Ariel, the wife of Lieutenant Colonel Dor Ben Simhon, commander of Battalion 52 in the 401st Armored Brigade, who was killed in action in southern Lebanon, published a heartbreaking farewell message on Facebook.
She recalled the first time she met Dor, writing: “Eight years ago I began at the IDF Tactical Command School. There were 120 men before me, and I wondered how there wasn’t even one ‘hot guy’ there for me. Then you came to present a lesson learned from a road accident you caused - an educational experience, and luckily it arrived. I said, ‘Oh, there he is.’ In the first year you only bothered me, and in the second year you chased after me like crazy (even if that isn’t exactly true, you’re not here to deny it, so I’m telling the truth now)."
Biton described their relationship as one they quickly realized was meant to be. “We started a wonderful relationship, and relatively quickly we knew it was ‘the one.’ We went through so much together until the proposal, here in your kibbutz. Of course, yes. Yes to that smile that lit up every face. Yes to your wisdom. Yes to the love that came in so many different ways. Yes to the beauty that was so deeply inside you and radiated outward. And yes to the kibbutznik who dared to get married in shorts and leather sandals."
She wrote that their years together were the happiest of her life. “As a fighting family, we were together through difficult periods, but in the long run you gave me the seven most beautiful years of my life. Seven years of real love, of innocence that is hard to explain, of building a home together, of creating a family. Now you have left me with the two most amazing daughters in the world. Maybe now I’ll stop getting upset when people tell me how much they look like you. I hope they will keep your presence alive with me every single day."
She thanked him for the person he was and the impact he had on her. "Thank you for making me a better person, for being a supportive husband, and for teaching me how to mow the lawn. Even as I write this, I know there are so many people here, because you simply couldn’t not fall in love with. Every weekend at home I had to share you with many people who loved you, and I’m glad you felt that love during your life."
“You were a commander who was a people person; you were a commander of a mission. Your dedication inspires admiration, and your intelligence served this country well. I would walk around proudly and say that I’m the wife of a commander."
She also described the doubts he sometimes carried but said he always fulfilled his duties with dedication. “You had your doubts along the way, and even when your heart wasn’t whole, you carried out every role with extraordinary devotion. Sometimes you consulted others, but you always knew, probably you knew a little better. And that never stopped your commanders and soldiers from falling in love with you."
She addressed his short time as battalion commander. “Two months as a battalion commander wasn’t enough, so don’t get excited. I’m sure you were a little embarrassed, but at least you broke the chain. You sacrificed enough. I know you wouldn’t have wanted to die any other way. You are the commander I wish for every IDF soldier during this time."
Biton promised to remain strong for their daughters. “I promise you that I will be strong, because that’s how we will build. I’m not half a person. We are one whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. But a very large part of my heart was torn away today."
“I promise you the girls will know you. Ayelet already told me this morning that she wants you to come back. You still owe me a birthday gift, and Gaya did the usual mess you hadn’t yet had enough time to experience, but you did give us a proper adjustment period. One month without you was felt very clearly."
She ended with the words she told him under their wedding canopy: “Dor, I don’t only want you in my life, I need you in my life. Only now you have arranged a different life for me. Thank you, my beloved. You already know what for. I’m sorry I didn’t raise you enough the way I’m sure you expected. I was honored to be the chosen love in your life. So, for the last time: Beloved commander, from the commander's beloved. I love you and will love you forever. Over and out."