|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://www.jns.org/105-year-old-iaf-founding-member-promoted-to-colonel/
Israel Air Force Founding Member Promoted to Colonel at Age 105
(JNS) Alex Ziloni, 105, was promoted to the rank of colonel on Friday in honor of his "many decades of dedication to the State of Israel." Ziloni served as an engineer in the Royal Air Force during World War II and became a founding member of Israel's air force. In January 1948, Ziloni negotiated the purchase of 21 single-engine, lightweight Auster planes from the British at a time when Britain had imposed an embargo on the shipment of planes and equipment to Israel. According to Machal, the overseas IDF volunteer organization, "These small aircraft did a great job. Manned by a pilot and bomb-chucker, they were used for bombing the enemy with small bombs dropped onto the targets manually; for aerial reconnaissance; communications; for transporting food and medicine; and for transporting sick and wounded personnel."