“As a child, I hated soldiers in uniform. They scared me very much. I never thought there would be a time that I would love soldiers. As you hold my hand, while wearing the uniform of the Israel Defense Forces, paratrooper’s wings pinned on your shirt, and a pair of paratrooper’s boots on your feet, I am overwhelmed with emotion that I can’t keep inside. You’re a paratrooper and I float in the air, pinching myself to make sure it’s not a dream. My heart is filled with pride and such incredible love. I feel like a soldier myself – I fought for my life, I fought for my sanity, I fought to be a person again, and I really fought and dreamed to have a big family. So today, I stand up tall and salute you.” – Holocaust survivor Hanna Tessler, 96, to her granddaughter Shira, a parachuting instructor in the IDF Paratroopers Brigade
