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A Tale of Two Jewish U.S. Soldiers

(JTA) Joe Berkofsky - Lt. Col. Scott Rutter, 41, who retired from the service after 20 years last month, was one of some 300 Jews among 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. A veteran company commander of the first Gulf War who had won a Bronze Star for valor for heroism in ground combat, Rutter won a Silver Star in combat this year in Iraq. 2nd Lt. Daniel Helmer, 22, a recent graduate of West Point, is awaiting orders to get shipped off to Iraq. At West Point, Helmer helped organize the first Jewish Warrior Weekend at the academy, which explored Jewish connections to the military. "Jews don't understand that military service is derived from the idea of tikkun olam," or repairing the world, Helmer said.
2003-12-05 00:00:00
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