First Lieutenant Gil eisen
Gil very much wanted to serve in a combat unit. He volunteered for Nachal’s Engineering Corps and was the only one from his crew to continue to an officer’s course.
Yaakov, his father: “Gil was elated when he finished the course and returned as an officer to his unit to receive the 912 team, Team Eisen. This team went up to the helicopter together on the night of February 4th 1997.”
Gil was born in Rehovot, the son of Ofra and Yaakov, brother of Niv and Or. Ofra, his mother: “In high school Gil studied photography and it turned into his life’s main hobby. He never separated from his camera and took it everywhere, including the army. In the packages I would send him from home I always added film next to the snacks. He loved Israel very much, especially the views in the North where he wanted to build his own family together with his girlfriend, Adi. Gil always gave me the feeling that “it won’t happen to me”. In the end, it happened in the most illogical way. Only a four minute flight. I thought it befitted him to survive. For him to fall on a tree and survive. They told me he was missing, and that suited me. I had hope. I thought he was playing a joke on all of us…that he is healing himself. That hope accompanied me for years. I would wait for him. I would make the foods he loved…”
Yaakov: “We felt that because of the tragedy an essential change has taken place when it comes to the bereaved families. They are more involved in decisions, they dare to fight for their rightd and are more active than before the tragedy. Maybe Gil and his 72 friends went up to heaven to do something better here.”
Yaakov, his father: “Gil was elated when he finished the course and returned as an officer to his unit to receive the 912 team, Team Eisen. This team went up to the helicopter together on the night of February 4th 1997.”
Gil was born in Rehovot, the son of Ofra and Yaakov, brother of Niv and Or. Ofra, his mother: “In high school Gil studied photography and it turned into his life’s main hobby. He never separated from his camera and took it everywhere, including the army. In the packages I would send him from home I always added film next to the snacks. He loved Israel very much, especially the views in the North where he wanted to build his own family together with his girlfriend, Adi. Gil always gave me the feeling that “it won’t happen to me”. In the end, it happened in the most illogical way. Only a four minute flight. I thought it befitted him to survive. For him to fall on a tree and survive. They told me he was missing, and that suited me. I had hope. I thought he was playing a joke on all of us…that he is healing himself. That hope accompanied me for years. I would wait for him. I would make the foods he loved…”
Yaakov: “We felt that because of the tragedy an essential change has taken place when it comes to the bereaved families. They are more involved in decisions, they dare to fight for their rightd and are more active than before the tragedy. Maybe Gil and his 72 friends went up to heaven to do something better here.”