Colonel in the reserves Shmuel (Molly) Eyal76 years old, father of two daughters and grandfather of six grandchildren, is a veteran of the reserve service in the Israeli Air Force and he did not give up his participation in the ‘Shield and Arrow’ operation, when he was jumped following the operation and plays an important and advisory role in various operational issues.
Col. Molly began his military service as a fighter in the 7th Brigade of the Armored Corps and volunteered as a paratrooper in the Six Day War until he took a pilot course in the Air Force before the Yom Kippur War. And added that he does not intend to stop, “I recently extended my volunteering in the reserves until the age of 80.”
Shmuel (Molly) Eyal (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
“My dream as a teenager was to become an engineer. I went to the academic reserve and never dreamed of becoming a pilot. When I graduated, almost all my friends went to work in the profession and I told myself that I didn’t want to lose the part of being a fighter, so I volunteered for the paratroopers. I realized that I wanted to be a pilot After we were attacked by Egyptian planes and then I said to myself I’d rather be on the other side of the bombs and a month after that I found myself in a pilot’s course. Moving to the Air Force gave me a lot of tools. In combat we all engage not 100 percent, but 101 percent. We fight for Our country, it doesn’t matter right-wing or left-wing, religious or secular.”
Shmuel (Molly) Eyal (Photo: IDF Spokesman)
“I continue to do reserve work with love and devotion. I don’t come to the reserve because I have nothing to do in life, I manage projects at Tama 38, I am a gym instructor and raise my grandchildren. I see the great importance of the reserve, even though I no longer have the fun of flying . I deal with things that have meaning, this is part of what makes us happy in life. The contribution to the country, the country’s independence and its security. The wisdom of experience has a very great value.”
“This is not the first and the last operation. The attack on the jihad leaders is a very significant achievement for strengthening deterrence and security. I am convinced that we achieved deterrence, we hit the commanders. In the end, the commanders are the ones who lead the battle. My contribution in the entire reserve service is to bring my experience and knowledge. There is I have 7 signs of war. I started the six days and exhaustion as a green warrior and in the Yom Kippur war it was the first time I fought as a pilot.”
The IDF attacked a terrorist operative shortly after launching mortars into Israel
“I came to this battle because of the surprise that we didn’t prepare properly for the Yom Kippur War, we didn’t prepare good enough defense and attack plans and the result was that we went through a very difficult war and paid a very high price. I went to this battle in the sense that I said to myself, I’m not ready to go to war that we’re not ready for war and that’s what which brings me to serve in the reserves, to contribute from my experience so that this does not happen again. In the current campaign, I cannot go into detail because there are elements of the wisdom of experience that are manifested, most of them are not published, but you see them in the field.”
