Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army by Adam Harmon
(Booklist Review) -- This well-told tale of an American Jew in the Israeli army adds notably to our knowledge of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the 1990s. Harmon traveled to Israel during his college years and decided on a permanent move after graduation. He was fit enough to be accepted for the elite parachute and recon units, donning an IDF uniform for the first Gulf War and the second intifada. Thereby he adopted the perspective of being early on the scene when terrorism struck the local shopping mall, riots arose outside a favorite nightclub, and a pitched battle was only a commute away. He provides many vivid portraits of fellow soldiers in the world's most reticent army but not much on weapons and tactics, for which the IDF is no doubt grateful. His attitude is that of an observant Jew and a strong Zionist, and with passion and clarity he enlightens us about a crucially significant fighting force not covered with this kind of intimacy by the general media. Roland Green

NEWSLINE
“This book transcends place and nationality to reveal the essence of soldierly virtues–tough, decent, honest, and accepting of continuous hardships and solitary duties at low pay. As a soldier, Harmon would wince at such praise. But it’s true. This is the story of what makes a real soldier.”–Bing West, author of No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah

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Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army

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Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army

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Combat Camera: Fri. 28 July 2006

ON PATROL IN IRAQ PT. 2

U.S. Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault, perform a routine inspection of checkpoints guarded by Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Iraqi Army Division along a main supply route near Samarra, Iraq, July 13, 2006.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Shawn Hussong

U.S. Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division clear ask the residents of a home to wait outside in order to speak with an Iraqi farmer in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, July 6, 2006, as part of a nine-day operation in search of insurgents.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to search an abandoned building near Mushahda, Iraq, during a reconnaissance patrol in search of weapon caches, July 17, 2006.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Larson

U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Wade, 101st Airborne Division, calls fellow soldiers to the front during a gun battle with insurgents during a nine-day operation in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, July 6, 2006.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika

Two U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters take off during a patrol in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, July 6, 2006, as part of a nine-day operation in search of insurgents.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika

Members of the U.S. Army, 101st Airborne Division, walk through a bombed out building after a firefight with insurgents in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, July 6, 2006.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika

U.S. Army Sgt. Nicholas Fate provides perimeter security in a rural field near Mushahda, Iraq, during a patrol in search of weapon caches, July 17, 2006.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Larson

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Images, Video, Wire: Middle East Conflict, Fri. 28 July

ON THE WIRE

AP: U.N. Observers Leave Israel-Lebanon Border

AP: Latest Developments in Mideast Fighting

AP: Israeli Troops Pull Out of Northern Gaza

AP: Oil Prices Rise Above $74 Per Barrel

AP: Israeli Warplanes Pound Lebanon

AP Video

AP: No Timetable for Rice's Return to Mideast

Fox: Israel Warplanes Pound Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon

Fox Video

NYT: Tide of Arab Opinion Turns to Support for Hezbollah

Haaretz: Police clash with Arab youths trying to access Temple Mount

W Post: In Asia, Rice Meets With Diplomats on Mideast

W Post: Israelis, Hezbollah Keep Up Attacks

W Post: For Those Who Remain, A Cycle of Siren and Shelter

W Post Interactive

BBC Full Coverage

Aljazeera: Israel hits more targets in Lebanon

Aljazeera Images

Arab News: We Have Got Green Light, Says Israel

Arab News: Telethon Rakes In SR109m for Lebanon

IRNA: Major cleric praises Lebanese Hizbollah's resistance

IRNA: Ban US arms flights to Israel via UK, say Liberal Democrats

CNN: Israel hammers Hezbollah targets

CNN: Blair to press Bush on Mideast

CNN: Al Qaeda calls on Muslims to fight Israel

CNN Video

Reuters: Hizbollah denies Israel hope of swift victory

Reuters: Blair to press Bush for UN resolution on Lebanon

Reuters Video

AFP: Israeli raids strike Lebanon as ceasefire calls increase

Yahoo Video

OLDER STORIES

BBC NEWS Middle East Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea

BBC NEWS Middle East Israel says world backs offensive

CNN.com - Mideast talks fail to reach cease-fire agreement - Jul 26, 2006

Guardian Unlimited Special reports Olmert: killing UN monitors a mistake

Tags: Headlines, wire, Middle East, Gaza, Israel, Palestinians, Hamas, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, Iran, War, Military, terrorism, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Hezbollah, Beirut, Cockpit Camera, video, Palestine, Syria, Hizbollah
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Combat Camera: Thu. 27 July 2006

