Early Thursday morning, Alon Samucha (35) sent his father a text message: "Dad, everything's fine, in a good mood. Don't worry. I love you. Alon." A few hours later, he was killed in el-Khiam in southern Lebanon.
Alon, the oldest of four boys, was a tank driver in the 188th armored battalion. His father, Shimon, tells: "He was an amazing kid, an excellent student ever since the first grade. He graduated high school with honors."
Wednesday afternoon, the father spoke to his son for the last time, moments before he entered deep into Lebanon. Shimon recalls the conversation: "He said that he couldn't speak and told us to be well. When I asked where he was, he told me he was in the north, not in Lebanon, but I had the feeling that he was."
His father told of his hopes that Alon would start a family soon. "He was my eldest son. We so wanted him to get married…I thought maybe, after reserves, he would find someone. I will miss him very much."
Alon like working outdoors. A sporty type, his friends said he ran 15 km a day, rode his bike, and dreamed of being a physical trainer. He loved skydiving and extreme sports. He used to work out every day except for Shabbat.
His friend, Ran Goldy, said: "Every day he would run in Kfar Saba, Hod Hasharon and Ra'anana. Only yesterday, I found him a job as a sports instructor in the country club. That was his dream, running was his life. Two days ago, we spoke and he sounded frightened. He told me that he'd received an emergency call up and he sounded very worried. His voice didn't sound happy. You can't say a bad word about him. He was very quiet, humble, with a heart of gold."
Alon leaves behind three brothers – Erez, Dekel, and Oren – and parents Shoshana and Shimon. He will be buried Friday morning at 11:00 in the Neveh Hadar cemetery.