Former IDF Pilot Turns Tragedy Into Triumph
Noam’s story begins 14 years ago at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters above groundlevel. Noam, who was accepted to and successfully passed one of the IDF’s most challenging courses, became a helicopter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. He never imagined that one day he’d be competing in the International Paralympic Games. In honor of the National Day of Appreciation for Wounded IDF Veterans, Noam retells his incredible story:
12.03.20
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Noam Gershony’s life can be divided into two: before the Second Lebanon War and after. This war, which altered the reality of life in Israel, was particularly life changing for Noam.
During the war, Cpt. Noam Gershony flew an attack helicopter in the 190th Israeli Air Force Squadron. On July 20, 2006 he flew his last mission with the IAF. That day a tragic helicopter crash occurred, where Noam and his helicopter partner Major Ron Kochba fell 6000 ft without parachutes. The crash instantly killed Ron. Although, against all odds, Noam survived the crash.
Noam sustained severe injuries throughout his body. He suffered from broken bones and fractures to his pelvis, elbow, jaw, and shoulder, just to name a few. Noam was unconscious in the hospital for one week and lay in bed for 2 months due to back injuries. His right leg was fractured and his left leg paralysed. Even today, it is very painful for Noam to walk on his own.
Noam's story could have ended there but instead, with courage and determination, he chose to write a new story for himself. Despite receiving a pessimistic prognosis from his doctors, Noam turned the crisis into a mission, determined to overcome any challenge. He underwent intensive rehabilitation for 18 months, where he learned to walk on his own with crutches.
Although he could walk, and most of his wounds healed, Noam could not be a pilot again. After Noam was released from the rehabilitation center, he joined Beit Halochem, a NPO that supports wounded IDF veterans during their recovery. There, Noam decided to try to find a new activity that could replace his love for piloting. Noam tried out various extreme sports before he rediscovered tennis.
Soon afterward, Noam began to compete in various tennis competitions while in a wheelchair, which he considered his best form of rehabilitation. In 2010, Noam won the finals of an international tennis competition in the Czech Republic, and was ranked 29th in the world. He continued to compete and reached, among other things, the final round of the Disabled Tennis Championships in the United States, won a tennis competition in Belgium, won another championship in Sydney, and received additional awards in Japan, France, and more.
In 2012, Noam was a part of Israel’s delegation for the Paralympic Games in London. There, he won a gold medal in the singles tournament and a bronze medal in the doubles tournament. At the end of the competition, he famously remarked: "It is worth getting injured for the sake of this country [Israel].”
Noam's story does not end here. In 2018, Noam was chosen to light a torch on Israel’s 70th Independence Day. In lighting the torch, Noam represented the legacy of those who’d been wounded in the IDF and the values behind the sacrifices they had made when protecting Israel. Today, Noam travels around the world and shares his inspiring story. He teaches everyone that everything is possible, that everyone can overcome any challenge, and of course—that even the sky is not the limit.