ON PATROL IN IRAQ PT. 1

U.S. Army soldiers from the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion employ flares to control traffic as they convoy through Al Alam, Iraq, July 14, 2006.U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Melissa Thornhill

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Terry Davis Jr., from 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion, observes the surrounding area near Tuz, Iraq, during a convoy mission, July 13, 2006.U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Melissa Thornhill

U.S. Army soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division talk with local farmers during a nine-day operation in search of insurgents in Salah Ad Din, Iraq, July 6, 2006.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a foot patrol in search of weapon caches and to visit a small village near Mushahda, Iraq, July 17, 2006.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Larson

NEWSBYTES
Cry Bias, and Let Slip the Blogs of War
By MIKE SPECTOR
(WSJ) -- J.P. Borda started a Web log during his 2004 National Guard deployment in Afghanistan to keep in touch with his family. But when he got home, he decided it was the mainstream media that was out of touch with the war.

LATEST NEWS FROM CENTCOM
MND-B SOLDIERS DETAIN TERRORISTS, FIND WEAPONS CACHES & ROADSIDE BOMBS IN BABIL
BAGHDAD -- Multi-National Division -- Baghdad’s 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, captured five wanted terrorists and seized four weapons caches during a counter-insurgency mission which began at approximately 2 a.m. Monday and continued through approximately 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Sayifiyah, a city in Babil province.

IRAQI FORCES DIVERT MISSION TO AID CITIZEN IN DISTRESS
BALAD -- During a pre-dawn raid in Baghdad on July 26 to capture a ‘death squad’ member, Iraqi forces diverted their mission to free an Iraqi citizen who was abducted and being beaten by two unknown assailants.

MND-B PATROL CAPTURES 6 DETAINEES, UNEARTHS WEAPONS CACHE
BAGHDAD -- Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldiers detained six suspected terrorists and located a buried weapons cache southwest of Baghdad Tuesday.

IPs, MND-B SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS, DETAIN SUSPECTS
BAGHDAD -- Elements of 1st Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, along with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, seized weapons, munitions and detained five suspects Wednesday while conducting a counter-death squad operation in southern Baghdad.

IA, MND-B SOLDIERS CAPTURE WEAPONS, MUNITIONS, 5 DETAINEES
BAGHDAD -- Multi-National Division -- Baghdad Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered approximately 100 long range control devices used for improvised-explosive devices and a .50 caliber machine gun in an abandoned vehicle while conducting a search southeast of Baghdad at approximately 7:50 a.m. Tuesday.

1ST BCT SOLDIERS SEIZE WEAPONS, MUNITIONS
CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- Patrols from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division found weapons and munitions at sites north and west of Baghdad Monday night and Tuesday.

COALITION FORCES CAPTURE TERRORIST AND ASSOCIATE NORTH OF TIKRIT
BAGHDAD -- Coalition forces successfully targeted and captured a wanted terrorist and another associate during a raid north of Tikrit July 27.

Controlling security in Baghdad key to security throughout Iraq

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Images, Video, Wire: Middle East Conflict, Wed 26 July

ON THE WIRE

AP: Latest Lebanon-Israel Developments

ynet: Olmert: Hizbullah to learn the hard way

FT: Rome talks fail to yield Lebanon ceasefire

ynet: 1,402 rockets shot at Israel since onset of fighting

Haaretz: Five troops hurt in Hezbollah attack in Maroun Ras -- Nine IDF soldiers killed in bitter south Lebanon fighting

AP: Hezbollah Fighters Kill 9 Israeli Soldiers, AP Video

AP: No Consensus in Lebanon Cease-Fire Talks, AP Video

AP: Marines in Lebanon Remember '83 Bombing

Fox: Israel Strikes Lebanese Military Base, Radio Relay Station

AP via Fox: Israeli Tanks Return to Northern Gaza; 23 Palestinians Killed

NewsMax: UN Map Details Israeli Attacks

W Post: Deadliest Day for Israel in Lebanon

W Post: Hezbollah Proves a Formidable Foe

W Post Interactive

BBC: Nine Israelis killed in Lebanon

BBC Interactive

Aljazeera: Israel 'ignored UN bomb warnings'

Aljazeera: Syria may be the key to peace

CNN: Israeli troops suffer largest one-day loss

CNN: Iranians volunteer to fight Israel

CNN Images

Arab News: Hezbollah Inflicts Heavy Casualties on Israeli Troops

Arab News: 23 Gazans Massacred in the Deadliest Day

IRNA: Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan condemn attacks against Lebanon

