(New York Times) Jodi Rudoren - Josh Warhit, 22, who grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., and graduated from the University of Rochester after spending several summers in Israel, was one of 127 soldiers-to-be who landed Tuesday morning at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Part of a growing cadre of what are known as lone soldiers, they left behind parents, girlfriends, and cars to become infantrymen, intelligence officers, paratroopers and pilots. According to a military spokeswoman, Israel has enlisted 8,217 men and women from other countries since 2009, 1,661 from the U.S., second only to Russia's 1,685. They serve side by side in even elite combat units with native Israelis drafted out of high school. "Their motivation is often way higher than the average Israeli," said Col. Shuli Ayal, who oversees the lone-soldier program. The soldiers were among 351 new immigrants arriving on a flight chartered by Nefesh b'Nefesh, a 10-year-old group that has helped bring 30,000 people to Israel.
2012-08-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive