We Salute You, Sgt. S

“Suddenly I blacked out and found myself lying on grass, surrounded by blood, and couldn't understand what had happened.”

Sgt. S, an intelligence investigator in the IDF and recipient of the Presidential Award of Excellence, recounts his life-altering accident from 11 years ago that could’ve prevented him from joining the IDF.

“I looked upwards and saw the car that had hit me against the fence on its two back wheels and then looked to my right and saw my foot which had clearly got cut off when it hit the fence,” he continued.

Many people will find themselves faced with doubt, fear, and despair in the face of tragedy and will let those feelings consume them. But not Sgt. S. From the day of his accident, through his recovery period, and up until today, S. has displayed an unwavering amount of courage.

“S., are you okay?! S. are you okay?!,” his brother screamed as he was rushed to the ambulance. He wasn’t okay. But he was only focused on protecting his mother and brother. “I tried to calm him down and remember saying to him ‘I’m okay, go make sure everything is alright with mom, she shouldn’t see me like this.”

His selflessness never left him. Regardless of his accident and despite his exempt from military service, S. drafted nonetheless.

"I knew that it was very important for me to volunteer in the IDF,” Sgt. S. noted. Due to the amputation of his leg, S. wasn’t obligated to serve in the IDF.  But he felt that he needed to serve his country, in partial thanks to the influence of his brothers enlisting to combat units in addition to his desire to return to normalcy. “I didn’t want to miss out on the experience of the army.”

Sgt. S’s experiences shaped him into the soldier he is today. He’s happy in his position and feels fulfilled knowing that what he does is important. Upon receiving the Presidential Award of Excellence, Sgt. S's commented that, “It was very touching to receive the award- it’s a great honor.”