All our sons
Nine soldiers is a terrible price, but they did not die in vain
That's the way it is in this crazy country. We are wiling to take hundreds of traffic deaths per year, dozens of deaths due to suicide bombers, needless deaths from stupid train accidents.
But when the victims are soldiers? That's a different story. We can take civilian deaths, but when the guys on the stretchers are wearing olive green – the heart skips a beat. And when nine soldiers don't come back from an operation – it simply shatters.
Common phenomenon
It isn't hard to understand the phenomenon. We all had, have or will have children in the army. Who can't identify with the rising fears, the worry about them? Every soldier hurt is our child. How easy it is to identify with horrified mothers standing in hospital hallways, with fathers' whose eyes are red from worry and lack of sleep.
These soldiers. They go out with young faces, head out for battle, full of enthusiasm and innocence. How scary, to follow the developments, to try and decipher the IDF's code language: Tough battles. Heavy fighting. What is the difference between hurt and wounded? The hours tick slowly as we wait for notification.
World of opposites
It is a world of opposites. We civilians want to protect our young soldiers, to fight the war for them, to put our lives on the line for them.
In recent years this is exactly what has happened. During the intifada, when riding the bus, going out for dinner and standing on a street corner were life-threatening expeditions, we suffered many more civilian deaths than soldier deaths.
We tend to forget the huge number of babies, children, women and elderly that were killed in recent years. We tend to forget the children who were killed just the other day by katyushas. We want to forget a basic principle: The army is there to protect us. Not the other way around.
Terrible losses
The loss of nine soldiers is terrible. The heart breaks over these young lives. There could well be questions to ask about the battle, when the time is right.
But if we can internalize the fact that we are at war – not an "exchange of fire," not an "operation," not a "battle" – we can reconcile ourselves to the cost.
During the Yom Kippur War, hundreds of soldiers were killed everyday. Then, Israel buried thousands of sons. This war is no less necessary; no less justified, and was just as forced upon us as that war.
With that in mind, our young soldiers did not die in vain. Perhaps there is some consolation in that.
