Twice Loved at Armageddon

Twice Loved at Armageddon, Part XX

Farah finishes her doctorate at Hebrew University and joins the Israeli Defense forces.  She's is attacked by a disgruntled woman soldier, who lost her brother in a war with Syria.  As Dr. Farah Ahbed, she holds her first lecture.

Chapter Thirty 

   Farah was through her BA degree in six months.  Yigal had a private ceremony for her and invited the Churhills and a few friends to attend.  When Yigal asked her about graduate school, she said, “I wish to join the Israeli Defense Force before continuing.”

   He replied, “Only Jewish women are subject service obligations, but volunteers are welcome.  Upon completion of your training, I’ll recommend you for citizenship.”

   In a week Farah was in a wilderness training camp in the Negev desert.  Reveille was at four o’clock every morning followed by physical training for both men and women before breakfast.  Breakfast was at six.  Training started at seven.  It was here that her early awkwardness with things military went unnoticed among women trainees.  Women coming from city life and sedentary jobs assumed Farah was from an unsophisticated, remote Syrian village.  They shared the same physical ineptitude for the first weeks.

   The steel helmet they issued Farah was heavier than she knew the ancient Roman helmet to be but fit well.  Everyone received the same basic issue of combat gear, flak vest, and new camouflage uniforms.  Written and verbal commands and communications were in official Hebrew.  Off duty, most of the Jewish soldiers from the Diaspora used English.   She learned marksmanship, hand-to-hand fighting, patrolling, first aid, and survival in a nuclear, biological, and radiological battlefield.

   Farah was more than surprised by the vast number of new ways there were to die in battle during this superior technological age.  Scott, who had similar training as she was now receiving, had revealed but a fraction what modern warfare was like to Flavius.

   Private Stern, one of the women reservists, showed Farah much resentment because she was Syrian.  She had told others that her brother was killed defending the Golan Heights against T-55 tanks.  It mattered little to her that Farah was not Muslim. When her hostility failed to annoy Farah, she assaulted her in their GP Large tent after breakfast one morning.

   When she first laid hands on Farah, she did nothing at first.  As she backed up, she hoped giving ground would give her attacker time to calm down.  Instead she became all the more aggressive.  In her fury, she reached to pick up a knife.  As she started after her again, Farah stepped aside and wrenched her attacking hand behind her back.  The knife fell to the floor.  Non-commissioned officers, who broke them up, later testified to Farah’s innocence.

   The incidence was reported to their commander as a formality as Farah chose not to bring the woman up on charges of assault.  As required of any Serious Incident Report, Captain Yehuda had to review it and ask Farah about it.  The next morning she reported to the Orderly Room, where his office was located.  In keeping with military protocol, she knocked on his office door although he knew who was coming after the first sergeant had informed him of her arrival.

   Farah wore a starched desert camouflage uniform and moved with impeccable military bearing.  Although she had her hair up as she stood at rigid attention before Captain Yehuda, she was unable to hide her femininity.  While he had often seen younger men turning their heads as she passed and their tongues hanging out, he had enough discipline about him to overcome any unintended influence her beauty had.

   With confidence she saluted him and said, “Private Abed reports to the captain as ordered.”  He returned her military courtesy and said, “Stand at ease, Private Abed.”