(Jerusalem Post) Anna Ahronheim - Nearly 40 cadets and officers from West Point, the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Virginia Military Institute completed a two-week visit to Poland and Israel on Monday to learn about Israel's security situation in a trip organized by Our Soldiers Speak. Stephan Marn from VMI noted, "Israel has so many enemies knocking on their back door, yet the people in Jerusalem were happy, enjoying life....It was an amount of true patriotism that I don't see in America today." U.S. Air Force Academy cadet Kaitlyn Benton said, "The Gaza Strip is right there, we stood at the border. The same with Syria. These people who are trying to destroy the way of life here are right in the backyard and that's not a problem we face in the U.S., and that makes the situation a lot more real because you can't deny that there are threats that need to be taken care of....We got to see exactly what Israeli soldiers are fighting for, it's not an elusive war zone, they are protecting their families." West Point cadet Travis Afuso said, "There are constant threats to Israel but people continue to live their lives. That's really inspiring....Every soldier we spoke to had a deep need to serve. They understand that there will be no Israel unless people are willing to die for Israel."
2019-06-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive