Thousands of Israelis march to support disabled army veterans
'It fills my heart to see the support we get from the people of Israel'
Thousands of Israelis attended a march on Tuesday in support of wounded soldiers and disabled army veterans in Tel Aviv, while similar solidarity events were held in other cities across the country.
It's a march that celebrates life. The life of those who were faced with death in Israel's wars and in terror actions. They were hurt but survived to tell their tales.
"We are marching here in honor of the disabled veterans. They are our heroes. They sacrificed their body and spirit so that we could all be secure here,” Limor Luria, head of the Rehabilitation Department at the Israeli Defense Ministry, told i24NEWS.
Those wounded in action are treated by the rehabilitation department and by the Israeli military’s veterans disabled organization. Their aim is to make sure those who returned from the battlefield with scars, physical or mental, which will remain for the rest of their lives, will be properly treated by those who sent them into battle.
“Israeli society cherishes the people who were wounded in combat but it wasn’t organized by the government. In the last few years, the government decided to organize it and take responsibility and to make a specific day that will cherish all the people who fought and came back injured in spirit and body and it is a very exciting day for us,” Idan Kleiman, chairman of the Israeli army's veterans disabled organization, told i24NEWS.
Kleiman is well aware of the challenges of disabled veterans and the importance of such events. He was wounded in combat 30 years ago. Now the organization he heads takes care of those in need.
“The veterans disabled organization accompanied me from the day that I was injured. They helped me and gave me the tools to return to normal life. I feel proud when I see soldiers in uniform and the members of the Defense Ministry here. It fills my heart to see the support we get from the people of Israel,” Hillal Bisan, who was wounded in a terrorism incident in 2014, said.
Thousands of people attended the march. Soldiers and students heard the stories of those who sacrificed everything. One of the goals of this event is not only to remember what happened to previous generations but also to educate the next ones.
“We call on soldiers and students to join us and hear the stories of the veterans. That is our goal - to put these people at the forefront. They came back injured from battle and we are obliged to support them for the rest of their lives,” Israel's Deputy Defense Minister Alon Shuster said.
And it was not only students and soldiers, but also people who are in politics today, with plenty of knowledge of what it's like in the military field.
“They carry their scars for the rest of their lives and they continue their struggle way after the battle ends. Israeli society needs to be obligated to support them. It is something that we owe these people and their families,” Major General (Retired) Orna Barbivai, economy minister and former head of human resources in Israel's army, said.
Some 60,000 people make up the veterans disabled organization. People who came back from the war alive but wounded, mentally or physically. This event comes to show the gratitude of Israeli society towards those people who carry the scars of wars for the rest of their lives.