On the morning of June 5, 1967, I was manning my post on the Jordanian border. I did not know that just before dawn General Mordecai “Motti” Hod issued the order.

URGENT

From: Air Force Commander 050800

To: All Units

The Egyptian enemy has risen to exterminate us. The IAF, the clenched fist of the IDF, received the order to lead the battle. And so begins the third leg in the battle for our survival.

As in 1948 and 1956 the enemy is coming from all directions.

The spirit of past heroes goes with you into battle. Let the memory of Joshua, King David’s warriors, the Maccabees, and the soldiers of the 1956 Sinai war, be the source of your inspiration. They will give you the strength to crush the Egyptian enemy who threatens our nation. With a decisive victory we will secure peace for ourselves, our children and future generations.

Soar and swoop down on the enemy, bomb them to rubble, remove their fangs, and scatter them in the desert so that the People of Israel may live eternally secure in their homeland. —

General Motti Hod did not understand his Arab neighbors and underestimated the tenacity of Islam. He had no way of knowing how things will evolve. The magnificent victory did not bring “peace for ourselves, our children and future generations”.