- Q: Where are you from? And why Israel ?
A: I was born in the northeastern part of India, the 10th tribe out of 12 tribes of Israel known as the tribes of Menashe.
Why Israel ? It’s my identity, because it’s who we are and no matter where we are or where we go we will always be a Jews.
And after my tribe was lost for so many years it is time for us to come back to the land of Israel. where we belong.
2. Q: Did you grow up around guns/gun use
A: No, i grew up in a very quiet moderate place with mix culture’s and traditions, different religions and beliefs.
The only ones with guns were either police or military personnel. some of my uncle’s were policemen or military officers and when i was just still a boy i was told that guns are dangerous and should be handled with precaution and by a grown up only.
I remember when my uncle took me to the firing range for the first time i was just about 11 years old and i could barely hold the gun it was a revolver and it was heavy and that day i shot only one round for the first time and actually hit the target, it was so loud i was hearing bells ringing in my ears for minutes but i loved it so much! it was kind of mixed emotions between nervous and excitement.
3. Q: Why did you decide to join the IDF?
A: Because of patriotism and I love my country (Israel) and not because it’s mandatory to serve in the I.D.F.
I would still join the I.D.F even if it was not mandatory to serve.
months after preparation I drafted in the I.D.F. and after a very difficult and rough selection that i went through to be in the paratroopers unit I got selected to be part of the unit one of the biggest day for me!
It was not just about joining the I.D.F, it was my way of showing my love and connection to the land of Israel.
As a jew it is not just my duty to serve my country but also to protect the people of Israel. If not us… who else will ?
4. Q: What was your position ?
A: I served in the paratrooper unit and was in a counter terrorism squad.
Our job could be based on multiple and different missions. It can be from a checkpoint mission.
To long hours of day/night patrolling or could be out somewhere gathering information and stop terrorists from carrying out any kinds of attacks .
No matter what it could be, we were well trained to carry out any missions and in the best way possible.
5. Q: What difficulties did you have during your service?
A: Well that would definitely be during the basics training and the booth camp.
I was drafted during the month of November. Day or night it could get so cold it freezes your bones. I could hardly feel my fingers!
It was hard to stay warm and the best way to stay warm was just to keep on going and not let the body temp go down.
Sometimes it became unbearable when it’s raining and everything gets wet and muddy. A person can easily break sometimes but we as a team always looked out for each other and went through it .
6. Q: Did your time in the IDF change your life today?
A: It definitely did change my life in many ways.
I’ve learned alot about taking responsibilities,self confidence in making decisions under pressure and self conscious of my surrounding.
It also changed me physically by going through my daily fitness routine. mentally understanding before I judge.
Making more friends in every way that i can and to appreciate the opportunities we were given
Not a lot of people are that lucky to have what we received.
7. Q: Do you own your own gun (if so why?)
A: YES i do own my own gun because i live in a town outside the green zone (closer to Arab villages )
and i am eligible to own a gun for my personal protection.
After my military service i worked as a firearm instructor at one of the security training academy’s, where we train and teach how to handle a firearm as an armed security personal in case of security emergencies.
How to carry out their security protocols and procedure.
Currently i am also an IPSC competitIon shooter which also allows me to own a firearm by following all the rules and its regulations.
8. Q: What techniques can you say you took from your service ?
A: I probably took survival skills as I like to travel, hike and camp out a lot.
It’s easier now to know where you are going in which direction and to be able to get by in any environment.
Also my self confidence and shooting skills have a lot in comment.
For example, after serving in the army i took a job as a V.I.P close protection service. We had to go through long weeks of training.
During the training we learned about hand to hand combat and spending a lot of hours at the shooting range.
Surprisingly my performance was beyond my expectation and helped me throughout the training.
The best techniques that i took was to never give up not because you are tired or don’t feel like.
But to persuade more towards the goal to succeed.
If you had 5 tips to give to someone who wants to join the paratrooper unit what would it be?
Well i would say:
1: Believe in yourself never underestimate yourself.
2:Have a goal. It does not matter what the goal is. moving towards a goal helps you get tougher every day.
3: Help those who needs help. Always be the first to volunteer.
4:Stay sharp and focus. find a way to get comfortable for whatever you are going to face .
5. Always remember why you started in the first place. And finish what you started
P.s- If they can do it, You can do it.