The annual commemoration ceremony for the fallen soldiers of the Armored Corps was held yesterday (Wednesday) in Latrun, in the presence of the President of the State, Mr. Isaac Herzog, headed by the Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and with the participation of the Ground Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, the Chief of Armored Corps, Brig. Gen. Orr Vologinsky, Chairman of the Yad LaShiryion Association, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Saar Tzur, and in the presence of bereaved families, past and present commanders and soldiers of the corps.
The representative of the bereaved families, Smadar Lugasi, mother of Captain Eyal Elisha Lugasi, may he rest in peace, said in her speech: “My brothers and sisters in the bereaved family, we all share the void that has been created. From that moment, life is not as it was. Endless sorrow, a longing that pains the entire body and does not let go. Our greatest pain is not what they managed to do, but what they will not manage to be.”
“At the age of 40, I chose to bring a child into the world on my own. After many fertility treatments, I was informed that I was pregnant. Supreme happiness. I carry in my womb my heart’s desire – my child. Before his enlistment, he did everything to get me to sign him up for combat. My stomach churned, my hand trembled, but it was clear to me that I would sign. I wanted him to see the other, to contribute of himself. How could I stand in his way? Would I not let my child fulfill himself? For him, one cannot just talk about values, actions are required.”
“When our loved ones were taken from us, we carry them with us everywhere, every morning, every night, every moment, and ask ourselves what life would have been like if only, and there is no answer,” the families’ representative continued. “There remains a great, unending longing, and alongside it, a mission to tell who they were, to pass on their values, to teach future generations: what is love of country, what is responsibility, friendship, leadership, and what is sacrifice. And no, I regret nothing, it was always the same Eyal. This was your way. You fought and fell as a proud tankman for our people and our land.”
“If we are destined to live with the absence, let us at least ensure that their light continues to shine. Tonight, here in Latrun, one can feel the light of our loved ones. Here they took their first steps in the Armored Corps, and here their names are etched forever, eternally. May the memory of all the fallen be blessed.”
The President of the State, Mr. Isaac Herzog, delivered a speech: “Since October 7th, we have known depths and we have known peaks. One fact is undisputed – the steel of the Armored Corps was and remains a firm foundation for all of the IDF’s achievements. From the first moment on that cursed morning, you, the men of steel, charged with courage against the swarms of terrorists. You fought with determination and bravery to protect the residents of the Gaza envelope and all of Israel. You stood exposed to the enemy in the turret, you continued to fight even when you were alone on the battlefield. You were there and fought like lions.”
“From October 7th until this very moment, in Gaza and in Lebanon, in Syria and in Judea and Samaria – on all fronts, you are achieving wonderful successes, bringing Israelis back to their homes and bringing Israel to new heights. In this war, the power of the man in the tank has been revealed. Your contribution to the heavy campaign is immense, it is invaluable. Everyone understands – there is no maneuver without armor, and certainly without the tanks – there is no victory.”
The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir: “It is our duty to address the attack at the Beit El checkpoint, where Neria Leiter, a reservist fighter, was critically injured. He is the brother of Major (Res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, may he rest in peace, one of the heroes of the war who fell in the Gaza Strip, and the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter. We send strength to the family, and we offer a strong prayer for his well-being. The campaign against terror continues, our hands will not weaken. We will fight terror in Judea and Samaria and throughout the Middle East, we will attack everywhere and pursue those who seek our lives.”
“The Israeli fighter does not forget, because the memory of his comrades and the heroism of the generations before him are an integral part of his identity. This understanding, which became clear to me the first moment I became part of a tank crew, more than 40 years ago, is rooted in the core values of the IDF since its inception.”
“On October 6, 1973, the Yom Kippur War began with a surprise. Faced with the intensity of the attack on the Sinai and Golan Heights fronts, the few armored forces blocked the enemy’s blow and created the conditions for transitioning from defense to offense, at a very heavy cost.”
“Fifty years later, on October 7, 2023, Armored Corps fighters were among the first to confront the enemy. In the hours when the ground was torn by the blood of the slaughtered and by the failure and surprise, it was the steel tracks and the tank crews who moved first towards the inferno, charged forward into the difficult fields of slaughter, fought until their last breath to halt the attack and save civilian lives.”
The Chief of Armored Corps, Brig. Gen. Orr Vologinsky, said: “We fought and continue to fight, right at this moment, in the most complex terrains that an army is required to fight in, against a cruel enemy who sought and still seeks to destroy us. Armored Corps fighters led the attacks in Gaza, in Khan Yunis, and in the fortified villages in Lebanon – against an enemy that had prepared for this for years.”
“Dear bereaved families, there are no words that can fill the void created, no speech that can describe the magnitude of the loss. On this day, as on many days along the way, we share in the sorrow and the memory, we bow our heads and embrace. On my behalf and on behalf of all the corps personnel, I promise that we will continue with the same determination that characterizes us – to always remember and remind them. The men of the black beret will be with you forever, their memory always with us.”
“To our wounded, in body and soul, you are an inseparable part of our story. Injury changes lives, and sometimes the path forward is long, complex, and full of challenges, but you do not walk it alone. We are with you, the Armored Corps fighters, the commanders, the conscripts and reservists. The Armored Corps, above all, is a corps of people, and that is our true strength.”
“Our commanders – the battalion and brigade commanders, conscripts and reservists – are the best. They will continue to lead the Armored Corps and the IDF into future challenges, for the security of Israel, for the families, for future generations, and for all those fallen who left us one clear command: to continue to defend our only home – you are the armor of Israel.”
