Thursday, July 29, 2010

The commandos

The most prominent commando to emerge from Unit 101 - other than Sharon himself - joined the unit's ranks at the age of nineteen. He took his name from the mountain the ancient City of David stands on - Mount Zion.

"There are few fighters who have influenced the spirit and the fighting methods of a whole army over a period of several years. One of these fighters is Meir Har-Zion. Through his leadership, his determination, and his actions during the days of the courageous reprisal raids of the IDF during the 1950s, Meir Har-Zion contributed greatly to the revolutionary change not only in the army's approach to special operations, but also in its fighting spirit.

There are fighters who shine in one battle. There are legendary commanders who have excelled in one war. Meir Har-Zion is a fighter and a commander of an era. From 1953 to 1956 he fought as a soldier and as an officer, leading scores of operations, from which he returned only after they were sucessfully completed."

- Ariel Sharon

Source: Bar-Zohar, Michael (editor). Lionhearts: Heroes of Israel. Michael Bar-Zohar and the Israeli Ministry of Defence Publishing House, New York. 1998.

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