War Games
I live in a country that is constantly being attacked by its enemies. It's a fact. We are under rocket attack on a daily basis. We live with the threat of suicide bombers, suicide shooters, etc.
And we know that our enemies would love nothing more than to provoke us into a more bloody and devastating war.
So this week, starting this past Sunday, our Homefront Command, army, police, emergency medical personal, and pretty much everyone else are involved in war drills.
Until just a few minutes ago, it didn't really hit home what this whole thing means.
We've been hearing about it for weeks. We've known for days that there would be nation-wide air raid sirens going off at 10:00 this morning. We were warned in every branch of the press, so that we wouldn't think it was "real."
We have nation-wide sirens three times a year -- once on Holocaust Remembrance Day and twice on Memorial Day.
On that theoretical level, I knew that the sound would be slightly different. The ceremonial sirens are single-pitch sirens. The sound goes up to a certain level and remains steady for the duration of the siren. I knew this one would be different.
And of course I had forgotten all about it, until it started.
So I was standing in my living room, folding laundry (I'm off work today), and the sound caught my ear.
I stood still for a few seconds while my brain wrapped around what I was hearing. The pitch changed, going up and down like I've heard in movies about the U.S. in the 40's and 50's, when there were air raid drills fairly regularly.
I walked over and opened the window, so I could hear it clearly. And for a couple of seconds, a chill ran down my spine and goosebumps came up on my arms.
At any minute, literally, I could hear that siren for real. The tyrant ruling Iran could decide to fire missiles at us... or it could come from any one of our surrounding enemy countries. The missiles might have chemical warheads, or even nuclear capabilities.
Most people who do not live here could not possibly understand the implications this life has on us. Israelis value life to the utmost. Children come first. Can you imagine most bosses in America allowing their employees to leave early five or 10 times a year because one of the kids has a party in daycare or school? Can you imagine falling down in the street and having 10 people rush over to check to make sure you're okay and pick up your scattered belongings? Can you imagine your police or SWAT teams literally putting themselves in the line of fire to protect civilians?
I don't even know where I'm going with all this... except that all these thoughts were running through my mind during the two-minute siren.
Because while to the rest of the world, the events that are going on in my country this week are "drills," or "war games." But to the people who live here -- they're a likely reality.
Yet I still cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else.
And we know that our enemies would love nothing more than to provoke us into a more bloody and devastating war.
So this week, starting this past Sunday, our Homefront Command, army, police, emergency medical personal, and pretty much everyone else are involved in war drills.
Until just a few minutes ago, it didn't really hit home what this whole thing means.
We've been hearing about it for weeks. We've known for days that there would be nation-wide air raid sirens going off at 10:00 this morning. We were warned in every branch of the press, so that we wouldn't think it was "real."
We have nation-wide sirens three times a year -- once on Holocaust Remembrance Day and twice on Memorial Day.
On that theoretical level, I knew that the sound would be slightly different. The ceremonial sirens are single-pitch sirens. The sound goes up to a certain level and remains steady for the duration of the siren. I knew this one would be different.
And of course I had forgotten all about it, until it started.
So I was standing in my living room, folding laundry (I'm off work today), and the sound caught my ear.
I stood still for a few seconds while my brain wrapped around what I was hearing. The pitch changed, going up and down like I've heard in movies about the U.S. in the 40's and 50's, when there were air raid drills fairly regularly.
I walked over and opened the window, so I could hear it clearly. And for a couple of seconds, a chill ran down my spine and goosebumps came up on my arms.
At any minute, literally, I could hear that siren for real. The tyrant ruling Iran could decide to fire missiles at us... or it could come from any one of our surrounding enemy countries. The missiles might have chemical warheads, or even nuclear capabilities.
Most people who do not live here could not possibly understand the implications this life has on us. Israelis value life to the utmost. Children come first. Can you imagine most bosses in America allowing their employees to leave early five or 10 times a year because one of the kids has a party in daycare or school? Can you imagine falling down in the street and having 10 people rush over to check to make sure you're okay and pick up your scattered belongings? Can you imagine your police or SWAT teams literally putting themselves in the line of fire to protect civilians?
I don't even know where I'm going with all this... except that all these thoughts were running through my mind during the two-minute siren.
Because while to the rest of the world, the events that are going on in my country this week are "drills," or "war games." But to the people who live here -- they're a likely reality.
Yet I still cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else.
posted by M at 10:01
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