(Ha'aretz) Danna Frank - Jay Deering, 60, who lives in British Columbia, wears a Magen David Adom rescue service patch on his vest. He said in an interview, "I work in aviation engineering, specializing in helicopters. The company I work for is a supplier for Magen David Adom, which now has an airborne unit.... Most helicopter pilots in Israel have experience with military helicopters. These are more civilian ones. I've worked a lot overseas....I always work for a month and a half, and then I have a month and a half off." "I help train local pilots and lend a hand in the daily maintenance of the helicopters....I happened to be here when the war started....I was the only helicopter technician of this sort in the country. I went back and forth between military bases in the north and the south, because the helicopters have to be authorized by a maintenance person every day....I was here 75 days before others on the team calmed down a little and agreed to come back to work." "If I had left, there wouldn't have been anyone to sign off on the helicopters and they would have become useless, they wouldn't have been able to fly....I didn't want to leave. All my friends in Canada told me to come home immediately, but I told them, 'I'm doing something meaningful here, I have a purpose, I'm helping. I don't want to leave. And besides, there's Iron Dome.'" "I really like Israel, even from before the war. People here are very nice and friendly. I feel very safe here. It's one of the nicest places I've worked anywhere in the world." Q: Do you feel comfortable walking around with a Star of David patch? Deering: "For sure. I'm a Christian but I'm part of MDA, and I'm proud of it. I know all their paramedics. When I come back in another six weeks there will be big hugs. It's a real family, especially once I stayed on during the war."
2024-02-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive