Rescue beyond the battlefield: An IDF Unit 669 veteran’s journey from combat to support

What does rescue mean? 

What does distress mean?  

On Oct. 7th, my wife was on a night shift as a nurse in the hospital. My baby daughter woke me up at 6:00 a.m. in our apartment. I invited her into our bed for cuddling. As a parent, you know Saturday mornings are one of the sweetest peaks of the week.

After about 15 minutes, the sirens went off. I initially thought that I was dreaming, but after I turned on the radio, I realized I was not. Rockets had been launched at Tel Aviv.

We were living in an old building in Tel Aviv with no bomb shelter, about a 3-minute run to the neighborhood shelter. The only thing I could do was to go to the staircase and cover my baby with my body, protecting her from whatever could happen. 

After four hours of watching TV and witnessing in real time what Americans saw when they woke up, I understood what was happening. 

I sent a message to Unit 669’s deputy commander asking if I should come up to serve as a captain and a team leader in the unit, but the answer was to “keep doing what [I was] doing from the outside.” 

Unit 669: from the battlefield to behind the scenes

The deputy commander affirmed that the unit would need my support as this war was unlike others we had previously faced. That is how the war from our side, the American Friends of Unit 669 and the Unit 669 Veterans Organization, began. 

Immediately I canceled our annual tribute event to Unit 669 slated for Oct. 12th, 2023. For those in Unit 669, our lives had changed, and so had our veteran organization’s priorities to aid and support.

Unit 669 is the Combat Search and Evacuation Unit of the Israeli Air Force, one of four elite units in the IDF responsible for rescuing pilots and soldiers behind enemy lines, as well as soldiers within Israel’s borders. The unit also plays a crucial role in rescuing civilians injured in terror attacks or requiring emergency medical rescue. Beyond Israel, Unit 669 extends its expertise to humanitarian missions, aiding in natural disasters abroad and responding to global terror attacks as part of international support delegations.

Unit 669 is on call 24/7, always prepared for the worst. We are equipped to rescue soldiers and civilians from any scenario, at any time.

Many of us left our jobs, a startup in my case, to do everything we could to rescue our unit, our soldiers, and our country from distress. Unit 669 trains under extreme stress and in the midst of live fire, often running to bomb shelters 6-7 times a day across Tel Aviv.

As a former fighter on the battlefield, watching my brothers-in-arms enter Gaza was bizarre because, suddenly, I had become a fighter behind the scenes. 

Supporting my brothers-in-arms

I fought to raise funds, traveling from different homes and synagogues across the United States to purchase the remaining tactical gear still available in Israel. I fundraised to send equipment from the U.S. to Israel by air and sea, purchasing plane tickets for reserve soldiers who lived abroad. 

While it was initially against my nature to take a back seat, I soon understood that without the background support and logistics provided by the organizations supporting Unit 669, the troops would not have what they needed, and the casualties could have been much worse. 

Anything we can do these days for the State of Israel is important and plays a role, whether it’s to educate our colleagues about the war in Gaza, share information on social media, pray for the hostages, or make financial contributions to those going into combat.

During the Israel-Hamas war, the unit rescued over 3,500 soldiers and civilians. Unfortunately, the number needing rescue increases every day. 

Unit 669 has met the intense demand for battlefield emergency medical rescues, supported by a reservist force five times the size of the active unit. Many of these reservists, despite having families and businesses, have served up to 250 consecutive days in Gaza, facing the most stressful situations to save lives. 

Aid for Unit 669 extending beyond years of service

After completing my five years of active duty in 2014, I founded the 669 Alumni Association to support the unit’s soldiers and veterans, many of whom go on to become future leaders of Israeli society.

In 2018 we founded the American Friends of Unit 669 (AFU669), a non-profit organization with the central mission of raising awareness and funds for Unit 669 and its people. We also join the hasbara effort, as the unit and its people risk their lives daily to save others, no matter their nationality.

Working outside the frontlines to support those in combat, hasbara (which roughly translates to “explaining”) has become incredibly important to our efforts. AFU669 also runs PodCats, a podcast series that interviews Unit 669’s veterans, supporters, and those who were rescued by the unit, sharing their life and military experience.

Amid the misinformation campaigns surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, it has become even more crucial to highlight stories from the battlefield and share the personal experiences of those who have taken an active part in the war. We are bringing our veterans face-to-face with donors to tell their stories when we recommence our annual tribute Sept. 12. If you want to hear more from our heroes, come and join us at this event.

For the foreseeable future, Unit 669 will continue on the frontlines of battle. We will continue responding to those in need of search and rescue missions. For those of us supporting them from home, all we can do is educate others and garner support. Only with our friends and supporters can we see better days with the return of our hostages and the end of this war.