The annual commemoration ceremony for the fallen soldiers of the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense was held this week (Tuesday) at the National Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl, led by the Commander of the Ground Forces, Major General Nadav Lotan, and with the participation of the Commander of the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense, Brigadier General Dvir Edri, and in the presence of bereaved families, commanders of the corps, and its soldiers, past and present.
Daphna Mizrahi, mother of Ziv Zakkai Mizrahi, may he rest in peace, who served in Battalion 636, spoke on behalf of the bereaved families. “11 years ago, I first received the title of bereaved mother,” she shared, “Being a bereaved mother at first is like being a baby who has just emerged into the world. He doesn’t understand what’s happening around him. He hears voices, crying, laughter, a lot of noise. He sees many people. Everything is new, unclear, everything is dizzying and very different from where he was. And still, he doesn’t understand where he is. Slowly, he learns the environment. Crawling, standing, falling, getting up, walking – and then starting to run. I also had to learn anew.”
“Dear families, each and every one of us left behind a world and its fullness,” she continued, “Each of them had a story, a personality, dreams, loves, and memories that were uniquely theirs. We will continue to remember them, talk about them, and illuminate their light. May their memory be blessed.”
“The corps is at the heart of the IDF’s operations,” said the Commander of the Ground Forces, Major General Nadav Lotan, “We will continue to strengthen its power to ensure the IDF’s strength, to protect our home, and to build a force that will be ready and prepared for a surprise war in any theater of war.”
“Today, we commemorate the memory of 227 fallen soldiers of the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense, including 95 who fell during the current war,” he stated, “The memory of the daughters and sons who fell while defending the homeland will be etched in our hearts forever. Their legacy, their life stories, and the stories of their falling serve as our moral and professional compass; we will carry their legacy forward to training, to operations, and to the battlefield.”
“Since the establishment of the state until today, generations of defenders have borne the responsibility to ensure that we can live here. Your loved ones are part of this story, and each and every one of them left their own mark on it. We will carry the memory of the fallen with pride and humility, and we will act so that their spirit continues to guide us in protecting our home.”
“On this evening, we gather here together,” began the Commander of the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense, Brigadier General Dvir Edri, “as one large family – the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense family – to remember, honor, and perpetuate the memory of the 227 fallen of the corps, your loved ones – our dear ones, who fell in Israel’s conflicts, in training, in wars, and in routine – those who fell between wars. Long is the list of the fallen etched on the Wall of Names. Among the names etched are those whose ink has not yet dried, alongside names that have been engraved on the wall and in hearts for many years. All of them together are part of us, their stories are woven into our daily routine. For us, they are alive, because we learn, know, and pass on their legacy.”
“Dear families, on this evening, I find another opportunity to commit to you that the Combat Intelligence Corps and Border Defense will continue to carry the light of your loved ones and educate its personnel on the legacy and deeds of those who are no longer with us,” he called out, “For our sake, in memory of our people who paid the price of their lives, and in honor of those who were injured in body and soul – we will return to the kibbutzim, we will continue to plow, sow, and harvest in the fields of our land and in the fields of our lives. May the memory of the fallen be blessed and forever etched in our hearts.”
