In honor of Israel's Independence Day, fifty IDF officers received awards on Thursday night for excellence in service. Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi handed out the honors in a festive ceremony held in Glilot that has become an IDF tradition held before the two days in which Israel remembers those who sacrificed their lives for Israel and celebrates the achievement of the goal for which they paid the ultimate price.
Ashkenazi spoke at the event. “The desire to guard and protect children in Ashkelon and Kiryet Shemonah, in Haifa and Sderot, in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria – this is the fuel that drives you onwards... By reaching this point, you have brought made us proud – not only your families, who are sitting here tonight, or your comrades in the military – but Israeli society as a whole,” he said.
He added, “Excellence is not something that can be taken for granted. It takes sacrifice and perseverance, strength of will and personal character.”
The following officers received awards. Some officers' full names cannot be made public due to the sensitive nature of their service:
Technological and Logistics Directorate:
Captain Moshe Shwartz
Captain Amir Shleifer
Manpower Directorate:
Lieutenant Bat-Chen Steinmetz
Captain Einav Avni
Air Force:
Captain Manfred Markovitz
Lieutenant Vladislav
Captain Assaf Yaakovi
Captain Makonent Asya
Captain Sagi Cohen
Captain Yaakov Sasson
Captain Yaniv Afrashi
Captain Tomer Gallam
Captain Maor Gavriel
Lieutenant Elad
Captain Nir
Navy:
Captain Yonatan
Lieutenant Yotam Levi
Lieutenant Y
Lieutenant Etgar
Intelligence:
Captain Yael
Lieutenant Ido
Lieutenant Assaf
Captain Yakir
Captain Meital
Lieutenant Yonatan
General Command:
Lieutenant Yaara Elazari
Lieutenant Ala Halabi
Southern Command:
Captain Assaf Hamami
Lieutenant Masada Reshef
Captain Karin Logisi
Central Command:
Captain Eliran Avinaim
Captain Yishai Rosilio
Lieutenant Roi
Lieutenant Stav Ben-Zev
Major Amri Yoetz
Homefront Command:
Captain Meirav Kraus
Northern Command:
Captain Mishel Azriel
Lieutenant Assad Hassan
Captain Dotan Bakbani
Lieutenant Moshe Pesel
Captain Tomer Honigman
Communications:
Lieutenant Elinor Ecksterman
GOC Headquarters:
Captain Maayan Hakakian
Lieutenant Yuval
Captain Sami Kavas
Lieutenant Ben Ginzberg
Lieutenant Eli Spibek
Lieutenant Roi Ben-Tzur
Lieutenant Alex Szevszikov
Lieutenant Shirli Sabag