Sergeant First Class Peter ochotsky
Peter immigrated to Israel in 1996 from the former Soviet Union, together with his family. "He was a beautiful boy," said his best friend David Schwartzman. "He had deep blue eyes and always had a lot of friends." Peter served as a paratrooper, and made himself available upon his release from the army for reserve duty whenever he was needed. Three weeks before his death, Peter received an emergency call-up notice, and was sent to the northern front after a few days of training. Schwartzman said that Peter was full of motivation to fight in Lebanon. "He was going crazy waiting at the border, when they wouldn't let his unit go in to join the fight." He made a number of phone calls on Friday to his family and friends. "He called all his friends and relatives before his death, as if he felt that he needed to take his leave of us," said Schwartzman. Peter fell in battle in Kuneitra, in the Golan Heights, on August 13, 2006. He was 23 years old.