An only child, Sam Sank decided to leave his home and his family, to move to Israel and volunteer as a combat soldier.“My Zionism is through the roof," he says.
By MELANIE LIDMANParatrooper (photo credit: courtesy of Sank Family)
"I'm just overwhelmed. I'm so thrilled and proud." Jacalyn Sank stood beaming with pride for her son at the Western Wall swearing-in ceremony. The plaza was filled with parents, friends and grandparents smiling radiantly and crying tears of joy. Jacalyn had just flown in from London and hadn’t seen her son in months.An only child, Sam Sank made a hard decision for any 18-year-old; to leave his home and his family, to move to Israel and volunteer as a combat soldier.Sam’s parents didn’t hesitate to sign the letter allowing him to be a combat soldier, an army requirement for only children. “This is his dream; we didn’t want to stop him from following his dream,” Jacalyn said.Sam settled into Israel on Kibbutz Ortal in the Golan before entering the IDF and being accepted into the Paratroopers Unit.“My Zionism is through the roof right now,” Sam said before the ceremony, barely able to contain his excitement. “My whole life I’ve dreamed of this and this ceremony will be part of that dream... I’m over the moon. I’m so happy I can’t explain it!” Sam shares his story of being a lone soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade on his blog, which you can read at http://samsank.blogspot.com. The blog is quickly gaining a following of foreigners who are considering enlisting and want to hear about day-to-day life in the IDF. The weekly blog posts are poignant and honest, as Sank explores his reasons for aliya, loneliness, language struggles, Israeli bureaucracy and a dislike for tuna fish after only one day of eating “combat meals.”“I probably get asked [why I made aliya] every day,” he said. “It’s hard for Israelis to understand because they were born here and grew up here, so they don’t know anything different than living with other Jews.When you live outside, you see why it’s so important.”According to Sank, there’s only one other thing that is as important as Zionism, aliya and the army: Tottenham Hotspur. Luckily, he’s able to follow his favorite English soccer team online, although he can’t attend the games with his grandfather like he used to.Army terms
