In the heart of the war: 41 sailors celebrated the end of the course in an exciting ceremony at the Sea Arm base in Haifa

In the heart of the war: 41 sailors, of which 6 are new sailors • Graduation ceremony of the sailors' course, class 148, at the Sea Arm base in Haifa • There are also 2 sailors from Haifa

Hard and challenging days continue to pass over all of us, when the "Iron Swords" war has been going on here for 5 months now. Along with this, routine life also continues, and as evidence, last night (6/3/24), in the polynum plaza at the "Dror" anchorage at the naval base of the Navy in Haifa, an exciting graduation ceremony was held for the 148th batch of sailors of the naval arm, who were trained in the heart of the war.

◄The new captains and captains - the graduation ceremony of the captains' course, cycle 148 • Watch

The ceremony, which due to the war was this time shorter than usual, was held in the presence of the Chief of Staff, Major General Harzi Halevi, Commander of the Navy, Major General David Sa'ar Selma, Commander of the Naval Arm, Lieutenant Colonel Tamir Shemesh, commanders, soldiers, guests and invitees Graduate families and more.

◄The graduation ceremony of the boatmen's course - 41 graduates in the 148th cycle • Watch

In the meantime, it should be noted that as graduates of the 148th batch of seafaring course that ended last night, they enlisted in the seafaring course sometime in October 2022, they did not imagine that they would experience commanding the various vessels during war, not a simulated war but a real one, and this even before receiving the ranks. Already in the first weeks of the war, they jumped into the battleships, steels and submarines, and continued their practical training in the middle of the sea, in operational missions of defending the country. The war had hardened them a lot, the continuity of the course combined with non-stop fighting, which posed quite a challenge to the new cadets and cadets.

◄Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi at the graduation ceremony of the seamanship course • Watch

The new sailors did their last regular security in front of the Gaza coast on the ships Steel and the Deborah. Mainly their operational activity was against fishing boats that left Gaza towards Israel, when their activity was in cooperation with the air and ground forces, covering the fighters and also shooting at Gaza, thus They helped a lot with the ground maneuvers and in the fighting in Gaza. They accumulated many operational sea hours - that they will always be the rabbi of the hidden over the visible! The combat and the course prepared them well for the job, they and they will be commanders who trust them and them together.

During the ceremony, the "Naval Officer" pin was revealed to the 41 graduates of the course who successfully completed it and were awarded the rank of lieutenant. Among the graduates are also 6 new female naval officers. Also taking part in the ceremony were the IDF Orchestra and the Navy Band, which pleased the audience with the nostalgic songs of the legendary Navy Band. As is known, the seaman's course is a voluntary and prestigious officer's course that trains the future generation of naval commanders, who will command the advanced vessels, including the missile ships , the vessels of ongoing security and the submarines. All the graduates of the course will be placed in the coming days on the operational vessels of the naval arm in a variety of operational command positions, and will be part of the overall strengthening of the arm in the "Saar 6" model defense ships, the generation of "Dakar" submarines and vessels More new ones.

The course lasts two years and four months and consists of three majors, sailing, machine and electronics and includes training for the position of combat officer at sea. Upon completion, its graduates receive lieutenant ranks, a captain's pin, a skipper's license and also a bachelor's degree in political science from Haifa University, which they study during the course.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the commander of the sea arm, Major General David Sa'ar Selma, made moving remarks, who said: "As soon as the war broke out, you went out into the field, you sailed on top of missile ships and submarines, you worked to fortify Israel's maritime defense lines and strategic assets in the seas. You joined the attack efforts from the sea, in special operations, in the joint war with the land and air forces. You began your command journey earlier than usual and have accumulated a wealth of combat experience that will not be wasted. In the midst of a historic testing hour for the people of Israel, we uphold the oath of the generations - from generation to generation - to protect the homeland, to preserve freedom Israel, to ensure the existence of the people.

When accepting a position, it is customary to say - 'enter the position with holy fear while understanding the magnitude of the responsibility.' After 7/10/23 this sentence gained much more significant validity. Starting tomorrow - you return to the ships and submarines. I am confident that the magnitude of the challenge is clear, I am confident that the importance of the responsibility is present. We also understand the challenge. We are learning, drawing lessons and improving all the time in order to continue to provide a maritime security envelope to the people of Israel."

After him, he went up to the podium and the Chief of the General Staff, the Chief of Staff, Major General Harzi Halevi, said: "One can ask how we continue to hold training in war and why hold ceremonies, the importance of training during war is double that of normal times. The IDF is required to continue to develop the chain of command and build its strength for future developments. We are fighting with strength in today's war and are building the strength with determination and talent for future challenges. Here today, we stopped for a moment to appreciate you, graduates of the pilot course. This period illustrates more than anything the great significance of the uniform and the responsibility placed on your shoulders as commanders. You are now joining the fighting and the ranks of command in the IDF and are actively becoming the defenders of the people and the country."

The Chief of Staff added: "Besides the many achievements in the war, we paid heavy prices and lost commanders and fighters. The entire IDF is committed to uphold the legacy of the fallen and protect the homeland. We will act in the same spirit of mission and dedication in which they acted, and we will guarantee at all times that their sacrifice will not be in vain - there is no way to do this except to enlist for meaningful service, wear uniforms and become commanders. From here we also wish for healing Salute to those wounded in body and soul and we will continue to do everything we can to return all the abductees home to us. Dear families, you are sitting in the audience, excited and proud of your sons and daughters."

"On the foundations of your education, the boys and girls who today become officers and commanders grew up. You molded them the mold of values ​​in which they were shaped and developed and gave them a compass and a helm in the sails. I appreciated a lot given to you. Dear graduates, the end of the course is not the end, but the beginning of a difficult job that will set hurdles and challenges. You have chosen to take on the heaviest responsibility - the responsibility for the mission and for the people. Wear the captain's pin with pride, carry out your tasks with determination and return home safely. I am proud of you and trust you. Go up and sail, go up and succeed!"

It should be noted that one of the new Haifa officers trained in the course is Lieutenant Nadav Gershgoren from the sailing course, when at the beginning of the ceremony she said with great pride to the news reporter of the Hai Pa News Corporation, Keren Gershgoren, the mother of Nadav from Haifa and the grandson of Aharon (Arlah) Gershgoren, who was a player of Maccabi Haifa in soccer: "My son, Nadav, is my private world champion and that of all the members of the Gershgorn family, today he finished the captain's course in the city of Haifa where he was born and grew up. We are all insanely proud of him, especially in this difficult and challenging period when the cadets entered immediately on 7/10 With the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war, hard and powerful fighting with the various weapons of the Navy and immediately after the ceremony they will return to defend us and the homeland. Nadav, is a graduate of the "Harieli" school in Haifa and in the past was also Israel's first world champion in acrobatics, I salute him with a lot of pride , and I wish him and all the other new officers the best of luck during their military service."

Finally, like the words of the legendary song of the navy band: "Come to us, to us, to us to the sea, to the exciting wild sea, to this sun, to the strong winds, because the sea is open to all of us!..." And the main thing, as the well-known song says: "May the sea be calm !".

The Chai Pa team of the News Corporation wishes the new officers, graduates of the 148 Seamen's Course of the Navy's sea arm, much success in their new role, you are the top-of-the-top, the best, the toughest, we are proud of you. We trust you. The entire State of Israel, an entire country, is counting on you. Go out, sail, drive and always return safely to the home port!