Comments on Israeli by Day, American by Night: Masa Kumta - Beret March

thank god a post is coming!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-17T03:46:03.708+03:00

thank god a post is coming!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay :)

2009-07-14T02:25:44.597+03:00

Yay :)

oh, if anyone sees this, yes a post is coming. I'm...

2009-07-13T09:20:45.673+03:00

oh, if anyone sees this, yes a post is coming. I'm on base for a long stretch at the moment but there will be another post.

rafael - I wrote one of my best posts about krav m...

2009-07-13T09:19:29.741+03:00

rafael - I wrote one of my best posts about krav maga back in october or november - take a look for that. In terms of what we actually learn, I don't think I should reveal that. But I suppose any website on krav maga might just be the same stuff.

Ami - if they tried to make me run from the golan to eilat I'd simply tell them to send me to jail instead. It is 9am, however, and we just did a vest run plus stretcher. Those are always tough. To make it worse, I was under the stretcher the entire time, no one would switch. I feel like I get enough exercise!

.

I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN IS THE NEXT PO...

2009-07-13T08:45:48.709+03:00

I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEN IS THE NEXT POST COMING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you take part in the run from the golan to eil...

2009-07-12T15:27:46.293+03:00

Did you take part in the run from the golan to eilat? Take a look at the picture and story from Tel Aviv. http://israeltomorrow.blogspot.com/2009/06/sex-in-city-sweaty-soldiers-out-of.html -- Oh, the inspiration to the "sex" part comes from a few chicks on the other side of Rabin square while on a lunch break. I didn't actually speak with the golani soldiers but they did look good in yellow :)

Hey Danny, what about your krav maga? I'm really c...

2009-07-11T08:38:37.482+03:00

Hey Danny, what about your krav maga? I'm really curious about it. What kind of skills did you learn? What is this fighting style all about? I read a lot about it, but I would like to know it first handed, you know?

Wow congratulations. Silly daydreams aside, you'r...

2009-07-07T06:16:25.907+03:00

Wow congratulations.
Silly daydreams aside, you're workin mighty hard to protect my wellbeing, my very life.

So,
thanks.

Oren - Yes, immigrants will have shorter military ...

2009-07-07T01:52:26.639+03:00

Oren - Yes, immigrants will have shorter military commitment than native Israelis. Even at 18, immigrants aren't asked to serve as long as regular Israelis are. You can look at this chart:
http://www.nbn.co.il/site/kb/questions/63/Army+Service+For+Men

In regards to Mahal, you can look at this website:
http://mahal-idf-volunteers.org/

Do immigrants have a smaller service length (i kno...

2009-07-07T01:06:16.972+03:00

Do immigrants have a smaller service length (i know mahalnicks do). Also did you have a lesser service lenghts because of your age.
I've got 3 years till aliyah.
Thanks for the blog.

I wish I could have done garin tzabar but I only f...

2009-07-05T17:11:54.121+03:00

I wish I could have done garin tzabar but I only found out about it a couple months ago and at that point it was too late. As of now, I am making Aliyah, by myself, at 18, so 30 months will be expected of me. I won't be alone though, like 90% of my family including my father lives in Israel. I'll be doing a kibbutz ulpan program at Ma'agan Michael before I go to the army.

Thanks a lot for the help. I should be landing in Israel in the next month or so on an NBN flight. My only regret now is that I won't get to fly on one of those charter flights like you did, probably only a group flight, but it's not the biggest loss in the world. I met with an army official at my local consulate a while back and he gave me some website that's supposed to list all the units and jobs and what not but it was pretty uninformative. I guess it's a security issue? I don't know.

So my question now is, when you gave your top 3 things you wanted to do/didn't want to do, how did you know what to write? Even though you knew you wanted a combat unit and all that, were all the specific options for your to choose from laid out for you right there in the interview? Did you request the sayeret, or Golani specifically? Can you even just request "sayeret" and see how you fare in the gibush and see what units will take you, if any, and go from there? Sorry for the length of the post. Also again, much respect to you and what you're doing. If you're not getting out in the next eight months or so, we'll probably end up serving together even though I'll be in training for awhile, obviously. Good luck with everything.

True American- it sounds like you're going by yurs...

2009-07-05T12:29:04.960+03:00

True American- it sounds like you're going by yurself, correct? Have you looked into garin tzabar? It's a program where you are giving living quarters on a kibbutz with other people in your position- sometimes it can be annoying, but they have a ton of pull with getting good jobs and advocating for your rights when you're in a bind. I did the army in 2005, best experience of my life, and I was sad to see it end. However, sometimes being alone over there and dealing with all the bureaucracy that we Americans are simply not used to can be really difficult, and the one good thing about the garin is you have camaraderie. And they can offer you support in English.

True American - I don't know if there is a resourc...

2009-07-05T12:00:55.067+03:00

True American - I don't know if there is a resource like that, but I can list some stuff for you depending on your term of service (length).

For instance, if you're doing at least 1.5 years, you can do combat.

