrian tank division. Kahalani’s remarkable skill, bravery, and tactical understanding of the battlefield allowed him to successfully hold his position and eventually force the Syrian division to retreat after days of fierce fighting. This was a major turning point in the Yom Kippur War and his Major, Eitan Kauli, told him “You have saved the people of Israel”. Kahalani was awarded with Israel’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Valor, and later rose up to the rank of Brigadier General.

Lt. Col. Avigdor Kahalani - "You saved the people of Israel."

Krav Maga (Close-Range Combat, lit.”Touch-Fight”) is a martial arts style specially developed by the IDF to suit the army’s specific security needs. Each and every Israeli soldier, regardless of his job, must undergo training to learn the basic steps of self-defense -IDF style.

Following the prisoner negotiation for Sergeant First Class Gilad Shalit’s release with Hamas, the terrorist organization ruling Gaza, has threatened additional soldier kidnapping. In light of this, we are issuing this step-by-step guide for the common man, to protect oneself from the threat of kidnapping.

Situation #1:

An unfamiliar car stops in front of the sidewalk you’re walking on. Suddenly, from the rear door a man emerges who tries to force you into the vehicle.

1) Instead of instinctively resisting the attacker's pull, attack his eyes directly by shoving your fingers into the sockets to temporarily blind him.

2) While the attacker is unable to see, kick him as hard as possible in the groin.

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IDF snipers are some of the world’s best, training for years to perfect their skills and accuracy. Today, we give you a rare look inside the lives of two elite snipers, Manor and Izhar who serve in the Givati’s Brigade Reconnaissance Battalion.

“Being a sniper is different from any other profession in the army,” says Manor, “and the training validates this statement – during training, we are required to accurately shoot a 10 cent dime.”

“Nothing compares to the feeling a sniper has during an operation. While you’re watching your target from miles away and studying his every move, he is completely unaware that he is being watched,” says Manor.

The two agree that in order for a sniper to excel, he or she must have unique characteristics that distinguish him or her from others. “A good sniper is required to be calm, think fast and have good mathematical and analytical abilities in order to calculate the direction of his shot; a good sniper is always a sniper, long after his days in the army,” said Izhar. “Our IDF training assures that even after discharging from service, we will still be on call – using our abilities and experience for the secuirty of Israel’s civilians.”