"This is what we are fighting for": Golani commanders will be able to accompany their children to first grade
Ahead of September 1st, an unusual decision was made in the Golani Brigade: to allow commanders to accompany their children to school. "Ella knows that Dad is fighting the bad guys and is very proud," says Lt. Col. A., commander of the 12th Battalion.
"Every career soldier in the Golani Brigade, whether in the field or at headquarters, will be with their children on September 1st and will accompany them to school. The mission is our top priority, but we do not forget the home front." This is what the deputy commander of Golani, Col. N., said about the decision made in the brigade in honor of the start of the school year.
Behind the decision is also the personal story of Col. N. (41) from Kela Alon, a father of four, including six-year-old Maya, who is entering first grade today (Monday). "It was a difficult year, the distance and the longing. I tried to get to the important places, birthdays, end-of-year parties. Wherever the situation allowed," he said, adding that he was a partner from afar in the preparations for the day, even though his wife did most of the work.
Regarding the first day at school, he said: "Maya is very excited, a new place, new children. I can see she is happy." To the children who did not get to be accompanied by a parent who remained in the army, he asked to convey: "Know that they did not do it out of a lack of care, but because the State of Israel needed them elsewhere."
If you ask Maya, she knows how to explain that "Dad is in the army, protecting us."
"This is what we are fighting for. So that there will be a school, so that there will be a routine, so that they open the schools," said the commander of the 12th Battalion, Lt. Col. A. (32) from Mevo Dotan, who will accompany his eldest daughter Ella, six, to first grade today.
"She is very excited and happy, but also with the composure that characterizes the children of commanders," he said. "Ella knows that I command many soldiers, and that we are fighting the bad guys. There is no doubt that it is challenging. But she is very proud of it and appreciates it. I had to convince her not to go in a 'My dad is in Golani' shirt, but in a school shirt."
"The order is in relation to the mission, first of all we make sure it is carried out in the best way," A. clarified regarding the directive. "The second thing in importance is the people, and that means not only the commanders and the fighters themselves, but also the families. They are the ones who give us the strength to continue."
