Chariots on the Highway

by Limor Moyal

  “Thank you, Robby. I hope you’re right.”

  “Up on your feet!”

  The shout came from Idan. The patrol soldier for the last shift that started getting mad when no one woke up.

  “Wake up, fuckers, I need my beauty sleep!”

  He yelled, tired and angry, in desperate need of a few minutes sleep until the morning shooting started.

  Tom opened one eye and blabbed his morning curse in English. Cursing in English sounded much better. The dusty wool blanket that was better suited to dogs than humans, was warm and inviting. ‘Just a little bit more,’ he said to himself. But his inner discipline, and knowing that Idan needed a rest, did their job. He was already completely up, while the whole team slowly woke up, collected equipment and started their familiar morning routine.

  Shower, polishing, shaving, magazines check, vests, weapons cleaning and, if there was a moment to spare, a short text for the loved ones back home.

  Each one did his own formation. There was no need for a commanding officer to check in, months of training had turned them into a self-functioning well-oiled team.

  “Hey, what’s going on this morning?” Tom asked Eran on the way to the dining room. “Anything on the news?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary, I hope it stays this way. I'm a week away from my terminal leave,” Eran responded, “And I got big plans, I already booked a hotel in Tiberias for me and Sigal. I'm counting the minutes, Texas!” The smile on his face gave away everything. The upcoming freedom gave him a vital and happy spirit that Tom had never seen on him before.

  He thought about Dan, he thought about his own terminal leave that was closer than ever. About how he and Dan would spend every second next to each other.

  He hoped, more than ever, that ‘Lady Drama’ would not come for an unexpected visit.

  After a quick breakfast they went in for a briefing. Shai was already waiting and next to him was Ilan, the Company Sergeant Major.

  They quickly got seated and, from the tense atmosphere, Tom knew that something was cooking. The atmosphere was different, just like the nervous-as-hell look on Shai’s face.

  “Okay, is everyone here?” asked Shai, while scanning the faces in the room. The authoritative tone, more than usual, increased Tom’s stress. Silence answered Shai, everyone was present.

  He started going over the daily schedule: Blank range before the routine team’s tasks, a Krav-Maga training, lunch, and going over plans.

  The tent door was moved and the new headquarter private peeked in, “Giora wants to see you,” he said to Shai.

  Giora, the man who established the unit and had overseen it for the past three years, was the team officer in the Commando Air Force unit, and was thought to be a shining star in the military hallways, with promises of a bright future. But Giora surprised everyone when he retired to be a citizen earlier than expected. He built a successful start-up, made a fortune, and after seeing to his own interests, he decided, based on his patriotism and ideological reasons, to return to the army. Tom admired him and unlike his unit members, he understood his decision.

  “Now?” asked Shai, while looking at his watch with concern, “Tell him I'll be there in five.”

  “Now,” the soldier replied, “He said it’s urgent!”

  “Okay, I'm going to see Giora, stay here, go over the orders until I get back.” Shai quickly left the tent.

  Each one of his team members took out their maps and the mission files.

  They had trained for a whole year for this mission. They breathed, ate and dreamed Abu-Mustafa. Everyone knew that the moment would come. Tom felt that this was that moment, that the countdown had ended and the action was near. He’d waited for this mission, he’d waited for the moment that would let him use everything he had learned and trained for. He hoped this mission would let him do something great during his service, something impactful. But now when his life had a new meaning, when he had finally found a home, and Dan, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

  He didn’t want to risk the future he’d longed for. The thought that something might happen to him and Dan would remain alone, terrified him to the core. If there was anyone in this world who needed him the most, it was Dan, and he knew that he had to watch over himself, for Dan.

  Everyone was ready for the zero-hour. Knowing the course by heart, the situations and reactions protocol, and the navigation course.

  It’d been twice already, that the team was on the helicopter ready for takeoff, and twice the mission had been cancelled at the last second. Somewhere in the General Staff someone gave the order to back down.

  The type of duty their team executed was top secret. They were moments away from a mission when the final ‘go’ from the Defense Ministry, with the prime minister at the top, would come.

  And it didn’t surprise anyone when missions on the verge of execution would be cancelled and go back to the drawer a moment before taking off.

  The atmosphere in the team was tense. Everyone were guessing that it was actually happening, but on the other hand, they knew that until they were in the air, anything could change.

  Eran took it hard. Going on a mission on this kind of risk level moments before he was being discharged brought to his mind the worst nightmares possible for every fighting soldier, “That’s exactly what I need, Sigal will kill me, if I don’t get killed first! She’s been waiting for this vacation more than I have.”

  “Don’t worry, man,” Eitan patted his back, “If you get killed, I promise to take Sigal on a vacation for you, that’s what friends do!” That sentence earned him a little but painful punch to the ribs, and he curled up in pain and laughter.

  The tent sheet was opened suddenly and Shai came in, stressed and serious.

  “Leaving roll call in ten, be ready to man your vessels.”

  The atmosphere changed at once. Everyone got up and left in a hurry, each one going over to his bunk, picking up his ballistic vest, helmet, bag and the designated equipment.

