The 'O.C.' to the IDF: The road not yet taken

Ten years ago in Orange County, California, home to Disneyland, Newport Beach of "O.C." fame, and John Wayne International Airport, a boy was speaking with his parents about what he wanted to do when he grew up.

"Some kids want to grow up and be cowboys, others want to be astronauts, I always wanted to be a soldier," he recalls. He is now 22, and serving in a combat unit in the armed forces. Not the U.S. armed forces, however.

"When I was 12, I asked my parents if it would be okay to join the American army before going to college, and they completely refused," he says, laughing at the memory.

"When I asked about joining the Israeli army, they were all for it. I still remember that conversation so clearly."

Now an enlisted man in the Israel Defense Forces, the soldier may only be identified by his first name, Shmuel. Army officials state that, his last name, which raises eyebrows because of its clearly Irish lilt, may not be printed here.

When Shmuel took part on a birthright trip four years ago, he became the first member of his family to visit Israel. But he notes that his childhood home was both religious and Zionist, a factor that would have great influence on his decision he was about to make.

He joined the IDF, viewing the army as the best way to integrate into the society of a country he had newly fallen in love with, and believing that "Jews should defend other Jews." A tougher decision was the choice of a combat unit, a three-year commitment, with years of reserve duty to follow.

The military has voiced concern recently rising numbers of Israelis avoiding compulsory army service, coupled with falling levels of commitment to serve in combat units. "Many people come out feeling bitter, the challenge is coming out feeling satisfied and completed," Shmuel says.

He feels strongly that anyone who is capable should take on the burden of army service. "The people who built this country didn't ask what they could get out of helping out," he notes, adding that the present generation of Israelis "only asks 'what can I get out of this' rather than saying 'What can I give?'"

In reality, he continues, using a phrase that recalls a long-ago era, "The people build the army, and the army builds the nation."The California native faced an additional challenge, far from the experience of most Israelis. Thousands of kilometers from home, he is a "hayal boded," a lone soldier, lacking the powerful support systems of family and friends the majority of soldiers can lean on to get them through tough times.

"You do not think, you do not feel," Shmuel.remarks. ?You end up feeling tired and drained, and nothing else.?

Why serve in the army, then? Acccording to Shmuel, it was to take the road not yet taken.

"Living in America, I don't think there's a future for Jews with all of the assimilation. Where I'm from, people live for themselves, and most kids' lives are usually already planned out for them."Living there, "I could write my life story before I even live it."