Rare excerpts from the personal diary of the late Col. Ilan Ramon:

"A person who lives without a particular goal that he has decided to achieve, or rather without deciding what life is- what he demands and wants from his life, what he wants to achieve in the years of his life - such a person who does not think about all these - wastes his life."

(Ilan Ramon as taken from his diary, June 5th, 1983)

Ilan Ramon (1954 - 2003) was a fighter pilot in the Israel Air Force and became the first Israeli astronaut. His father's family escaped from Nazi Germany, and his mother and grandmother arrived in Israel after surviving the Auschwitz concentration camp. Ilan was only 15 years old when he first heard the famous quote “One small step for man”, but perhaps even then he knew that for him, the sky was not the limit. At the age of 18, he enlisted to the Israeli Air Force, completed the pilots course with honors, and served as a fighter pilot participating in the IDF’s most secret and important operations.

"Do those who travel down there guess in their minds who we are and where we're flying to?" 

(The Fighter pilot Ilan Ramon wrote in his diary on the way to the airstrike which destroyed the nuclear reactor in Iraq, June 7th, 1981)

Ilan's road to becoming a pilot was a little out of the ordinary- he started his pilot course twice. In the middle of his first course, he was injured and had to leave, but after a few months of recovery, he completed the second course and graduated with honors. As a fighter pilot, he was one of the first pilots in the Israeli Air Force to learn to fly an F-16 fighter aircraft. He fought in the Yom Kippur War, the First Lebanon War and was also chosen to be one of the youngest pilots to take part in “Operation Opera”, the operation to destroy the Iraqi nuclear reactor in Osirak. Following Ilan's extraordinary successes during his military service, he was selected by the commander of the Air Force to be the first Israeli astronaut in space.

"Who could have believed that I would be the first Israeli astronaut of the State of Israel? That I would be the first Israeli to observe our wonderful planet while floating, and our small but big state, the State of Israel"

(Ilan Ramon, November 17th, 1997)

In 1995, an agreement was signed between the United States and Israel to send the first Israeli astronaut into space. The Israeli Space Agency asked the Air Force to choose the most suitable candidate for the mission, and they chose Col. Ilan Ramon - an excellent pilot, a valued commander, and an extraordinary officer. He moved to the US with his family and took with him some objects that represented Israeli society to him- such as an Israeli flag, an Israeli Air Force flag, and a small Torah. Of course, he also took his diary with him.

"I got a little excited, but maybe it's too early? Maybe everything will fall apart? Am I dreaming and getting excited too soon?"

(Ilan in his personal diary during training before the flight, March 25th, 1998)

On January 16th, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in the United States. The mission was supposed to take sixteen days, but Illan would never return. On February 1st, the Columbia Space Shuttle disintegrated during its reentry, killing all of its crew members. Four days later, the body of the late Ilan Ramon was found. Along with the body, several remains of the objects that Ilan brought with him were found as well, and among all the remains - some pieces of paper were found from his personal diary.

After his death, Ilan received a Medal of Appreciation from the IDF Chief of General Staff. He was buried in Israel in a military funeral attended by the Israeli Prime Minister, the President of Israel, and all the Ramon family.

"I would like to bring back to life anyone who died prematurely. For example, the crew of the Columbia space shuttle. To bring back to life people who died and did not want to die. Make people acknowledge the facts before an accident occurs and to show them their mistakes. To not be more troubled by the death. Be a fighter pilot. An astronaut. To start a family "

(Assaf Ramon, Ilan's eldest son, writes about his wishes in his personal diary, August 28th, 2006)

Ilan's eldest son Assaf Ramon enlisted to the Israeli Air Force as a fighter pilot - just like his father. During the course, which he also graduated with honors, he kept a personal diary. He wrote about the course, about the right to defend the State of Israel, and of course, about his father. Two months after completing the pilot course, Assaf was killed in a training accident. He was buried next to his father. They left behind a mother, two brothers, and a sister. After his death, he was promoted to the rank of Captain.

"A diary? This is not a diary. These are memories… Maybe a book will grow from it someday..." 

(The late Col. Ilan Ramon, excerpt from his diary, June 5th, 1983)

Rona Ramon, Assaf's mother and Ilan’s widow decided in 2013 to combine these diaries into a book - Above Us Only Sky. The book describes their personal thoughts, moving moments, and rare quotes that appear in this article as well. In their memory, Rona Ramon established the "Ramon Foundation" -  its goal is to promote science, education, and innovation. Rona Ramon passed away about three years ago and is remembered as a strong, committed woman, who turned her grief into strength and inspiration.

"One of the great compliments that I received in my life was when Assaf wrote, ‘We were educated, my siblings and I, to strive for the fulfillment of our dreams based on the belief that everyone should find their own destiny.’ This sentence was for me a will to live, out of faith that every person, young or old, should get the right and opportunity to fulfill his destiny." 

(The late Rona Ramon, an excerpt from the book "Above Us Only Sky")

In the spirit of the late Colonel Ilan Ramon's extraordinary values, the IDF often holds education and leadership classes ​​with a special emphasis on his commitment to innovation, his courage, modesty, and his strong connection to his heritage. The IDF, its soldiers, and its commanders continue to walk on the path that Illan pioneered.

*All the quotes in this article are taken from the book, Above Us Only Sky, edited by Merav Halperin, 2013)