Widow of Fallen IDF Battalion Commander Shares Emotional Farewell on Facebook

Ariel, the widow of Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon, commander of Battalion 52, posted an emotional farewell on Facebook on Saturday after he was killed in a serious incident in Lebanon the day before. Ben Shimon was one of four soldiers killed in the incident, including three others who died with him.

In the post, Ariel wrote, “Dor my love, you gave me the 7 best years of my life,” and described how they met eight years ago when she began tactical command college. She said he first caught her eye while giving a debrief on a traffic accident he had caused, and recalled that after a year of teasing and another year of pursuing her, they built a relationship and later got engaged in a kibbutz with what she called “the most beautiful view” he loved.

Ariel said they had spent “7 years of true love” and built a family together, leaving her with two daughters, Ayala and Gaia. She wrote that the girls will know who their father was, adding that Ayala already said she wants him to come back for her third birthday. She also described him as “a commander who was a man of people” and praised his commitment, intelligence, and devotion to the mission.

She promised to stay strong, saying, “I am not half a person, we are a whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts,” but added that “a very big part of my heart was torn today.” She ended by quoting the words she said under the chuppah, concluding, “for the last time, my beloved commander, here is your beloved commander, I love you and will love you forever.” Ben Shimon was killed in April after replacing a predecessor who had been seriously wounded about two months earlier; he served mainly in the Armored Corps and held several significant command positions during his service.