Farewell letter
Farewell letterKan News

The body of Major Assaf, a former navigator in the Air Force, was found on Wednesday in a field near Atlit, next to his personal gun that he purchased with a license about a month ago. Assaf left a farewell letter to his mother, in which he wrote: "I have finally found peace."

Kan News reported that Assaf, 38, was a combat paratrooper who enlisted in a pilot’s course and trained as a combat pilot. He was discharged from the IDF about four years ago and since then, according to his mother, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

His mother, Miri, a single mother, contacted the Air Force and asked to stop his reserve duty service. She emphasized to the IDF officials that her son was displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. His flights were stopped, and he was transferred to serve in the reserves in an office job in Tel Aviv.

Throughout the time Assaf served in reserve duty, and even before that, Miri tried to convince him to contact the Ministry of Defense to be recognized as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but he refused.

Yesterday he ended his life, and his mother demands that he be buried in a military cemetery. "He was an IDF soldier all his life and went through difficult experiences. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, that was not recognized and he deserves a military burial," she said, adding that "someone must take care of the many soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, that are walking among us. Their situation is deteriorating, and they refuse to contact the Ministry of Defense out of shame, or lack of understanding of their situation."

"We have to save them now. I will fight for this and for my son to be recognized as an IDF soldier. I will not allow him to be buried in a civilian burial," she said.