Nineteen

Remember last year, when my youngest son turned 18 and celebrated the day at home with his mum and dad because we were in lockdown? Well, this year he turned 19 and spent the day - and the rest of the week - in the company of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), where he is currently doing his compulsory service. He came home at the weekend though and we were able to spoil him a little bit then.

My youngest son enlisted back in August and is now a tank driver. The army is pretty much his life for the moment. I wanted to make his birthday card different to his Giyus Kal ("Have an easy call-up") card. This time I showed him with short hair. The army requires him to keep his curls short and even length, without layering. He is holding his rifle and there is a tank behind him. I also included the club badge of our local football team, Ironi Modi'in F.C. Even though he is somewhat preoccupied these days, my son still manages to keep an eye on what they are doing and even managed to get to a game recently. Finally, I showed my son against a stunning orange sunset. He's got a good eye for photography and has sent us a few great shots of tanks in the desert since his service began.

My son loved his card and squirrelled it off to his room to place it on the shelf next to his Giyus Kal card. He did point out, in the nicest way possible, that I had given him an M4 rifle whilst he actually has an M16. Now, I am completely out of my comfort zone when it comes to guns! I know nothing about them. In order to make the birthday card as accurate as possible, I whatsapped Mister Handmade in Israel to check which gun our son has. I blame him!

I now know that the M16 has a different length barrel to an M4 and the carrying handle is a different shape too. Will I remember this for another time? Probably not. I was rather proud of my efforts anyway!

My next mistake was with the tank. Apparently I cut out an artillery tank and not the type of tank my son drives. My tank was actually a great improvement on the one I had put on his Giyus Kal card but, once again I was educated on things I have no desire to know more about. An artillery tank has light armour and a bigger gun in a turret to fire at far away targets. Tanks have heavy armour and a shorter gun in a turret to fight other tanks.

My son loved his card anyway and the sherry cake, made by Mister Handmade in Israel, which is his favourite...

* This post has been shared on Handmade Monday, Inspire Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Inspire Me Tuesday and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Tanks

My youngest son enlisted in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) back in August. His big brother has been a soldier since August 2019, so now, for a few months, we have two soldiers in the family!

I have explained about Israel's military service before but think it is interesting enough to share again. Every Israeli male and female from the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze or Circassian (Arab citizens of Israel are not conscripted) is required to serve three and two years, respectively, of compulsory military service. Some exceptions are made on religious, physical, or psychological grounds. The IDF determines a medical profile for each soldier and, according to that profile, decides where to assign the draftees. The highest medical profile draftees serve in the five infantry Brigades, Field/Combat Intelligence units, and Combat engineers. The second highest medical profiles are assigned to serve in the Armoured Corps, Artillery, Military Police, Border Police, and Aman. The lowest acceptable level of medical profiles are drafted into the combat support and combat service support arms, such as the Adjutant Corps, Logistics Corps, and the Ordnance Corps.

The Army calls upon a potential soldier in a letter called the Tzav Rishon, or "First Draft Notice". This letter states that the teenager must report to a certain place at a certain time for a day-long examination and interviewing. After careful evaluation of the Tzav Rishon's results the army decides who is going where when they enlist.

From time to time a public debate emerges in Israel around the issue of exemption from military service in Israel and indeed whether the country should end conscription in favour of an all-volunteer force. In the meantime there is a need for a large army and there is great pride - and of course some fear - in sending our kids off for their national service.

Before my son went into the army I made a special card for him. I showed him in his olive green madei alef uniform. There are two types of uniforms (madim) in the army, madei alef and madei bet. The madei alef is the dress uniform that the soldiers wear at ceremonies and when off base. Madei alef differ for each force whereas madei bet are olive green for all units. I added the Israel Defence Forces emblem and the flag of Israel to the card, along with a tank (my son drafted into the Armoured Corps) and some black army boots. He has been learning to polish them and keep them shiny - something he had never done before!

The Hebrew greeting on the card says Giyus Kal. Giyus means "recruitment," "enlistment" or "induction" and is most closely associated with the army, as in terms like lishkat giyus, or military induction centre; tzav giyus, or draft notice; and mesibat giyus, the party many Israelis throw just before they join the army for their compulsory service. "Kal" means "easy".

Photo credit: Gadi Isaacs

My son may have had a drink or two or three at his mesibat giyus and let his friends cut his hair for him before his enlistment. All the curly locks that you can see on his card went and it looked terrible! Fortunately it has already grown back and he now keeps it short and even length, without layering, as per IDF requirements. He is currently doing his basic training, tironot, and seems to be doing okay. I hope that it continues that way and that his service will be easy, safe and meaningful to him.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party