Thanks to IsraellyCool for reminding me that today also is the 35th anniversary of the Israeli hostage rescue raid in Entebbe, in which Jonathan Nethanyahu, commander of the raid and brother of current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed.
You know the story. I thought that rather than clips from the Hollywood movie or recreations, I’d run this clip of the participants in that mission many years on, certainly very ordinary looking, now middle-aged heroes:
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Comments
I had forgotten that the Entebbe raid happened on our bicentennial.
It’s also sobering (and somewhat encouraging) to realize that airline hijacking is no longer a workable strategy after 9/11. That changed the entire calculus of political hostage taking.
The Raid on Entebbe set a standard for others, and led to significant changes in US equipment and tactics. I know, I spent the night of April 25, 1980 in the Desert of Iran, with that equipment on a mission far more complex, but in essence modeled on Entebbe. The military of a democracy serves to protect its people, we do what we are called upon to accomplish that mission.
Thank you for the reminder of yet another historical marker to study. As a young and ‘otherwise engaged’ American at the time, I didn’t pay attention to this story. It goes on the list of research items which already include the Iran-Contra affair and the Munich massacre of 1972. Had I been paying attention at the time, my life might have turned out very differently.
Also, a prayer of thanks for Mr. & Mrs. Nethanyahu, who raised sons to whom I can direct my own sons to look for examples of great virtues.
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Brave, courageous men. OBM Yonatan Netanyahu