In a Rhine Cruise, a Wounded Soldier Meets the Officer Who Saved Him

During a cruise on the Rhine River, Yossi Berger, a severely wounded soldier from the fighting in Rafah, unexpectedly met Colonel (res.) Eilon Heiman, the officer who had directed the rescue operation that saved his life. The meeting took place while both were taking part in a trip organized for wounded IDF soldiers.

Berger serves in the Givati Reconnaissance Battalion and was injured during combat in Rafah. He was invited on the cruise as part of an initiative for wounded soldiers, and only during the voyage did he learn that one of the other passengers was Heiman. Their conversation revealed the full connection between them: when Berger was critically hurt, Heiman was running the battle and the complex extraction from the Givati Brigade forward command post, together with brigade forces and Unit 669.

Heiman said the moment he realized that the fighter he had watched being evacuated under fire was now standing in front of him, healthy and smiling, was especially moving. The cruise also included Itamar Shapira, a platoon commander and reserve captain from the 8170 Engineering Battalion, along with other wounded troops from the Iron Swords war.

The trip, arranged by the travel company Golden Tours, is part of a recurring program that brings wounded soldiers, war widows, and bereaved parents on outings and cruises. During the voyage, the participants also held a Sheva Brachot celebration for one of the wounded soldiers who had married a week earlier, sang and danced on board, and ended with a toast and prayers for the recovery of all wounded IDF soldiers. Golden Tours CEO Yehoshua Vidoran said, “Who knew and who could have imagined that in our small corner of the world we would also be partners in this moving meeting, all about gratitude.”