Each year the Givati Brigade puts on a three day event for families who lost a son in the War on Terrorist.  Current Officers, NCO’s and soldiers of the Givati Brigade go all out to provide a nice time of fellowship and camaraderie for all who attend. This year it was hosted at a great Hotel in an undisclosed town.

My wife and I had the privilege to fly over to Israel and be part of this three day event. The Givati families took us in and treated us like one of their own. You could not find a kinder group of people anywhere in this world. We had a wonderful time and made a lot of new friends.

The second day the Givati Brigade treated everyone with a tour of a Naval Base, the Naval Museum and a couple of other stops. At the Naval Museum General Shrek was kind enough to translate for me the plaques and posters that were written in Hebrew. He and I got to talk a lot throughout the day.

While on this trip we also had the honor of meeting Moshe Ya’alon the Vice Prime Minister And Minister of Strategic Affairs. My wife and I had the honor of sitting in his conference room as Dr. Jim Vineyard had a meeting with him. Mr. Ya’alon was very kind and cordial with us. We appreciate his resolve to protect his Country and his great patriotism.

We met many Israeli soldiers and spent some time with them. From the General who is the Southern Commander of the Israeli IDF to the privates, they all treated us with respect and kindness. These men and women have a great love for their country.

There are many things that I would like to write about our trip, but for the security of Israel and the soldiers we got to spend time with, I will refrain.