An Israeli Officer Shares with his old US Marine Friend

by Col Mike Howard US Marines (Ret) & Gen Eitan Lidor, IDF Handassah Kravit

Eitan and I go back a long way. We first met in 1984 at Camp Pendleton, California, when I was assigned to him as his 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, sponsor. We were both combat engineers. I was the commanding officer of Company B, 1st CEB, while he had just finished command of 605 Engineer Battalion of the IDF, during combat in Lebanon during Operation Peace for Galilee 1982. He had then attended the Advanced US Army Engineer course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He and his family then drove cross country to observe Marine Corps operations and training. I was assigned to Eitan as his sponsor (he was a Lieutenant Colonel, while I was a Captain) because my commanding officer, LtCol Thomas Dumont, knew that I had studied in Israel my sophomore year of college.

Eitan and I connected from the start. He was a no-nonsense professional and like most Israelis I had known, “cut to the chase” with no BS or polite diplomacy. He told me later that he was surprise when he first entered my office as I had a US flag, a British flag, an Israeli flag, and a German flag up on the walls of my office. He thought I had put the Israeli flag up for him. I told him no, that it had always been there as I had lived in Israel most of my sophomore year of college (1974-1975) as a student in St Olaf College’s (Northfield, Minnesota) Semester & Interim in the Middle East term in Jerusalem. As a reserve in the USMC, I had chosen to do my Independent Study on the Israel Defense Force (IDF – or in Israel “ZAHAL”).

I introduced him to our unit, and my fellow Marine officers were all very attentive when at our first staff meeting, when asked about engaging in combat with the new Russian T-72 of the Syrian Army in the Bekah Valley east of Beirut, Eitain put many of our fears to rest when he calmly stated: “It burns just like every other Russian tank)! This was great news to us, who had been under the false impression that the latest Russian tank was something quite formidable.

Eitan then accompanied me out to our training areas where we showed him our Mechanized Assault Obstacle Course, in which every infantry battalion, reinforced with a unit of tanks, combat engineers, and artillery support, was to advance through a series of natural and man-made obstacles to seize an objective from the enemy “OPFOR” (opposing forces). Having experienced mechanized operations in both the 1967 and 1973 wars, together with Lebanon in 1982, he was highly qualified and helpful in observing and offering constructive criticism and much appreciated advice. I greatly liked and trusted him, and was also thankful that my wife Lynn (who was also ‘sponsoring’ Eitan’s gracious wife Ziva) felt the same. Not only was this a great assignment at the time, but it stood the test of time and we are still close friends today, having frequently visited each other, and attended kids weddings and other special times. Eitain invited me to Ado Rheem, the IDF Combat Engineer School in the Judean Desert, and I was included in a ceremony atop Masada where new IDF recruits were inducted into the IDF Combat Engineer Corps. Eitan later played a key role in allocating us IDF breaching gear (particularly Track-Width Mine Plows and D-9 “Dubi” Armored Dozers) for Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Israel’s generosity, and Eitan’s personal instruction was greatly appreciated and saved many American lives, not just in our 500 mile 2003 assault on Baghdad, but also in the desperate Battle for Fallujah.

So it is no wonder, that following the Hamas atrocities against civilian Israeli Kibbutzim in Oct 2024, that he would be “recalled” to active duty as a combat engineer advisor for Gaza and we would reconnect sharing views on the historical events and engineer challenges of today.

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0529 Sunday 5 Nov 2023

Dear Mike

I am sorry to tell you that your regime (the Biden administration) does not understand the mentality of the Middle East. With all the help they could give us to finish our mission, they are often a hindrance. The Hamas enemy and their support in Gaza and throughout the Arab world understand only power.

After the barbaric atrocities that they did on the 7 October, your president is now pushing for humanitarian steps that will stop our IDF.

We know that some people who live in Gaza are not Hamas members. Yet they still participated in the murder, kidnapping and abuse of our innocent civilians. They were partners with Hamas.

For these Arab people that used to work in Israel (we trusted them and allowed they jobs), the US now wants to supply water, electricity, and gas. I saw on the TV all the demonstrations in the US on their behalf.

In the American universities where Moslems are demonstrating and burning US & Israel flags, do not believe them. They help Hamas.

If the US wants to be a respected power in the Middle East, you must show power and not be intimidated and used by such propaganda. These demonstrators don’t know the truth. Nor do they want to know it. Their cries for humanitarianism are false and shortsighted. They do not know the evil heart of Hamas. If Hamas truly cared about its people, it would build and not destroy. It is an arsonist who wants only to burn and kill.

It is what it is. Again, Israel is forced to fight. We have no choice and nowhere else to go. We love our land and building it up. We love all our people, Jews, Arabs & others. We want to live in peace and not fear being killed. Thanks for asking about our family. We are all right, Amit and Tal are in the army. Amit is a full colonel in the special forces and Tal is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. Ziva keeps watch over the children and grandchildren. And old me, I am advisor to the Army and mostly to the Combat Engineer who are doing a great job.

Best Regards,
Eitan

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0703 Sunday 5 Nov 2023
Dear Eitan,

I completely agree with you. Biden is a schlemiel. He was the only member of Obama’s national security team who voted AGAINST the special ops raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Yes, most Americans are naive about the Middle East. They think if they are nice to people, Hamas & rest of Arabs will be nice back. We know this doesn’t work. You are right, Islam only respects power.

We pray for Israel every day! And we pray for your wonderful family, the Noys, and the Mills! Ben & Celeste have three members in the IDF … Nate, Shirel, & Elisha’s husband in the IAF. Nate is a sniper. He has shot here on my range & he is good. I smile & cheer as I see our D9 “Doobis” in action! I note the new anti-drone screens on top. I love ZAHAL & know it is fighting the good fight! Like David Ben Gurion used to say, don’t worry about the UN “Umm Shmum”. You still have a majority … 60% … in the world & US is closer to 70% who support Israel. As I always told you, ignore others & do what is right. Winston Churchill said: “You will never get to your destination if you stop to throw rocks at every dog that barks!” I know that you and David don’t care for “King Bibi” but he is great on foreign policy and with the Western media.

And ultimately, God is on your side and there is a reason for Israel’s & our troubles. It is the bad hearts of men. God is taking History where He wants it to go! Remember Genesis 50:20 “… What the world means for evil, God means for good.”

I love you my Brother. Wish I was there cleaning weapons or helping to refuel D9s. We tried our best in Iraq & Afghanistan, but our politicians failed us. Americans are NOT PATIENT people. We hope to retire Biden next year. Trump or Nikki Haley support Israel and understand the Middle East much better.

Hamas, as any similar terrorist organization, is playing for time. Israel must destroy it.

Shabbat Shalom & Achnachnu Nenahzayach (We Will Win)!

Mike