So, in infantry:

Golani, Tzanchanim (paratroopers), Givati, Nachal, Kfir, Magav (military police, border guys).

Also, you can do tanks.

I think if you want to do a shorter term, you can still do N"M (anti-aircraft), totchanim (artillery), and probably something else.

Also, you can do modiin sadeh (field intelligence - kind of infantry).

Non-combat stuff is all the same six month obligation. Logistics (terrible), some kind of madrich (instructer), etc.

Call up "garin tzabar" for more info, probably.

Good luck, and make sure you know what you're getting into. My blog leaves out how the army is not fun the majority of the time. Remember that. But good luck either way.

Hey Danny, I really like your blog, it's a big ins...

2009-07-05T07:37:05.966+03:00

Hey Danny, I really like your blog, it's a big inspiration to me. Congratulations on completing the masa kumpta, much respect.

I'm a born-and-raised American who's about to to make Aliyah in the next month or so and join the IDF. I have immense respect for your bravery and selflessness in going to Israel by yourself to fight for the Jewish people. I can't even speak for myself in that regard, most of my family is in Israel.

Anyway, I was wondering if you could answer a quick question. Is there anywhere I can look at all the units and jobs available for me to request during my interview, in detail? Is such information available, in English?

Thanks so much and the absolute best of luck to you.

-Eli

Hey happy Fourth of July. (though... drat I think...

2009-07-05T03:38:45.634+03:00

Hey happy Fourth of July. (though... drat I think I missed it for your local time now that I think of it.)

Oh well, hope it was fun!

...
Also, why do you keep getting the water pack? They're going to start calling you the water guy or something if you're not careful.

Danny, I love reading your posts!!! Whens the next...

2009-07-05T02:01:10.145+03:00

Danny, I love reading your posts!!! Whens the next one coming?

anonymous - my kipa during the tarpal of shavua mi...

2009-07-02T16:55:45.563+03:00

anonymous - my kipa during the tarpal of shavua milchama plugati was about a 40 minute walk from the starting point. we set that kipa on fire too with the macklach, so it was disgusting to do dilugim on. It was a massive hill. Massive. And, get this: everyone got to run on the scorched section, except for me. I'm kala chod, so I'm far left, and it just happened to be major thornland, which wasnt burned away at all. on top of all that, I had the pekal mayim. The mamach had to grab me at one point and pull me forward I was dying so bad. The mamach literally grabbed me by the sleeze and we sprinted to the ishur kav. I got my revenge though by shooting the heller out of my tavor on automatic, with the mm, mp, mamach, and magad standing all within 30 meters of me...
I survived.
In short, nothing is as bad as people want you to think! .

I just here on your blog to read how Tzair you are...

2009-07-02T14:54:37.690+03:00

I just here on your blog to read how Tzair you are.
Have fun in the imuun. If you thought masa kuumta is bad, you'll enjoy the tar'gad.

Well yeah I've been a longtime follower but in cas...

2009-06-29T02:18:01.202+03:00

Well yeah I've been a longtime follower but in case there are others reading this blog about to start, or should you find yourself doing a march of some sort someone might find it useful. (Didn't know about it till recently, otherwise I'da said something sooner, sorry)

thanks everyone. As I wrote in the post, we do th...

2009-06-26T08:17:12.331+03:00

thanks everyone.

As I wrote in the post, we do the final masa at the end of advanced training, so I'm done with all that!

you might try some body glide for that shafshefet....

2009-06-26T06:47:11.479+03:00

you might try some body glide for that shafshefet...

Hey, I'm so glad i stumbled across your blog! Di...

2009-06-26T01:27:29.748+03:00

Hey, I'm so glad i stumbled across your blog! Did you do Garin Ztabar? I'm Nov 5, I started off working in Kishre Chutz and I was lucky enough to get a job working in the Simulator in Nachal, it was wicked fun! Anyway, you've brought back a ton of wonderful memories, and I'm going to follow your blog now! Also, congrats on the masa, it sounds like you'll blow through mitkadem, keep up the great spirit!

That is awesome! Congrats! I remember my "masa k...

2009-06-25T16:36:17.635+03:00

That is awesome! Congrats! I remember my "masa kumta" in 1992 through the back hills of the Macabim region back to Mitkan Adam.

I was not in Golani.

The שפשפת is the worst thing in the world! Oh fer gershness sakes!

Best of luck with your "Imoon Mitkadem" and on to your "mivtzaim."

I will be following your progress. As an aside, don't be too hard on the French kid. He probably doesn't deserve it.

Dude you look skinny as a mug. Eat some bagels wi...

2009-06-23T15:51:14.590+03:00

Dude you look skinny as a mug. Eat some bagels with cream cheese and lots of fatty chocolate milk. Going to the lake this weekend really wish you could come. I'll drink a couple for you and possibly crack on Shitnuts once or twice for you as well. Love you and miss you Danny stay safe and keep it BGTYMR.

Jon

We all love you and miss you like crazy bro. Be sa...

2009-06-22T05:38:13.418+03:00

We all love you and miss you like crazy bro. Be safe!!!!