President Shimon Peres awarded 15 reservists for excellence Monday night and told them they are a special elite force because they are civilians who still fight for the country.
Discharged Israeli soldiers usually serve in the Reserves until their 40s, and some volunteer beyond that age. Men with six children and more are automatically exempted from reserve service but many waive this right and continue to serve.
President Peres noted that although the reservists cover the entire spectrum of Israeli society, they are part of a “completely different elite sector. Once they get into uniform, all ethnic, ideological and socioeconomic differences are eliminated,” he said.
He added they are part of a team and “love the nation and the state and…see it as a great personal privilege and an obligation of conscience to safeguard the security and well-being of the nation."
“Without the Reserves, we could not maintain a quality IDF. There is not other country in the world that has a similar Reserve structure. You reservists have the value of being more mature and more responsible than regular-service soldiers of a younger age.”
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the reservists at the ceremony at the President’s House, “We can rely only on ourselves. When I say ourselves, I mean the IDF under the quiet command of Benny Gantz,” who recently took up the most senior IDF position.
Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said at the ceremony that the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East may lead to a better future but that “in the short-term, they are a complex and formidable challenge and threat… We need prepared Reserve units that can be ready for every mission."