At the end of our first 2 days, we packed enough kit bags to support an infantry company of 120.
At the end of the second week, we had completed 650 bags!
At times, the piles of equipment seemed larger than life:
At the end of the second week, we sorted and returned to the warehouse in Beer Sheva for repairs:
1030 pairs of pants
1010 shirts
2106 jackets
706 sleeping bags
We filled palettes with clothing that was bundled according to Shuki “10/10” (for pants and shirts) or “5/5” (for jackets). His code for returning anything to the warehouse was “Outside”. Sometimes it was too much for the forklift!
And amidst this productivity, we had fun:
I am unable to put into writing what Patsy and Stuart are doing:
Uniforms were sorted by size: Bet = Medium, Gimmel = Large, Mem = Extra Large. Patsy had an unbelievably difficult time with these Hebrew letters. Her translation went like this: Bloomies = Medium, Gimbels = Large and Macys = Extra Large. Everyone has a pneumonic device that works for them.
Do you remember that I mentioned how we gave people nicknames?
While we were sorting uniforms, we found many never worn pants and shirts. Not necessarily the size we needed, but they were brand new.
Enter an officer in search of new uniforms. He looked through the piles of XXL,selected what he wanted and I tied a lovely little bundle for him. Of course it was secured with a bow! His nickname was Double Mem. Later that day we chuckled as Double Mem was back in the warehouse in search of additional uniforms. and when we looked a second time, he was head up the road with “shopping bag” full.
We laughed so hard that we almost wet our pants.
One day we had additional assistance in the warehouse from some hearing impaired young adults.
They were delightful and helped us be on our best behavior for one day.
We found a variety of equipment that required modeling:
We had our official picture taken on the tank:
After this, all I can say is boys will be boys –
Ken was fascinated with ….And Stan was on top of the world!
Mr Bill had a great time at the base, traveling in my pant pocket whenever possible:
and was well accepted amongst the group. He got a bit knotted up in the heavy-duty twine,
And then donned his own ammo belt, ready to serve! Some thought he might be a Jihad suicide bomber, but I clarified that. He’s a nice Jewish boy.
It was great that Patsy was willing to return with me this year. Her influence as my mentor last year was legendary. This year I proved that I had learned my lessons well and had a bit of contraband to celebrate being back on the base together!
This was the one and ONLY time that I wore my official hat. A picture is worth a thousand words.
The food was, well, kosher sustenance at best. This was a great way to start the day - we initially thought that this soldier was going to fix the eggs!
Although the facilities may have been lacking, Eden, a logistics officer was very available to us; she stopped by our bunks to see what furniture might be available for our belongings. We laughed that a pair of “granny panties” were hanging to dry in the picture!
Commander Pinney also requires special mention. He had a presence on the base and a heart of gold. He chatted with us whenever our paths crossed and smiled whenever the paparazzi were around!
He handed each of us the “group picture certificate” and personally thanked us for our service on his base.
He’s so photogenic and very easy on the eyes!
The madrichot: Shachar and Daphne were the best: They were helpful, funny, creative, and wise beyond their 19 years. Their wealth of knowledge about Israel was amazing.
Patsy, Doris and I enjoyed the back of the bus, whenever possible. Mr Bill loves traveling with the girls. We were roomies and a dynamic trio. It reminds me of the Girl Scout motto: Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.
I was amazed at the acres of greenhouse tomato plants at Kadesh Barnea
Last but not least is Shuki, our warehouse manager. He is a retired IDF Master Sergeant who was volunteering (just like us) with the IDF in support of Operation Cast Lead. He always had an unlit cigarette in his mouth, his shirt was a little snug around the waist, and his persona was larger than life. Although he struggled with his English, he was organized and motivated his Sar-El volunteers to work beyond his expectations. He opened his home to some of the volunteers for the weekend; the guys said the Moroccan food that his wife cooked was a never-ending feast!
As the sun set on this Sar-El tour of duty, I had many mixed emotions. Being on sabbatical has allowed me to be a volunteer and with the return to full time school nursing in September, I do NOT expect to be in uniform next year at this time. Retirement cannot come fast enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment