The Golani Brigade

These polite and appreciative young men, aged 20 to 22, are part of the Golani Brigade. Their battalion suffered tremendous losses and have seen the unspeakable. Along with their IDF therapist and commanding officer, they arrived in San Diego with PTSD so severe that they’d been excused from reserve duty. Volunteers with Heads Up San Diego, week-long program of psychological treatment and recreational therapy, had been instructed not to ask about their front-line experiences but some of them chose to share. I will never forget the images I saw on their iPhones. We cooked meals, drove them to appointments, did laundry, and cleaned up the serene beachside guest house they called home for the week. They did talk, art, and music therapy, yoga, and sightseeing while consuming vast quantities of coffee, cigarettes, and See’s Candy. We taught them about LinkedIn so they can call upon their new friends as they navigate the next phase of their lives. The second part of their story is just beginning. I am lucky to have played a tiny role in it.