If It Moves, Salute It…

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Time moves along quickly. After flag-raising this morning, we gathered for the obligatory “group photo” before moving off to our assigned warehouses. The message about finding enough work for us apparently got through, and the warehouse manager was ready for us: with paint and brushes. We painted the bumpers at the end of the warehouse rows (which prevent things – and forklifts – from going bump in the night) and then painted wide yellow lines on the floor of the receiving area. By the end of the day we created what looked like two basketball courts. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough colors so we couldn’t follow through with our plan to paint a big Obama logo in the middle of the floor. I’m sure that would have been very popular.

So, we were able to fulfill the two rules of the Army, as told to me by my friend Doug, the retired career officer in the Canadian Armed Forces: “If it moves, salute it. If it doesn’t move, paint it.”

After lunch, we had the opportunity to visit with Israel Geva, the director-general of Sar-El. He spent the day visiting the three bases in the north where volunteers were located (Netafim, Naftali and Amos) and told us how significant our presence was. Our group is part of 292 volunteers in Israel this week alone. Over 4,000 volunteers come here every year from countries all around the world. He assured us that each of our jobs (even painting yellow lines on warehouse floors) was important because it meant that “real” soldiers could focus on the task at hand and because we were helping get the base ready for the next emergency. He also said that our interaction with soldiers and civilians was a real boost for morale because our presence demonstrated solidarity with Israel.

During a side conversation, I told him that many of my friends at home think that I’m a bit crazy to take time from work and come over here during a time of trouble. He told me that many Israelis also have trouble believing that Americans would pay their way over here to volunteer. It’s nice to know that the opinion that we’re nuts is nearly unanimous!

Geva confirmed that all personnel and equipment have now been withdrawn from Gaza, but that the bases in the south were now in need of our help in order to help “reorganize” equipment and materials

We shared dinner with the acting base commander, a 41-year-old major from the Tel Aviv area. He echoed Geva’s remarks, and told us that getting the base cleaned up and ready for the next operation (wherever and whenever that turns out to be) is very important. He stressed that this level of readiness was in sharp contrast to the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 and was a primary reason why the Israeli forces were able to operate in Gaza with relatively few casualties and injuries. It was good to hear that from an “unbiased” source.

After dinner our madricha held a “graduation” ceremony, and we received certificates, Sar-El pins and a very interesting “coffee table book” about Israel. As nice as that was, the attempt to replicate summer camp failed miserably as we all discovered we couldn’t sing many Hebrew songs. Just as well.

Tomorrow, we’re scheduled to work in the morning, and then it’s time to pack, catch a bus to Tel Aviv (and then on the Jerusalem to visit my cousin, Alain) and spend Shabbat away from the Army … until Sunday morning when we meet again in Tel Aviv and head off for our next assignment. We’ve been told we’re still scheduled to go south, but that could change four times between now and then.