Soldiers slept on floor without heat during storm
60 new recruits were crammed into a room with thin mattresses in freezing cold while officers allegedly slept in heated quarters; angry parents say fighters were treated 'like refugees'.
Commanders at the Ramon Airbase did not prepare properly for the severe weather and soldiers from an elite artillery unit had to get through the cold weekend in a dining hall without heating as their worn-down tents had large holes. Rainwater leaked in and made the tents uninhabitable after drenching the soldiers and their equipment.
The unit decided to transfer more than 60 new recruits to a structure normally used as a dining hall. There was no heating apparatus, allowing the cold to fill the room. Scores of soldiers were crammed into a room without beds and slept on thin mattresses on the floor.
The soldiers' parents were infuriated by the way the situation was managed, claiming that the officers slept in heated rooms with adjacent toilets and showers. "While the commanders slept, the soldiers had to run to the toilet or the shower in snow or rain," a parent told Ynet.
"The officers aren't giving a personal example and there's no normal solution. It's a disgrace that this is how the IDF looks like in the year 2015, like refugees in Gaza in a UNWRA school," they added.
Many other bases prepared for the storm by reinforcing temporary structures and fixing broken stoves, especially in particularly cold areas in the north and south.
Sources in the unit initially said that the room had not been a dining hall, and that the air conditioners had heating, but the story changed after further investigation that followed relatives' testimony. Army sources said that "the senior commanders at the base are involved in what goes on and make sure the soldiers lack for nothing. The soldiers were supplied with sleeping bags and warm clothing."
An IDF spokesperson released the following statement: "In light of the stormy weather, the soldiers are staying in an enclosed and dry structure beside their commanders. The soldiers in question received adequate equipment for the weather conditions."
