Grover, Chaim

Chaim (Peter), son of Josephine and David, was born on February 23, 1953 in Budapest, Hungary, and immigrated to Israel with his parents in 1957. After graduating from the “Horev” Talmud Torah in Ramat Yitzhak and the “Yavneh” school in Ramat Gan, he completed his studies at the Yavneh High School. Chaim was a disciplined student, quiet and thirsty and knowledgeable about his teachers. He was sociable and accepted by his friends, who nicknamed him Patty, whom everyone recognized as a cheerful, honest, and conscientious boy. He was also a devoted and faithful son to his parents and when his father passed away, he did everything he could to encourage and support his mother. Haim was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in early November 1970 and was assigned to the Armored Corps, where he completed an officer training course and was assigned to an armored unit in Sinai, where he served as an officer in an artillery range and was awarded the rank of lieutenant He was a responsible, devoted and loyal officer with a great deal of professional knowledge, and when he broke out in the Yom Kippur War, Chaim was exempted from combat activity because of a hearing impairment, but he volunteered to go to the first line. On October 24, 1973, Chaim fought with his unit in the city of Suez in the explosion of a grenade that was thrown into his tank He was brought to rest at the civil cemetery in Petach Tikvah, leaving behind his mother and brother, who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his work in battle. This is the language of the medal: “The late Lieutenant Chaim Gruber, Was a liaison officer who volunteered at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War to serve as commander of a tank division on the Sinai front, and on October 10, 1973, a heavy battle was carried out on the Brigga area, and the ammunition of most of the company’s tanks ran out. He was left alone in front of enemy tanks. He took a dominant position. With courage and steadfastness he held back the enemy for two and a half hours, under enemy fire, causing the enemy heavy losses. On October 24, 1973, during the battle in the city of Suez, the late Lieutenant Haim Gruber fought with the machine gun of the commander until he was hit by a grenade and fell, and in this act the late Lieutenant Haim Gruber discovered a spirit of volunteerism, courage and perseverance in an exemplary mission. ” “The unit commander wrote:” Haim served in our unit as commander of the tank division. He excelled as an excellent professional, brave and devoted, was acceptable and loved the soldiers of the unit and stood out wanting to help his friends. “