An Air Force soldier posted an anonymous post on the IDF Confessions Facebook group yesterday (Sunday), according to which she and her friends from the Nabataean base in the south had to withstand the heavy heat for a long time, during the change of command of the base commander, Major General Amikam Nurkin.
"We, all the soldiers of the base, have been standing in the sun for an hour on a day that is defined as a heat load swaying from side to side in an attempt not to fall," the anonymous post addressed to the Air Force commander began.
"Before the ceremony began, of course, they took the water bottles from us and threw them in the trash, so that the officials who came to the desolate Negev would not see the base soldiers drinking water and guarding their bodies," describes the post writer who took part in the ceremony.
Later in the post, the description of the incident seems to have been taken from a story from a battlefield from which soldiers are evacuated on stretchers.
"A company that was standing next to me collapsed and all the resisters in the area ran helplessly to her aid, and then the paramedics came and took her on a stretcher," she wrote, adding: "I look up and while dizzy myself I see another stretcher taking another soldier."
The anonymous post was signed with a critique of General Nurkin, and that the ceremony continued even after it became clear that soldiers could not withstand the heat load and simply collapsed: On the parade ground, people collapse and lose consciousness, "she wrote, continuing to criticize angrily:" We almost forgot it was just a ceremony. For what? Why did the ceremony have to be in the sun? For the cameras to better capture the speakers? "No one got up and said, 'Enough? Were we wrong?'" She wrote.
Air Force Commander, Major General Amikam Nurkin // Photo: IDF Spokesman, IDF Spokesman
An IDF spokesman said following the incident:
"The incident has been
investigated
and the required lessons will be learned.
In light of weather conditions in the area of the Nabataean base, it was decided that the command change ceremony would begin at six in the evening and last only about half an hour.
Before and during the ceremony, cold water bottles were handed out to those standing in line and an indoor refreshment stand was set up with a drink that was freely distributed.
The soldiers were instructed before the ceremony that if they felt unwell, they were asked to leave the ceremony and go to the resting place. "
He added: "No soldier fainted during the ceremony and any of the soldiers who felt unwell went to rest and received a medical response from the paramedics there. During the summer months many command change ceremonies are expected at Air Force bases, In the message.