Family Finds Nevo Havshush’s Pre-Army Journals After His Death in Lebanon

After Staff Sgt. Nevo Havshush was killed in combat in southern Lebanon, his family found personal notebooks and diaries he had written before enlistment. The writings, composed during seminars, tours and pre-army preparation processes, reveal a teenager guided by duty, love of the country and a desire to contribute beyond what was required.

In one entry, Havshush wrote, “I am going to serve with tremendous joy, no matter where I end up.” He said he wanted to “do and invest as much as possible,” adding that while some people see a “freerider” as someone who is exploited, he wanted to give and influence because he understood the importance of military service and believed, “that is what we came into the world for.” He also wrote that being a soldier was necessary “so that children can be born in this country,” and insisted, “Being a soldier in the army is a privilege, a commandment, it is not a burden. I am not doing anyone a favor. A person should be meaningful, no matter where.”

In another notebook, he described a seminar discussion about the meaning of mission and immediately named his father, Haim, as the person who represented it. “The first person who came to mind was my father,” he wrote, saying his father’s mission was love of the land and that he inspired others to travel and love Israel more. Havshush concluded, “Basically we are always on a mission. We stand in order to build a better family, and to prepare for the army in order to serve the state better.”

The article says these words, written years before he fell, show how the values that guided him as a youth became his life’s path. Havshush served as a tank commander in the IDF’s 401st Brigade, and specifically in Battalion 52, and the family’s discovery has given his writings special significance after his death.