THE UNSINKABLE ISRAELI SPIRIT-IDF OFFICER WOUNDED IN GAZA RETURNS TO UNIFORM AND SERVICE- BY LILACH SHOVAL
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=27737
“It is up to us — Israelis and Jews around the world — to do everything possible to help injured veterans deal with their experiences and get onto the right path,” says Lt. Ohad Roisblatt, who lost seven of his soldiers during Operation Protective Edge.
A year after he was injured in the devastating armored personnel carrier disaster in Shujaiyyah that claimed the lives of seven of his soldiers, Lt. Ohad Roisblatt has put on his IDF uniform once again, this time as a commander at a military boarding school in Haifa.
Roisblatt was initially discharged from the army due to the injuries he suffered when an anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade hit his APC during Operation Protective Edge last summer.
Among the seven Golani Brigade soldiers killed in the incident was Sgt. Oron Shaul, whom Hamas tried to kidnap. He is now considered to have been killed in action with an unknown burial site, and his remains are believed to be with Hamas.
Despite the arduous physical and emotional recovery process, Roisblatt announced this week during a visit with the Beth Jacob congregation in Beverly Hills that he would return to the military. “I am returning to the IDF to continue my mission,” he said.
Roisblatt, 23, was speaking in front of members of the largest Orthodox synagogue in the western United States at an event organized by the Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans organization to allow the Jewish community to learn about the inspiring rehabilitation stories of wounded IDF soldiers.
Among those present at the event were Stuart and Evie Steinberg, the parents of fallen lone soldier Sgt. Max Steinberg, who was killed in the APC incident.
“Max was one of my best soldiers; he was carrying out a mission,” said Roisblatt of the American IDF soldier whose funeral in Israel was attended by more than 30,000 people.
Roisblatt also spoke about his recent post-army trip to India with other wounded veterans, coordinated by the Friends organization. In Israel, it is common for young men and women to take an extended trip abroad after being released from mandatory IDF service.
“I was injured, but it is possible to move on,” he said. “I’m not stuck trying to climb the stairs at home — I was looking up at the peaks of the Himalayas.
“A year has passed since I was injured, and I decided to return to the army. I have made the switch from a combat commander to an educator. I feel that my work is not yet complete.
“I want to be there for these guys — they are our next generation, they will be the next combat commanders in the IDF,” he said to enthusiastic applause from an audience that included the FIDV chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Shkedi.
“It is up to us — Israelis and Jews around the world — to do everything possible to help injured veterans deal with their experiences and get onto the right path for themselves.”
Also at the event was Vered Roth, the organization’s executive director, who shared inspirational stories about disabled IDF veterans and the special rehabilitation programs available to them in Israel.
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