Fallen Apache pilot eulogized
Husband, father of four, Apache pilot and VP of Elbit Systems' Air Division—Maj. (res.) David Zohar is eulogized by his colleagues, friends and family as a wonderful, motivating and dear man who always strived for the best.
Maj. (res.) David (Dudi) Zohar, an Apache helicopter pilot who was killed Monday in a crash at the Ramon Airbase, was a beloved and esteemed figure in the aerospace and defense company, Elbit Systems, where he worked for the past 13 years. Prior to the tragic accident, he was filmed for an internal video as part of Elbit Systems' program for fostering leadership.
In the video, Zohar says, "Skills are a good starting point, there is no one born to be at the top. Whoever reached the top was born talented, but worked very hard. Skills are the sort of minimum quality that you should have. From there it is really all about work, guidance and faith."
Zohar's colleagues said he was "above all, a man—both a manager and a man who knew when to roll up his sleeves when he needed to."
Zohar, a father of four, began his career in 2004 as a systems engineer. From there he continued to management and starting in February 2016, served as vice president of the air division and dealt with the subject of precision munitions.
Maj. Zohar was a graduate of the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa. He met his wife Galit at the school, and their four children, ages 6-14, study at the institution.
"You will not find any better than him," said Shaul Zohar, David's older brother. "He had a wonderful family and wonderful children. It's a hard blow for us, and we thank everyone for the love and support, thank you all."
Only late at night did Shaul receive the bitter news of the death of his brother. "Only in the birth order was he not in first place," Shaul said. "He was already 43 and did not have to go to his unit every week, he believed in what he did and everything he did was important to him.
"I'm sorry you will not get to know him, it's a shame that everyone knows him only now after he's gone. He was a wonderful father, a wonderful brother and a wonderful son."
Shaul discovered that one of Dudi's four children, now six years old, was named after his friend, Maj. Tomer Guterman, who was killed in 2003 when his transport plane crashed near the Ramon Airbase in the Negev desert.
Guterman, who was then the deputy commander of an Apache helicopter gunship squadron, is the uncle of the pilot who was seriously injured in the accident with Zohar.
