relation to the value of the simple infantry soldiers. I knew that it was an important task to communicate the spirit of the brigade to newly arrived volunteers from abroad.
On the other hand I felt as if the door of my house had been slammed in my face. The company "Samson’s Foxes" - in all its different forms -
had been my home since my first days in the army. I felt close to the com-rades there, as one can only feel close to comrades in a company. And now I was expected to join a company where I knew hardly anyone.
But an order is an order. I became squad leader in Company No. 3.
16 November 1948
Battalion HQ
A squad of foreign volunteers
During the course I had imagined my first appearance before the new squad in detail. "Comrades," I would say, "I am not just a trainer. I have been given the responsibility for this squad, to lead it into bat-tie." A deliberate and dramatic pause here, with a clear and resolute expression. "And don’t forget: starting today, you belong to a fight-ing unit with a proud tradition. From now on everything you hear, see, or learn has only one purpose - to prepare you for the moment when you go into battle ..."
And there were other things I would say to them. Sublime words, that would touch their hearts. But like all the other fine speeches that one prepares for the right moment, this one too was never spoken because things did not happen the way I expected ...
I was lying in a position opposite Faluja. Here and there the enemy was firing colorful rockets, and occasionally I would hear the bark of a machine gun. So there must be a freezing machine gunner lying somewhere. I snuggle up in my sleeping bag and hope for a few hours’ rest.
Suddenly someone rouses me. "Get up. Order from the company commander. You are to go straight back to the base, to pick up the new recruits."
Wrapped in a blanket I drive along lonely sand roads and arrive at the base after midnight. The new unit has already moved into their barracks. They have just received their mattresses and blankets. I open the door and stand rooted to the spot. It is hellish loud. It seems