  The armory was already open, and the operation ammunition was waiting, each soldier and his ammo.

  The vehicles were waiting, at the ready, and the team organized itself in a row waiting for Shai, while the CSM started the check, reading out of a long list of what needed to be taken. They made sure, by sight and touch, that their partner’s equipment was with them.

  Everyone hopped onto the vehicles and they went on their way. They got to the border gateway and waited for Giora. It was a tradition in the unit. Giora made sure to say goodbye and good luck personally to the fighters before an operation and to remind them that ‘no one gets left behind’ was the IDF motto.

  The legend in the base told that one time Giora passed on the tradition and a soldier was killed, and ever since, no force had left for action without Giora’s or the first lieutenant’s blessing.

  While they were waiting, Tom jumped down from the hammer and went over to the guard at the gate, “Hey man, I need a favor! I have to make a phone call, I'm a lone soldier. All I need is one minute, I swear. We’re leaving and we left our mobiles back in the barracks.”

  It wasn’t like him to beg, or use his ‘lone soldier card’, but the goal justified the means.

  The young regimental soldier, after making sure there were no officer around to witness, took out his cell phone and let Tom make the call. It was pure luck that Tom remembered Dan’s personal extension number, after trying his cell and getting to his voicemail.

  He was determined to say goodbye to his lover before leaving, just in case.

  The call was short and emotional, and Tom choked back the tears when he heard Dan’s voice on the other end sending words of love and care. When the call ended, the young soldier looked at him, shocked. Only then did Tom realize that he had just outed himself from his ‘military closet’. Not that it mattered or changed anything. This call was everything that was important at that moment, he’d deal with the consequences later. That is, if there would be a ‘later’.

  “H
ey guys, most chances we are going to get called off, but just in case, good luck, and ‘no one gets left behind’.” It was Giora that came to give them his blessing. He wasn’t the typical officer, authoritative, tough, and rough.

  Because he came back after a long civilian period, he talked to his soldiers at eye level, tried joining the training sessions, and would behave like the last of the soldiers. Given this, he still required all the unit’s soldiers to understand what they were doing, why and for who.

  The hummers drove off, making their way in the rough dirt road between the palm trees.

  The base was camouflaged within the kibbutz. From the outside it looked like a private area, secured by a private company, with no entrance passes. But in fact, it was one of the most secret and secure places in the country. The way to the division was short, but gave each one of them the needed minutes to withdraw into himself and think about what’s waiting for them at home. Tom thought about Dan, and his loving voice on the phone call still echoed in his ears.

  The engine’s roar didn’t allow them to communicate, but the looks they gave each other said it all. In moments like these, ideological thoughts came to the surface, sentiments that every Israeli has in his heart, memories of the ‘Yom Kippur’ war, or Remembrance Day for the fallen, which touched every family in this bleeding nation. Those thoughts made them stronger and more determined, and enabled them to do the job at hand, even at the cost of their own life, for the sake of Israel.

  The caravan came to a halt next to the briefing room’s parking, the two first soldiers jumped off and helped the others down. Everyone went into the room. The maps and aerial photographs were already spread along with the operational plans, ORBATs, border, and enemy forces.

  “Attention” sounded off in the room, and everyone stood at attention when the Division Commander came in.

  “Please, be seated,” he said and sat in the first row.

  The operational deputy came in, looked at the map, cleared his throat and began.

  “At 0512 we were informed that Abu-Mustafa, the organization’s special forces commander, had surfaced and is attending a family gathering in this village,” he pointed to the map and showed the location, “after a long stay in Syria in the past year. As you all know, Abu-Mustafa, is considered to be a highest level target, after taking over the role of Jabry, who we took out 19 mounts ago.”

  Tom remembered it well, they’d lost David on that mission.

  “Ever since Abu-Mustafa got his position, he makes sure to piss off the command with his involvement with eliminating collaborators, hiding charges and patrol kidnapping attempts, and that’s not all, the guy’s hands are soaked with the blood of hundreds of civilians in Syria. This planned hit isn’t strange to you. You’ve been working on this op for the past few months. If we get a ‘green light’ from the higher ups, today will be the day when Abu-Mustafa will meet his seventy virgins! Any Questions?”

  There were none.

  The Armor Brigade Commander was the next in line, he explained the retreat course, if needed, activation code words and incidents and reactions protocols.

  It kept going when other factors in the branched formation explained in detail their jobs and reiterated the instructions. The next step was updates, and the shooting range before combat.

  The vehicles entered the command and drove straight to the shooting range, each one of the fighters positioned himself in front of a target and started shooting from every magazine in the vest, with every weapon; rifles, machine guns, hand guns, even the sniper and the ‘HEAT’ shooter were shooting. Everything to make sure there wouldn’t be any blocks in real time.

  The rest of day was about preparing and readying logistics, and when night came down, they went into the briefing room to get the last updates before leaving.

  “Zero-hour minus forty minutes. As of now, weather is clear, there’s no knowledge of sheep herders or any movement in the sector, the target is still in the village, according to our last intelligence update. The satellite is in place and the units are ready.”

