How did you feel when it was clear you had to serve in the military?

How did it upset your life?

Did you feel you had no choice, or was it simply a duty you accepted?

Were you afraid?

Sorry if these are personal questions, and I understand if you would rather not answer.

We have come from a very highly privileged back ground if very noveau riche and whilst there was history of the army in the family (my father and 6 brothers all served , our grandfathers in the 1st World war with one becoming an officer and being gassed and of all things one long lost cousin being blown to pieces in Gaza in 1917)

We had been in Israel some 4 months , a Month at the Hilton then we advised our Mother we were indeed going to stay she found us a very nice apartment (in fact her lawyers in the uk and their corresponding office in TA found the apartment) , we could not read Hebrew or speak it but we were enjoying ourselves greatly , the country was primitive but it was interesting .

The letters arrived and they remained unopen because we beleived they were from our health insurance company which the lawyers were negotiating with over premiums , every Friday night our neighbours had us for dinner and at dinner we decided to show the mail to the neighbours who then told us we had been called up .

Our initial decision was to do a runner , we were anything but heroes , we had British passports and we could be out in a few hours , that was Friday , the same on Saturday but by Sunday we decided to go to the initial meeting .

A week later saw us both at an huge building with hundreds of other people all with their parents and brothers and we were trying to find where to go , we both ended up in the same room and eventually I was called in , a kid about 20 starting asking me questions , I told him I dont speak Hebrew , eventually  an officer (American ) was found and he was nasty , his questions ended with him asking me "If you dont speak Hebrew what use for the army can you be" to which I replies "hopefully none"

Unfortunately our medical and various tests showed we were suitable for the army and after several meeting we were given 9 options each , I decided to join the navy because I look good in white with a tan and all the braid to set it off , this ended abruptly when my Brother reminded me that on a recent cruise I was sick for half the holiday .

As i sat there i was very taken by the photos of the tanks and thought (a gem) who ever got hurt in one of them and that is where I went , my brother joined the Golani infantry and became a very famous officer and retired 11 years later as a Colonel .

Was I frightened , words cannot describe fear at that level , there are no words to describe how you feel before a battle or even after , once it kicks off you just want to live , it is the single purpose of all soldiers to survive , the smell , the screams the intentsity of keeping yourself in one piece is beyond words .

In my first war within the 1st few hours every single man I trained with was dead , i see them and hear them today , i hear them laughing , i hear them making plans for the weekend and beyond that I have met their parents and wives so many times and they NEVER recover , I did'nt  and the older I get the nearer to my maker the more i think back over my years

I was a coward who fought

BM

Thank you so much for sharing this.

You will be relieved to know the week long hijacking violation gag was put into effect today, so you will not have your honesty belittled.

Cheers,

Jenifer

Provided he is not a descendant of the brothers Grimm.

That one went over my head.

The famous fairy tale authors.

Yes, I know who they are, I just didn't understand how they applied to my post.

Oh wait - Berry has a fanciful imagination.

Esoteric, but I got there in the end.