Rokach, Arieh-Noach (Leon)

Son of Aviva and Shimon was born in the United States on October 15, 1958. Arie was drafted into the IDF in November 1976 and was assigned to the Armored Corps. During his service he reached the rank of captain, commander of the tank division, and later served as an operations officer in the battalion. Aryeh had always emphasized that the years in service had added new perspectives, a sense of maturity and participation in the joint effort to protect his country, which he had. In his unit Aryeh was an exceptional figure, he solved problems with coolness, peace of mind and thorough thought. He was always ready to help his comrades and subordinates in action and thought. He made decisions in a quiet and authoritative manner, took on the heavy responsibility, and served as a personal example of the battalion’s soldiers and commanders. At the end of the service Aryeh applied to all the universities to be admitted to medical studies, and two weeks before his death, he received a positive response from all the institutions he approached. Arieh fell in the course of his duty on February 7, 1980, on his way to action in Lebanon, and was brought to rest in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul, where he was 21 years old.