The final words written by Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimhon, commander of Battalion 52, known as “HaBok’im,” have taken on a painful new meaning after he was killed in combat in southern Lebanon. Ben Shimhon took command only in April, and his first official commander’s message to his soldiers, now made public, reads like a spiritual testament from a fighter and leader.
In that message, he opened with a line that reflected the battalion’s fighting spirit: “Here they attack, advance and break through, the soldiers of a combat battalion. With their bodies they defend our state.” He told his troops that he was joining a long and deep-rooted legacy, one that had grown even stronger over the past year, especially since October 7, 2023.
The most striking part of the text is a passage from a song he copied by hand, describing what has now become his final path: “A long and difficult road, but our will is steeled. So we will advance for our homeland, our weapon against the foe. The song continues and the mission is not over.” He also addressed the bereaved families of the battalion, promised to continue embracing them, and stressed that the unit’s strength rests on comradeship and fighting spirit.
Ben Shimhon ended his first commander’s page with a vow of determination to defeat the enemy for the safety of Israel’s residents: “We will return from our mission with our heads held high, after blood-soaked battles. As victors we will raise our flags, we are HaBok’im.” Battalion 52 and the people of Israel are mourning the commander who led from the front and remembering the words he left behind.
