IDF to grant honorary badge for service in Lebanon
The badges will be given out by the IDF starting on 7 June to an approximate 3,100 current IDF officers and some 2,3000 bereaved families.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: MAY 26, 2021 05:15The new IDF badge honoring military service along the Lebanon border. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The IDF will begin granting the honorary military badges that signal the wearer's participation in the First Lebanon War, anytime from 30 September 1982 to 24 May 2000, the IDF Spokesperson announced on Monday.The badges will be given out by the IDF starting on 7 June to an approximate 3,100 current IDF officers and some 2,3000 bereaved families.The families will receive the honorary badges in their homes.The pin itself is composed of blue and white stripes at the center, representing the Israeli flag, then grey, noting the continued operational presence in the area, while the color green symbolizes operations that took place on the "green" – on the ground – and red, signifying the losses incurred.The new IDF badge honoring military service along the Lebanon border. (Credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)Two weeks ago, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that civilians and organizations will be awareded certificates for protecting Israel's border with Lebanon."We will proudly present the certificates to those who stood with IDF soldiers shoulder to shoulder in battle and maintained security in the area," Gantz said at the time.It will be given as a token to soldiers and IDF staff who operated both in Lebanon itself as well as supported the military efforts from further away.On June 7, a series of lectures and panels will commence, headed by and including a wide variety of officers, including Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi.They will analyze the different angles – operational, cultural and social – and lessons learned from the 18 years of fighting that took place along the Lebanese-Israeli border.The day will end with the official badge-granting ceremony, presided over by Gantz.Following the opening day, ceremonies to grant the badge will take place throughout the end of August on army bases and offices throughout the country.To qualify for the badge, veterans will had to serve at least 30 days during the 18-year period, whether in operational units or peripheral ones.