IRNA: Iran says Rome talks' failure due to US unilateral support for Israel

Reuters: Israel pounds south Lebanon

Reuters Video

AFP: Deadly Lebanon battles rage as talks fail to agree truce

OLDER STORIES

BBC NEWS Middle East Israeli bomb kills UN observers

BBC NEWS Middle East Israel troops 'ignored' UN plea

Rice Seeks 'Durable Solution' to Mideast Conflict

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Combat Camera: Wed. 26 July 2006

PROTECTING THE WATERWAYS IN IRAQ

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Preston A. Disabb mans a .50 caliber machine gun aboard a small unit riverine watercraft during a morning patrol on the Euphrates River near Hadithah, Iraq, July 13, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian M. Henner

Cpl. Alexander Lucea, mans a small unit riverine watercraft on the Euphrates River in Hadithah, Iraq, to search for insurgent activity and keep Iraq’s waterways secure near Hadithah Dam, July 3, 2006. The dam is one of Iraq’s largest sources of electrical power, providing power to many parts of Al Anbar Province as well as Baghdad. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Roe F. Seigle

Cpl. Derek Metallo looks over the Hadithah Dam during a boat patrol on the Euphrates River in Hadithah, Iraq, to search for insurgent activity and keep Iraq’s waterways secure near Hadithah Dam, July 3, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Roe F. Seigle

U.S. Marines from the Dam Security Unit 2 conduct a morning patrol in a small unit riverine watercraft on the Euphrates River near Hadithah, Iraq, July 13, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian M. Henner

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Preston A. Disabb mans a .50 caliber machine gun aboard a small unit riverine watercraft during a morning patrol on the Euphrates River near Hadithah, Iraq, July 13, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian M. Henner

U.S. Marines prepare their small unit riverine watercrafts for a patrol on the Euphrates River near Hadithah, Iraq, July 3, 2006. While most U.S. and Iraqi military forces operate in Iraq’s cities and towns, the dozens of U.S. Marines who make up the security unit at Hadithah Dam in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province spend their days patrolling the waterways to search for insurgent activity and keep Iraq’s waterways secure near Hadithah Dam. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Roe F. Seigle

U.S. Marines from the Dam Security Unit 2 prepare their small unit riverine watercrafts for an early morning patrol down the Euphrates River near Hadithah, Iraq, July 13, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brian M Henner

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US to Help Move Humanitarian Aid Into Lebanon

Americans departing from Lebanon walk to their bus after deboarding a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 23, 2006. The Americans are transiting through Ramstein AB from which they will catch a flight back into the United States. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

DoD to Help Move Humanitarian Aid Into Lebanon
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON; July 24, 2006 (American Forces Press Service) -– As demand for evacuation drops, Defense Department units will deliver more humanitarian assistance to beleaguered Lebanon, a senior defense official said today.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said DoD has evacuated 11,913 American citizens from Lebanon since the operation began July 16. He said officials anticipate evacuating another 1,200 from Lebanon today, but that demand for evacuation seems to have peaked.

The operation is not over, Whitman said, "but we are coming close to completing the assisted departure operations. We are going to be shifting our emphasis to a humanitarian effort."

He said two ships -- the Swift and the Vittoria M -- will deliver humanitarian relief supplies.

U.N. officials said between 400,000 and 600,000 Lebanese are internally displaced due to the fighting between the terror group Hezbollah and Israeli force.

The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide medical kits, blankets and other humanitarian aid to non-governmental organizations, who will then distribute supplies to those who need them.

The medical kits are large enough to provide supplies for 10,000 people for three months, Whitman said. DoD has airlifted supplies to Cyprus, and officials expect this operation to begin in the next few days.

Whitman said a few U.S. servicemembers will be on hand when the supplies land, but that will probably be the extent of U.S. military involvement.

In the last 24 hours, the USS Trenton took 1,612 evacuees to Turkey, the USS Nashville took 524 to Cyprus, and military helicopters airlifted 30 "special needs" citizens to Cyrus for a total of 2,166.

Navy amphibious vessels are not likely to evacuate any more people from the country, Whitman said. DoD also helped move evacuees out of Cyprus.

There have been four contract flights and 12 military flights so far. In the last 24 hours, DoD moved 590 evacuees from Cyprus, and officials expect to move slightly less than 3,000 people, Whitman said.

