Breaking last year’s record of 73%, IDF officials report that 76% of inductees in the March 2010 draft deemed suitable for combat units have requested to be assigned to combat infantry and special force units. The military adds that 100% of requests were met regarding assignments.

When one inducted into a combat post, one is requested to list one’s top three choices. IDF officials report all of the inductees in the March 2010 draft received one of those three requests, as opposed to only 88% in the previous draft.

50% of the new inductees requested an infantry unit, and 93% of those requesting the Tank Corps asked for a combat post. 94% of those enlisted in the Engineering Corps also requested a combat post. Similar numbers, those requesting combat posts, are seen in the Artillery Corps and other units, including anti-aircraft units.

President Shimon Peres is scheduled to visit the Bakum Induction Base to greet new recruits entering the Golani Brigade.

One should understand that a new inductee into the military receives two numbers, the “profile” and the “kaba”. These two scores determine one’s suitability for certain units, and not all new soldiers are able to enter elite reconnaissance units, or combat units and so-forth. Having a profile rating below a certain number renders one unfit for a combat post.

The growing trend of inductees seeking combat positions is directly related to the motivation instilled in the students attending the nation’s mechina yeshivot, the post high school yeshiva programs that prepare the young men spiritually and physically, placing an emphasis on emunah and halacha pertaining to a combat soldier.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)