Gadna- Preview to Ilana as a soldier

If you were all getting bored of hearing about my experiences on the Kibbutz, then you are in luck because this blog post focuses on the happenings of my last week…something very different than what I have been up to on the Kibbutz. This past week we went to the south of Israel to a place called Sde Boker. We spent the last week at what is known in Israel as Gadna. Gadna is a 1 week army simulation where different groups get to experience what a week of basic training in the IDF would be like. Gadna was first created in order to give Israeli high school Juniors and Seniors an idea of what their life would be like once they joined the Army since in Israel all Israeli’s are required to enlist into the IDF at the age of 18 or whenever they finish High School. Once Gadna became well known tourist groups that were visiting Israel from all over the world started sending their programs of Non-Israeli high school students so they can see what it would be like to enlist in the army.

 Before I continue on to how my week at Gadna was, let me first say that from the minute I heard that Garin Tzabar was sending all of us to Gadna I was DREADING it. Not because I didn’t think I would make it or just didn’t want to go but when I was in Israel for the year on Nativ I chose to go to Gadna during a week where we had options of what to do. I absolutely LOVED the week at Gadna that I had experienced and I would be lying if I didn’t say that it definitely played a role in the idea of enlisting in the IDF pop into my head. The reasons for my lack of desire to go again this time was two fold: 1. I had been already and didn’t feel the need to go back as much as I enjoyed it 2. I didn’t see the point of going to Gadna when we were all people who volunteered to come here and enlist in the IDF so I assumed that we all knew what we were getting ourselves into and didn’t need a fake week to help us have an idea of what to expect. With that said I knew that I didn’t have a choice in the matter so I tried to enter the week with an open mind and enjoy a new week of Gadna with different people and a different mind set.

We got to Gadna on Sunday in the middle of the day which meant it was brutally hot. Once we got there we were split up into groups which would act as our unit for the week. In Hebrew this is called a Tzevet. My Tzevet consisted of 14 kids including myself all from my Garin so I was happy that I was with friends so I was gaurenteed to have a better time. The other half of the people from my Garin were put in a different Tzevet with half of the kids from another Kibbutz. We met our mefakedet (commander) and from the instant we got off the bus we were treated like soldiers in basic training. The mefakdim (plural commanders) started ordering us around by giving us a certain amount of seconds (usually ten) to form two lines in front of them or to run to a specific place and form two lines there. The first day just consisted of things of that nature and an opening ceremony with our Machklaka (which is the Hebrew word for Platoon and is made up of many separate Tzvatim (plural of Tzevet) where we met our commanders commander and the people that held a higher rank than our own commanders known at the Samelet and the Memem. Every night at Gadna before bed time we get what is called a Sha’a Tash which is 1 hour that we get to do what we want- eat, shower, hang out, talk on the phone, get ready for bed. This is what we will get in the Army while in basic training. Although it had only been ½ a day at Gadna I was already exhausted and fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

The next day of Gadna was definitely more eventful than the first. We woke up at the excruciatingly early hour of 5:45 to have our open ceremony with our whole Pluga which is literally translates to company in terms of the military so it’s an even bigger military unit made up of two separate Machklakim which has 8 or 9 Tzvatim in each. After the ceremony we started learning about the gun that we would be shooting from just a day later—the M16! We had to learn the 10 rules of the gun, the parts of the gun, the positioning of the gun while holding it to shoot, and the commands that we would hear and need to follow when at the range getting ready to shoot. Although I had shot an M16 last time at Gadna  I was still excited to do it again because it is obviously one of the most exciting parts of the week.

