Sergeant Walt Gordon, 51, took some time off from his work as an officer and medic with the Beverly Hills Police to come to Israel last week, straight to the rocket-ravaged town of Kiryat Shmona in the north.
Gordon arrived on his own initiative to lend a hand to forces in the north and express support and solidarity for the holy land.
"My wife and I are devout Christians and big fans of Israel," Gordon told Ynet. "We saw what was happening in Israel on the news, and especially in Kiryat Shmona, and we decided we had to help."
Gordon with IDF troops (Photo: Baruch Grosswald)
Gordon said his police unit in Los Angeles trains with representatives from the Israel Police, so he turned to an Israeli friend there and asked how he could help. After he was referred to the Kiryat Shmona police, he bought a ticket to Israel and went straight up north to offer his help.
Along with two Israeli volunteers, Gordon distributes food to soldiers and residents in Kiryat Shmona. "We're doing as much as we can," Gordon said.
He spoke excitedly of his experiences here. "We went to the artillery battery here and spoke with reserve soldiers, and for the first time I witnessed to extraordinary phenomenon of people dropping everything, simply abandoning their lives in the middle, and going to serve their country. It is stirring and heartwarming," Gordon said.
Regarding the ceasefire agreement, the intrepid volunteer said, "I am not an Israeli citizen and I don't need to express my opinion," but in the same breath he added, "I would be happy to see Hizbullah crushed. I think that unfortunately we'll still be seeing them in the future, and of course they'll declare victory. The UN doesn't have the ability to distance Hizbullah from the border. How can it prevent them from joining the Southern Lebanese Army? The diplomatic route is only the right solution after Hizbullah is broken and the kidnapped soldiers are returned."
As for the international criticism of Israel's hard-handed military response, Gordon says it is clear that if Hizbullah had the ability, it would wipe out Israel, while Israel would never do such a thing to Lebanon. "That's the difference, and that's why you can't say Israel is attacking Lebanon too harshly," he says.
"I'm not the hero here. The real heroes are the Israel's on the front lines, the soldiers and reservists that go up there and protect this country that I love so much," Gordon declares, while en route to his next mission – handing out goodies to the next tank battery.
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