Kokush, Shmuel

Shmuel, son of Leah and Adolf, was born on June 26, 1952, in Haifa. He studied at the Degania elementary school in Tirat Hacarmel and continued his high school studies at the Technical School for Aviation Professions in Haifa. Shmuel was drafted into the IDF in early 1970 and volunteered for the Armored Corps, and his brother, Elimelech, said: “Even before he was drafted into the IDF, Shmuel decided to go to the Armored Corps. After basic training, he completed his tank training course and was stationed as a liaison officer in a tank unit that he made in the Suez Canal. Shmuel spent many months on the waterfront and when he came home for a short vacation, he did not talk about his experiences and difficulties. He spent a short time with his parents and brother, and then hurried to his friends. During the Yom Kippur War, Shmuel fought on the Sinai front. For a week he fought with supreme devotion and bravery in battles against the Egyptians. In the middle of the fighting he sent his parents two letters in which he reassured them and encouraged them. In a battle held on October 14, 1973, he was hit by shrapnel from a missile fired by the Egyptians in the central sector of the Canal. His comrades in the unit say that before they fell, he went to rescue six soldiers who had been captured by the Egyptians. When the soldiers retreated on their vehicles, Shmuel’s tank was hit and he was killed. He was laid to rest in the military cemetery in Haifa. Survived by his parents and brother. After his fall, he was promoted to sergeant. In a letter of condolence to bereaved parents, the unit commander wrote: “Your son, Sgt. Shmuel z” l, served in an armored unit for a long period. He was devoted and loyal to his position, fought courageously and with great fervor, and in his fight saved many of his friends. “