Amos Yarkoni
Amos Yarkoni | |
---|---|
Native name | עמוס ירקוני |
Birth name | عبد الماجد حيدر ʿAbd al-Majīd Ḥaydar |
Born | Na'ura, British Mandate for Palestine | 1 June 1920
Died | 7 February 1991 Israel | (aged 70)
Buried | |
Allegiance | Israel |
Service/ | Israel Defense Forces |
Years of service | December 1947 - 1969 |
Rank | Sgan-Aluf (Lieutenant Colonel) |
Commands held |
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Battles/wars |
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Awards |
Service in the IDF
Early years
Yarkoni was born Abd el-Majid Hidr
In 1936, at the age of 16, he joined a band which sabotaged the
Abd el-Majid kept in touch with Dayan up until the
Yarkoni served in a number of units during the
Shaked
In 1955, the frequency and effectiveness of
Yarkoni accepted the recommendation, and the
The unit fielded both Jews and non-Jews, yet when it came to Bedouin recruits, Amos was careful to accept only Bedouins from northern Israel (rather than the south of the country), so that they would not have to fight against their tribal brethren. Yarkoni was based in the Negev for many years, and was involved in countless operations. He was wounded many times, and his body was peppered with bullet and shrapnel wounds. He lost his right hand in combat in November 1959, and was badly wounded in the leg in an explosion. [citation needed]
In 1961, after his recovery, Yarkoni was re-appointed as Commanding Officer of the Shaked Battalion. At the time, the Military Commander commented that "if Moshe Dayan could be the
Even by this stage, many Israelis did not know that Amos Yarkoni was not
]During the Six-Day War (1967), Yarkoni served on the Sinai front. After years of distinguished service, Yarkoni retired from the IDF in 1969.
Awards and decorations
Yarkoni was awarded four campaign ribbons for his service during four conflicts, as well as one aluf citation and the medal of distinguished service.
Medal of Distinguished Service | Aluf Citation | 1948 Arab–Israeli War | Suez Crisis | Six-Day War | War of Attrition |
Death and legacy
Yarkoni died on February 7, 1991, after a prolonged battle with cancer, aged 70.
His old friend,
Streets in several towns are named for him (including in Beer Sheva and Haifa).
Burial controversy
Because Yarkoni was not Jewish, there was a problem with burying him in the Military Cemetery at
The incident over Yarkoni’s burial, and the increasing numbers of non-Jewish soldiers (especially after the influx from the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s) has seen the system of burial for non-Jews in Jewish military cemeteries streamlined.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Sayeret Shaked Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew)
- ^ Izkor Website Citation entry Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew)
- ^ a b Biography of Amos Yarkoni Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew)
- ^ Biography of Rechavam Zeevi Archived September 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew)
- ^ American Jewish year book 1995, Volume 95, The American Jewish Committee, 1995. p. 415
- ^ Biography of Amos Yarkoni (in Hebrew) Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Amos Yarkoni, Shaked Battalion Commander, Shaked Battalion Homepage Archived July 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew)
External links
- Katz, Sam, and Ronald Volstad. Israeli Elite Units Since 1948. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1988
- Ministry of Defense Izkor website (in Hebrew)
- Ministry of Defense Izkor website, citation (in Hebrew)
- The Shaked Battalion Webpage (in Hebrew)
- Biography of Rehavam Zeevi (in Hebrew)