Eleven years ago, on Saturday night, days after we left the Second Lebanon War behind us and were able to relax at last, I turned on my mobile phone and found a huge number of messages from my friends:
"Quick, call back, emergency, something terrible has happened!."
I immediately called Ben, a fellow IDF commando squad member.
"Emmanuel was killed," he said. "The funeral is tonight in Jerusalem."
Our Emmanuel: Giora Squad, August 1990, Sayeret Matkal *
Emmanuel Moreno, the valiant fighter
Ethical Emmanuel, so caring, always ready to help
Unassuming Emmanuel, careful not to show off his uniform and rank
Funny Emmanuel, with his practical jokes
Mia's, Avia's, Neria's and Noam Yisrael's Emmanuel
His parents' and brothers' Emmanuel
Our Emmanuel is gone
My young friends, there is one thing you can each take from Emmanuel
I won't tell you of our shared experiences in the backbreaking unit in which we trained together
I won't tell the tales of his bravery and courage
I won't even show you how he looked
But there's just one thing you should know -
Emmanuel succeeded because he tried harder
In the beginning of the commando unit's training period, he was "ordinary," not unusual in any field, not in scouting, hitting the target, or physical prowess
How did he go from an ordinary soldier to the giant he became?
Because he worked hard to be better
All the time
From one scouting mission to the next, from one drill to the next, he worked
He never stopped, never took a break
He gave his all for our beloved country
And so can you
In any field you choose
People are not born successful, they work hard to be successful
Work! Make that special effort!
Emmanuel, my brother, how I miss you.
..
Emmanuel was killed on August 19, 2006. The Hebrew date is. כ"ה מנחם אב התשס"ו, which falls on Wednesday, August 16,this year.
For Emmanuel's story, click here. and here.
(*Sayeret Matkal: General Staff Reconnaissance Unit, a special forces unit of the IDF)
Translated from the Hebrew by Rochel Sylvetsky