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Capt. (res.) Brezner

Lies unveiled in the death investigation of IDF officer during military race

Capt. (res.) Elhanan Brezner died in a military race in the Jordan Valley three months ago; the inquiry commission reveals that some of the exercise files were written in retrospect and that an officer lied about the matter; as a result, two officers were dismissed, a deputy brigade commander and a staff officer were reprimanded and two officers will probably face trial.

The findings of an inquiry commission into the death of Capt. (res.) Elhanan Brezner in the sea-to-sea race in the Jordan Valley about three months ago unveiled a gap between the preparation of the drill files and the way they were written. Some were prepared retroactively and one officer lied to the committee as to the date of their writing. The IDF said that this is a moral failure in the conduct of the brigade officers, which cannot be reconciled.

 

 

As a result, a deputy brigade commander with the rank of Lt. Col. was reprimanded by the division commander, two officers were dismissed, the brigade commander reprimanded another officer, and two officers in the brigade will apparently face trial.

 

The late Elhanan Brezner
The late Elhanan Brezner

 

At the same time, the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division (MPCID) conducted its own investigation and its findings were transferred to the State Attorney's Office. Measures are being considered on the criminal axis and in the command line. The commander of the reserve Jerusalem Brigade (Division 16) Col. Kfir Cohen headed the inquiry commission and the findings were presented to Maj. Gen. Roni Numa.

 

However, the inquiry commission found that there is no connection between the preparation for the exercise and the event that led to Brezner's collapse.

 

The race, from the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee, was divided into sections of four kilometers, and each of the participating groups took one of them. The segment Brezner ran included hills and valleys near Naharayim. At the end, he leaned against a table at the checkpoint and then collapsed. The resuscitation attempts carried out by the local medical forces were unsuccessful.

 

 

Brezner, a 36-year-old resident of Katzir, left behind a wife and two small children. He immigrated to Israel from Russia on his own, served as an officer in the Golani Brigade and continued as a platoon commander in the auxiliary company of the infantry battalion of the Valley brigade. Prior to his death, he and his family moved from Yokneam to their new home in the area of Wadi Ara.

 

During Operation Protective Edge, Brezner served for more than 40 consecutive days with his comrades in the battalion. "We've been through hundreds of reserve duty days in the past eight years," said his friend Yair Fink.

 

"He always loved to come to reserve duty and volunteer more and more, and this is a generation of reservists who is disappearing, especially in combat units. He was always at the front, looking for ways to help; a quiet man with a big heart, who would leave his family and kids to be the first to get here and the last to leave."

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.14.17, 21:46
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