"Who Needs Ten Fingers?": Meeting the New Generation of Combat Soldiers

Water is spilling everywhere, families are taking out their phones for a final photo, and the hugs are lingering just before boarding the buses. This morning, Tuesday, recruits and their family members gathered at Ariel Sharon Park for the induction day into the IDF Combat Engineering Corps. Behind the jokes and excitement, one can also find concerns — especially among the parents, some of whom admit they have long since stopped sleeping at night.

As for the recruits themselves, at least outwardly, the fear is almost imperceptible. Some of them arrived having aimed for Engineering in advance, others were hesitant along the way, and there are also those for whom the assignment was less important than the question of who they would go through the course with.

"High morale"

For example, Nir and Guy, friends since seventh grade, who asked to be drafted together — and got their wish. "We wanted to be together, no matter what and no matter where," they say. Regarding the fear of combat service after years of war, they reply immediately: "We are coming with high morale, we are coming to protect the country." The night before the draft, however, went a little less easily: "We barely slept, from excitement," they admit.

Alon Muchtar also knew where he wanted to get to. "I put Engineering high on the field day, I always wanted this," he says, and is already marking the next target — selection for Yahalom or the 603rd Battalion. He heard about the service from his parents' friends and came to the conclusion: "Sounds very suitable for me." A moment before he gets on the bus, he too admits that the feelings inside are mixed: "Feeling everything, also afraid, also excited — and knowing it will be okay."

His father stands beside him and tries to project confidence. "I am very excited, you can't see it but I am excited," he says. "I believe in him, he worked hard, trained, he is strong and he will contribute to the country what he can." When the question of the fear of service during this period arises, he already admits: "There are always concerns. We are in a crazy country, it is impossible to know what the day will bring."

"Who needs ten fingers?"

Yonatan Yochananov, by contrast, arrives looking especially calm, determined, and with quite a bit of humor. "Excited a bit, but slightly, nothing too much," he says. Concerns? "No, what is there to fear?". Ahead of the draft, he tried to understand what awaited him in a fairly simple way: "I looked on Google, I read on Wikipedia," he says. Alongside this, he says he also heard stories from the grandfather of a close friend, who served in Engineering in the Six-Day War. His expectation from the service is clear: "That it will be meaningful, that I will be able to contribute to the IDF as much as possible in all sectors. Wherever they need me — I am there."

His mother shared that she is "excited like crazy," and adds: "I believe in him, know he is a strong boy, and am proud that he can contribute to our country." But when she is asked about the fear, the answer is unequivocal: "There is terrible fear, of course. Very, very afraid."

Yonatan admits that his attempts to calm her did not really succeed, but he does not give up on the humor. "I told her that even if I stay without fingers, it will still be fine," he laughs, and adds: "Why do you need ten fingers?". The friends also arrived prepared with their own threat: "We told him at home, all the guys — if you come back not in one piece, we will make sure to take you apart into pieces. Take care of yourself, Yonatan."

For Nehorai Chakak, the decision to go into combat was more complex. "I had a lot of thoughts regarding other things," he says. "There were disagreements and things I had to think about, but I made a decision." He also does not hide the fear: "Yes, there is, but we will get through it."

Standing beside him are his parents. His mother summarizes the feelings in two words — "excited, worried" — and admits she could not sleep at night. Nehorai says he tries to calm her, and his father, for his part, leaves no room for doubt: "This is a champion, this is a champion, this is a champion kid."

"We haven't slept for a month and a half"

Yonatan Razon arrives excited and goal-oriented. "Happy to be drafted, especially to combat. Engineering is something I wanted for a long time," he says. For years he has been thinking about Yahalom, and he prepared for the draft also with training and running.

His parents, Yael and Yehuda, already know well the worry that comes with combat service. "We haven't slept for a month and a half," says his father. "We have a big son in the reserves, we have a son who is an officer in an elite unit, and now Yonatan. Just that everyone returns in peace." His mother adds: "It was a half-white night, but we trust him. Let him do his best."

Yonatan for his part tries to calm them. "I tell them that there is nothing to do and everyone does it," he says. "It is also something I have wanted since I was little, to be in combat. They knew it, so they already did their preparation a long time ago. They know it will be a serious service."

"Drafting with a lot of desire and hunger"

The recruits who arrive this morning full of motivation will also meet later on the way Sergeant Y. and Sergeant A., commanders in advanced training, who are already waiting for the new cycle and are excited to receive the soldiers on the way. "We are mainly training the soldiers," says Sergeant A. "We are with them most of the day, starting to teach them all the professional material properly and preparing them for combat."

Both say that after the years of war, they feel a change also among the young people who arrive at the gates of the corps. "Undoubtedly, after the war, awareness has also risen for our corps and also in general for this whole thing called combat," says Sergeant Y. "People want to come and people want to be drafted. There are people who are drafted with a lot of desire and a lot of hunger for these roles, and it is blessed."

From their point of view, the training that begins now is intended to prepare the recruits for activity wherever they are required. "Wherever they need us, we enter," explains Sergeant Y. "We do what is needed to protect the country."

Sergeant A. has a simple message ahead of the long road that begins now for the young people who just this morning got on the buses: "May they have a lot of success, may they remember why they are doing it — that is the most important thing. And may it be good."