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The One-Armed Warrior: An Israeli Soldier's Tale of Struggle and Perseverance
(Fox News) Cristina Corbin - New York-born Izzy Ezagui joined the IDF in February 2008. In 2009, during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead" in Gaza, a mortar shell landed nearby, tearing off most of his left arm. Others with him were also gravely wounded. "The mortars should have killed me and all my friends that were right there," he said. "Yet when I woke up after surgery, I had this intense desire to go back." His request was met with strong resistance from Israeli officials. "I thought, 'What's the most amazing thing I can do with my situation?' And I realized right away it was going back. And that was something that was just unheard of." Then Yoav Gallant, the general who headed the Southern Command, said, "Okay." Gallant arranged for Ezagui to retest to see if he were capable of fighting in combat. "I had to figure out everything from scratch - un-jamming an assault rifle, climbing rope, jumping over 7-foot walls." On the day of the test, Ezagui was tasked with charging up a hill covered with targets, forcing him to roll, dive and shoot his way to the top. He passed. Ezagui was sent out as an active-duty combat soldier and, five months later, passed a commander training test - the first soldier in Israel's army to ace the exam with such a disability. For more about Izzy Ezagui, visit www.Izzy-Speaks.com