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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Forgotten Her es
Heroes with Medals of Courage By Avi Heiligman
Har-Tzion, first from left, with Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan in 1955
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cross the globe it is very common to see rows of medals and ribbons upon high-ranking officers. Decorating a soldier for heroism in battle is an ancient tradition that can be traced back to the Egyptians. Practically every country today with a sizable military has some sort of decorations awarded for heroism, serving during campaigns and wars, and excellence in a certain field, among many other reasons. Israeli solders typically do not have rows upon rows of medals and ribbons pinned on their chests like, for example, an American soldier would but there have been many in Israel who have been recognized for their service. The Medal of Courage has been awarded 220 times for those in Israel who have performed acts of gallantry at considerable risk to their own lives. Meir Dagan was born on train that was escaping Poland to the USSR a few months before the end of World War II. Five years later, his family moved to Israel, and he joined the IDF when he was 18. Dagan joined the paratroopers and left the army in 1966 and joined the reserves. During the Six Day War, in 1967, he was called up and served in the Sinai
commanding a paratrooper platoon. Instead of leaving active service like many reservists who were called to fight during the war, Dagan chose to stay in the army. In 1970, Ariel Sharon directed him to create an undercover special forces unit to help control Palestinian terrorism in the Gaza Strip. Dagan was hospitalized for six months after the jeep he was traveling in his hit a mine. After re-
Meir Dagan, center
age. He later served during the Yom Kippur War, became a major general, and was the director of the Mossad from 2002-2011. Meir Har-Tzion was born in 1934 in Rishpon, which is near Herzliya. As a young boy, he would climb to the tops of mountains in bad weather, hike across the border to Petra, Jordan, and work with sheep. When he was fifteen, he was arrested with his
Dagan jumped on the terrorist and after a short struggle prevented him from detonating the grenade.
turning to active duty, he was on patrol when he noticed two terrorists in a taxi. One of them noticed the Israeli commando and pulled out a grenade. Wasting no time, Dagan jumped on the terrorist and after a short struggle prevented him from detonating the grenade. For this act of heroism, Dagan was awarded the Medal of Cour-
sister by the Syrians for crossing the border but was freed shortly thereafter. He again was arrested two years later by Syrian officials and only after a month of international pressure was he released. Soon, his trek to Petra became a legend among Israeli youth as he did it unnoticed and explored the ancient city under the cover of
darkness. After Har-Tzion joined the IDF, his childhood exploits plus his extraordinary field orientation capabilities was well-known, and he was asked to join the elite Unit 101. After a short period, he was made second in command of the unit. He quickly became one of the best in the IDF, according to Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan. Ariel Sharon called him “the elite of the elite.” On one operation, Har-Tzion and his small reconnaissance unit broke off from the main group and captured two Syrian officers. These prisoners were used in a prisoner trade for four IDF soldiers that had been captured. On September 11, 1955, Har-Tzion was critically wounded during Operation Jonathon. The attack was carried out by two paratroop companies on a Jordanian police fort between Chevron and Be’er Sheva. The raid was successful but Meir was wounded in the throat and arm. A field doctor saved his life by performing a battlefield tracheotomy. For his part in Operation Jonathon, Meir Har-Tzion was awarded the Medal of Courage. He was promoted to captain and assigned to the reserves. Even though
