Captain Eitan Lamberg on the mission that drove him before he fell

In a filmed episode released by the IDF Education Corps, Capt. Eitan Shmuel Lamberg, who served as deputy company commander in Brigade 7, explained the sense of purpose that drove him before he was killed in Lebanon about a week and a half ago. Much of the discussion focused on his soldiers, the trust he built with them, and the responsibility he felt as their commander.

Asked what his personal "why" was, Lamberg said he saw it on two levels. The larger mission, he said, was defending Israel, its civilians, the north, and the south, including Gaza. He connected that mission to the front line, saying that after taking Mount Rab al-Taltin and its ridge, there would no longer be anti-tank fire toward Misgav Am because he would be positioned there. "I am defending my brothers, my country, my settlements, and that is the big why in my eyes," he said.

He then described the more personal reason tied to his unit. "I have my team, I have my company, through thick and thin we are together, and they are like my brothers," he said, adding that he saw himself as their older brother and would do everything for them. "I am not willing to leave them alone, and there is no chance they are there and I am not there," he said.

Lamberg said the two layers of purpose reinforce each other. The larger one, he said, is always "burning in the back of your head," while the smaller one is felt in daily life, whether eating with his soldiers or going to help another team that had broken a track. "That is what gives the drive to continue," he said.