 After a long morning and afternoon of Neshek lessons (Hebrew  translation of the word Gun) we got on buses in order to get to the Shetach (field). We learned the day before that we would be going to the Shetach, pitching our own tents, and sleeping overnight in the field. I am sure most of you who know me well can imagine my reaction to this news…I freaked. I did NOT sleep in the field last time I did Gadna nor was I upset about not doing so. I was especially freaked out because everyone was talking about how many snakes and scorpions we would encounter in the Shetach…so not my thing. Once we got to the fields we were instructed to pitch the tents. This literally took about 3 hours since the tents fit two people and we were about 150. We also had to place the tents in a specific shape because in the army everything is perfectly organized and placed. After we finally got all the tents up we had dinner which consisted of beef jerky, bread, and canned vegetables…nomnom!!! (jokes). After dinner we were taught how to act in the field. Everything is different including how we answer the mefakedet. Usually when the Mefakedet gives us orders we have to answer by screaming “ken hamefakedet!” which translates to (yes, commander) kind of like “Yes, sir!” and “No, sir!” in the American Army. In the fields we had to call our commanders “codecode” instead of Mefakedet. We were also given count of numbers so they could keep track of the whole unit. When our commanders came around to give us our numbers they would give us a nice hard punch in the shoulder which I found out later is just part of the whole Army experience.

After learning a bit about how soldiers act in the field we played a game even though the commanders yelled at us when we acknowledged it as a game. What we had to do was climb a huge mountain to try to get to a green glow stick that the Memem was holding at the top of the mountain. It was already dark outside so all you could see was the green glow stick hovering in the middle of the mountain. The trick was we needed to crawl on the ground and go slowly as the commanders were spread out across the mountain with flashlights and if they caught us we would have to go down to the beginning of the mountain and start over. Although I am ashamed to admit it I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I was probably crawling all over snakes and scorpions so once I got caught once I didn’t try again…once a girl, always a girl. After the “game” we were able to go to bed which I was so not excited about since I was convinced I would be cuddling up to some desert creatures during the night. Luckily I fell asleep pretty easily despite the huge rock that my sleeping bag was placed on top of.

The next morning we woke up and started a whole new day in the field. Our Mefakedet took us out in the field to learn different exercises that are used in the field like army crawls (which I have elbow scabs to prove that I did it), camouflaging ourselves which consisted of pouring water on the ground and rubbing the mud on our face (natural facial, if you will), and learning how to react when a grenade is thrown (rimon, in Hebrew). After an eventful morning we had our last Neshek (gun) lesson as a Machklaka before heading to the shooting range. We had a Masa to the shooting range which translates to Journey in English and is something that many of the combat soldiers will be experiencing during basic training. The Masa is usually excruciatingly long but ours was just a short version to give us an idea of what a real one might be. We had to walk in two straight lines during the whole Masa. When the Memem (who was leading the walk) started to run, we had to run, when she ducked and started crawling on the floor, we had to do the same. In the scalding heat of the mid day sun it was pretty brutal but also really cool to experience something like that. Since I don’t plan on being a combat soldier I probably won’t be part of a Masa so it was awesome to be able to experience something like it. Once we got to the shooting range we ate another delicious lunch of chocolate spread sandwiches and canned food. After that we basically waited under a shaded tent for 3 hours in order for everyone to shoot and of course my Tzevet was last. We finally got to shoot which was exhilarating and eventful but I was so ready to head back to base. The rest of the day was light as we had free time, dinner, and some Tzevet discussions.

The last full day at Gadna consisted of lessons on the jobs in the army, Tzav Rishon (the day of interviews and tests in order to figure out what units you are eligible for, and some Tzevet team building activities. Although I was getting sick of standing up straight with my hands behind my back, screaming “Ken Hamefakedet” every time the commander gave us an order, and doing push ups everytime I moved in the two lines or didn’t have my uniform buttoned, I was starting to realize and appreciate why the program sent us to Gadna. First of all, it was clear that although all the commanders yelled at us and gave us orders that they highly respected us for what we were doing and truly wanted to help us by answering any questions we might have about the army or Israel. By the end of the week I was happy we came back because it was extremely different from my first week at Gadna and I ended up having fun with the people in my Tzevet.

It was definitely a tough week but it really prepared me mentally for what to expect during basic training. Even though I found out that the person who was bossing me around all week was my age (actually a few months younger) I was still glad that we did Gadna and I am sure that this preparation will benefit me once I am in the army. Although I enjoyed the week I was so thankful to have a free weekend to be able to spend at my grandparents, relaxing, and hanging out with family…more to come on that soon!