  The General Flank Staff summarized the last updates for them.

  The vehicles made their way to the landing pad, stopped by the two helicopters, Bell 212 colored olive green and completely dark. The team divided into two groups. The first team with Shai, and the other team, which included six fighters, took the front helicopter.

  Now all they needed to do was wait. The minutes passed, the zero-hour came closer.

  After what felt like eternity, Tom heard the helicopter blade’s piercing through the air in a steady rhythm, a sound that always excited him, like a type of classic signal that signified the coming action.

  He looked around at the rest of the team members, each one withdrawn into himself.

  The helicopters flew low above the sea, crossing the beach line and quietly entering the cranny that hid them from the enemy radar.

  There was more tense waiting in which Tom’s helicopter started slowing down, “Get ready!”

  The team members tightened their grips on their weapons with one hand and with the other hand held the stabilizing straps that hung of the helicopter’s side.

  “Thirty seconds to touchdown!” said the pilot through the radio. The team members stood up, getting ready for a landing drill. The hydraulic pump’s noise and the helicopter’s ramp started sliding down like an opening mouth. Tom’s heart rate picked up. The helicopter landed softly, and when the ramp touched the ground, they got an order to exit, and, like in hundreds of drills, each one got to his designated place spreading into half a circle, to cover the helicopter.

  Even before the CSM landed, the engine’s noise got louder and the helicopter disappeared back into the pitch dark skies, leaving behind it an edgy silence and a huge dust cloud.

  The first helicopter had already unloaded, and everyone waited in nervous silence. Ready and alert to every noise, movement, or unwelcome presence. “Numbers! Count!” whispered Shai.

  “One, Two, Three…” the whisper went on from ear to ear, until it got to the CSM who ran towards Shai and told him that everyone was present.

  Shai got up and started moving. He kept low and silent, they each got up, making their way toward the shining lights of the village in the distance.

  According to the maps and the briefing, they were expecting a 9km course by foot to make it to the village. The area was rocky, boulders and thorns covered the field. Slowly but surely, their eyes started getting used to the darkness.

  Tom looked back to make sure Eran was behind him and started swiftly moving forwards and right. As a ‘HMG’ operator, it was his job to cover the troops in case something came up.

  Tom remembered how when he first got to boot camp, the officer at the time put the heavy machinegun on him, “It has your name written all over it, Texas!” he’d smilingly said, “Israelis don’t have muscles mass like you do. They didn’t play football in high-school like you Americans.” What Tom took as a compliment, turned out to be a heavy job, with a heavy machine and even heavier responsibility.

  The sweat started to drip down along his back while the force was making its way among rocks and thorns. “Halt!” the order sounded off, and so they laid down and kept quiet. Tom felt rocks and thorns rubbing against his shins and the smell of dusty ground sneaked up his nostrils.

  Shai tapped their helmets, giving a signal to gather around.

  They kneeled around him and Tom thanked the genius who provided them the knee protectors; the rocky field wasn’t too friendly to the human body.

  “What was supposed to be a ‘surgical’ and quiet operation,” whispered Shai, “might be dirtier than we thought. The General Flank Staff officer just notified me that there are indications of an unexpected gathering around the house the target’s staying in. It was reported there’s movement in the village, especially in the target area, and there’s concern that they might know we’re here. If it was up to me I'd fold you guys back and would not take a chance with these snake
s, but the higher ups are insisting that we execute and that the movement in the village is related to a wedding taking place there, and nothing more. Anyway, stay alert, look out for yourselves, and look out for your brothers. Good luck!”

  Tom could recognize real fear in his eyes, a worried father’s kind of anxiety. Tom didn’t like that at all, but tried to keep his spirits up and his eyes open for danger.

  Step by step, forward and right. Tom scanned the sector for which he was responsible, checking every mound, every bush edge, looking for movement, shadow, or any indication of unnatural presence.

  After what felt like long hours, but was actually no more than two, they made it to the foot of the hill that stood over the village. Shai signaled Tom to approach him, Tom got up from the crawling position he was in, and approached Shai, bent as low as he could, “Do you know where you are?” whispered Shai.

  “Affirmative.”

  “Do you see the cover up?”

  “Affirmative,” answered Tom.

  “Show me!” he commanded and Tom pointed at a group of rocks, about two thirds of the way up the hill.

  “Excellent!” whispered Shai, “Move to the post, and report from there… And good luck!”

  “Look out for yourself,” Tom whispered back and gave him a look. He quickly started moving, until he made it to the rocks and positioned himself and his HMG in the covering point., Eitan, the team’s sniper, took his positioned right After him, and Eran who was the ‘look-out’ and carried the spare emergency magazines was the last to follow and get to his post.

  Tom signaled Shai with his infra-red laser pointer that he was in position. And so Shai moved in with a force of twelve fighters, down the hill, straight to the olive grove by the foot of the village, to sneak inside and do the job, while Tom and his team covered them from afar hiding on the hill and watching down on the village.