The Soldiers Who Followed in Their Fallen Brother’s Footsteps

Every Independence Day Eve, the people of Israel grapple with the difficult transition from grief to celebration. Memorial Day is observed the day before Independence Day, reminding us that the country’s independence was forged through sacrifice and bravery. 

The bravery of fallen soldiers, and of the families and friends who endure the loss, reflects a commitment to honor the devotion and dedication behind their deaths. Some go a step further, and continue in their path.

Staff Sergeant Sraya & Staff Sergeant A.

As a dedicated squad commander, friend and brother, Sraya embodied the idea of contribution. “As a commander in the platoon, he didn’t believe himself above his soldiers. He was their equal, their friend,” shared his brother, SSGT A.. “He would guard with them and help them carry equipment. He truly saw himself as one of them.”

“A lot of the things he did, I set out to do myself. I looked up to him,” he continued. As Sraya’s younger brother, he witnessed him in all of life’s stages: “We spent a lot of time together, we even hung out with the same friends. We only had two and a half years between us, so we were friends and brothers at the same time.”

Sraya enlisted to the Golani Brigade, where he was stationed both in Gaza and in Lebanon. When he fell in an incident alongside five other soldiers in southern Lebanon, A. had already started basic training in the Kfir brigade. 

“My whole platoon was on leave at home, but I stayed on base. I had just come down from guard duty when my commander called me and told me to wait at the center of the platoon area. There, I saw the course commander standing outside the office, so I asked him what happened. I thought I did something wrong. He only told me to go into the class commander’s office.” A. recalled.

“I went in, and he told me to sit down. Then he told me that Sraya had fallen. I left the office, packed my things, and went home. To this day, I don’t know how I felt, or how I feel now.”

When he came back from the seven day mourning period, A. was asked to sign a volunteer form. As a bereaved brother, he didn’t have to continue his service in combat. But he had no doubts: “On the form I had to write where I wanted to serve, and I wrote Golani. We even ended up in the same platoon. I feel like I’m carrying his way on.”

“When I’m having a hard moment, his memory gives me strength. It’s not that I ever forget, I always remember, but sometimes it comes up more strongly,” A. said in a low voice, “He’s the reason I do what I do.”

“Memorial Day is a day of mixed emotions for me. It’s important to me that people remember that there were people for whom this day mattered, and they’re no longer here. This day should continue to matter to us like it did to them.” A. expressed.

Sergeant Afik & Sergeant A.

“He always called everyone, took care of everyone, looked out for everyone. When someone was having a hard time or struggled to connect with the group, he would bring them in.” Detailed Sergeant A. about his late brother, Sergeant Afik.

“He was also a perfectionist. He wanted to do everything the best he could…in school, in soccer, and in the army too,” A. continued, “In the Kfir Brigade, he aimed to be the best. He wanted to become a commander. After basic training, he started a squad commanders’ course.”

The course’s graduation ceremony was supposed to take place the same day Afik’s unit was deployed to southern Gaza. The day after, Afik fell in a building explosion.

“It was very hard for me. We were always best friends and were together all the time. Just like twin brothers,“ shared A.. 

With only two years between them, Sergeant A. didn’t have much time to process his loss before his turn to enlist came. “I was supposed to enlist half a year after the incident. Originally, I didn’t want to do it. In the end, I decided to enlist in order to continue his path. I felt a sense of closure when I enlisted in the same brigade as him.”

“Enlisting half a year after my brother fell made basic training mentally harder for me,” he said. “I wanted to experience what he experienced in basic training, to see where he was and what he went through. In difficult moments during training, I told myself that Afik went through this too, and that I’m going through it for him. I felt connected to his experience.”

Now, Sergeant A. is serving in the same company Afik was in before his course. “I put Afik’s clothes and stickers in the company area, that’s how I chose to commemorate him in the army. Everywhere I go, I put up stickers.” 

Sticker translation: “A man whose way was one of giving, many will remember.”

Sergeant A. and his family choose to commemorate Afik in other ways too. “This Memorial Day, we’ll attend many ceremonies. My father gives lectures about Afik, we hang signs all around the city, and also hold soccer games in his memory every month. We do everything and anything we can.”

This Memorial Day, we remember the sacrifice of 25,648 fallen soldiers, alongside Sraya and Afik.