On A Wing and A Prayer

While the USAF is struggling to find a proper place for UAV pilots as reported in the WAPO, this is not the case with the IDF, which groups all forces under one heading. Perhaps part of the reason is what it really takes to pilot one of these suckers as seen in this IDF video.



The young woman at the helm makes the entire process look like a piece of cake. Where's the macho challenge in that? Fascinating to speculate that the UAVs in the next war will be "manned" by Women in Green.

Interesting to note that in several frames, the picture of Gabi Ashkenazi, the head of the IDF appears to the upper right of the composition. Known simply as Gabi, under his direction, IDF morale is strong and his status throughout Israel borders on charismatic. The standard "command portrait" appears many places, especially in Mizrachi mini-markets and grocery stores. His face even is the subject of graffiti found even in the leftie end of Tel Aviv.

"Ain O'ad Milvado" [There is None Else but Him] is a strong mystical statement on the Unity of God. Applied to Gabi, it expresses the solidarity Israelis have to the IDF. The government began to distribute gas masks last week, so Israelis are not blind to the what's ahead.

"I just hope Hizbullah and Syria can wait until the Semester is over," says my friend Arik, a second year student at the Technion in Haifa. "Last time, they at least waited until the summer break, man. War is such a drag."

Amen to that.