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Images: Combat Camera, Mon. 24 July

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jarod Lambert, a loadmaster, walks down an aisle of a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft transporting American citizens from Cyprus to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 23, 2006. The Americans are transiting through Ramstein to catch a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft that will fly them into the United States. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

A U.S. Marine of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assists an American citizen with his cranial helmet before he helicopters out from the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 22, 2006. At the request of the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon and at the direction of the Secretary of Defense, the United States Central Command and elements of Task Force 59 are assisting with the departure of U.S. citizens from Lebanon. DoD photo by Cpl. Jeffrey A. Cosola, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)

American citizens departing Lebanon board a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at an airport in Cyprus July 23, 2006. Having departed Lebanon, the Americans will transit from Cyprus through Ramstein Air Base in Germany to the United States. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks with U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Carl Jensen, commander of Task Force 59, July 24, 2006, upon her arrival in Cyprus. Rice stopped in Cyprus during her visit to the region to discuss the current mid-east crisis. DoD photo by Paul Farley, U.S. Navy. (Released)

More Than 10,000 Americans Evacuated from Lebanon
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service; 23 July) -- Over the past two days, the U.S. military has transported more than 5,000 American citizens out of Lebanon, bringing the total number evacuated to more than 10,000, a Defense official speaking on background said today.

A total of 3,994 American citizens left Lebanon on Saturday. Navy and contract ships lifted 1,815 from the embattled country today. State Department officials in Cyprus said the number of Americans wishing to leave Lebanon may be dropping off. Israel is facing off against the terrorist group Hezbollah.

Israeli forces are launching air strikes into Hezbollah strongholds in and around Beirut, and artillery strikes into the south. State Department officials said roughly 25,000 American citizens were in Lebanon when the fighting started July 16.

Yesterday’s evacuation saw 40 special-needs citizens taken to Cyrus via helicopters.

The USS Whidbey Island transported 792, and the contract carriers Orient Queen and Rahmah took 983 and 933 Americans, respectively, to the island nation in the eastern Mediterranean. DoD also is involved in transporting Americans back to the United States.

U.S. Transportation Command is arranging commercial and military aircraft to fly the evacuees. Two military flights transported 199 Americans to McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., yesterday.

Chartered commercial flights will take evacuees to Baltimore-Washington International Turrgood Marshall Airport and Philadelphia International Airport. Officials in Cyprus said the ships will return to the waters off Beirut. Others – the USS Trenton, the USS Nashville and the contract carrier Vittoria M – are evacuating Americans from Lebanon today.

Operations will continue as long as Americans wish to leave the country, said State Department officials.

Video: Marines Assist Citizens Departing Lebanon

Video: B-roll of American Citizens Departing Lebanon

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Images, Video, Wire: Middle East Conflict, Mon. 24 July

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ON THE WIRE

AP: Hezbollah Envoy: War on Israel to Widen

AP: Heavy Fighting Continues Deeper in Lebanon

AP via Fox: Hezbollah Leader in Iran: No Place Safe for Israelis

Fox Video

HAARETZ: Tel Aviv police arrest 3 suspects in plan to carry out terror attack

NYT: Troops Ready, but Israel Bets on Air Power

W Post: Rice Makes Unannounced Visit to Beirut

W Post Images

W Post: Saudi Arabia Asks U.S. to Intervene in Lebanon

W Post: The War of Images

W Post Multimedia

AP: Heavy Fighting Continues Deeper in Lebanon

AP Video

AP: Rice Meets With Lebanon PM in Beirut

AP: Oil Prices Fall As Rice Travels to Mideast

BBC: Rice holds key talks in Lebanon

BBC: Iran leader's warning to Israel

Aljazeera: Israel advances as Rice arrives in Beirut

Aljazeera: '10 buildings for every rocket'

Aljazeera: Nasrallah: Invasion will not stop rockets

Aljazeera: 'The focus should be on Damascus'

CNN: Rice in Beirut for talks with Lebanese premier

CNN: Israeli military helicopter goes down

CNN Video

Reuters: Rice visits Lebanon

Reuters Video

Reuters: More foreigners leave Lebanon, operations wind down

Reuters: Lebanon fighting may last a week: Israeli sources

OLDER STORIES

U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis - New York Times

BBC NEWS Middle East UN appalled by Beirut devastation

God's army has plans to run the whole Middle East - Sunday Times - Times Online

Israel Will Accept a Disarmed Hezbollah

In Mideast Strife, Bush Sees a Step To Peace

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