Lt. Col. Dvir Diamond
Lt. Col. Dvir Diamondצילום: ללא קרדיט

Lt. Col. Dvir Diamond, 34, a graduate of the Bnei David preparatory academy in Eli, has been selected to lead the 101st Battalion.

Diamond was wounded in his right eye during an encounter with terrorists during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014.

Not wanting to demoralize his troops or impede the mission after he was wounded, Diamond pulled his kippa down from inside his helmet and covered his wounds. He continued fighting alongside his troops, despite being blinded in one eye, and having clouded vision in the second.

He was later evacuated to Soroka Hospital in moderate condition, and doctors worked for hours to return the wounded eye to its place.

“All of the sudden there was a big explosion and a big shockwave,” Diamond told Ma’ariv. “I was hit in the face, and I couldn’t see anything. I only felt the blood dripping on my face. My right eye was just pulled from its socket, and the left eye was clouded.”

“I asked someone next to me if there was something on my face, but it was the evening, and he said that he could only see blood. I decided not to say anything to the troops, and I pulled my kippa down from my helmet, so it would cover my eye. It wasn’t easy, and I went through a long adjustment period, but I didn’t give up on anything, even on driving. I’m not going to get into the philosophical ramifications of losing an eye, and I’m not going to give in to disability. As far as I’m concerned, it was worth losing my eye to defend my country.”