What Is Your Mission?
DATELINE: June 5, 1967- Israel is surrounded by enemies who want nothing less than her utter extinction. The Soviet-equipped Egyptian Army has amassed a thousand tanks on the nation’s southern border. Syrian heavy guns are shelling her from the north. To the east, Jordan and Iraq are moving mechanized brigades and fighter squadrons into position to attack. Israeli military knew this would happen sooner or later and had mapped out what their response would be. Some of those preparations were planned down to the minute details several years in advance. They knew there was no room for error, defeat was not an option. It was either total victory or total annihilation.1
Across Israel all the military and civilians understood the mission. Everyone understood that any deviation from the mission meant disaster at best, or the death of the nation of Israel. Soldiers who saw their friends and comrades fall in battle could not stop to render aid because even the slightest hesitation would throw off the timing and execution of their mission and cause it to fail. That primary failure would set up a chain of events which would then cause the overall mission to fail, and the quick death of their nation at the hands of their enemies. Everyone was focused. No one allowed themselves to be distracted by the overwhelming odds they faced, both in equipment and in troop numbers. Everyone had eyes only on accomplishing the mission, and survival.