Meet the Israeli Air Force pilot from the US with a legacy to protect

Israeli Air Force Lieutenant “G” has always had a special love for aviation and flying. Growing up in the United States until the second grade, along with his two older brothers, G reflects on fond memories of flying together with his family on holidays. For G, aviation surrounds the nucleus of his family dynamic, flying together and traveling to new destinations.

Inspired by his father, G spent his childhood fascinated by the aerial vessels that tear through the sky. “We always grew up around aviation, whether it was an aviation museum or open air force bases,” he recounts, just ahead of his graduation ceremony from the prestigious Israeli Air Force Aviation Course. “One of the things I remember the most was how my father liked to take us to see the Blue Angels. We’d go to the coast and watch them perform overhead.”

For those unfamiliar with the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the synchronous aerial display of the famed Blue Angels is enough to make any wide-eyed child dream of taking to the skies. But for G, his life offered a binary choice towards excellence.

Prior to enlisting in the IDF, G rose to prominence as an international athlete. Finishing high school at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, G ultimately decided that the IAF offered him the ability to contribute and protect his country – one of the best decisions he made in his life.

“In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to be an IAF pilot, but I wasn’t sure I would make it, so I found something else that I excelled at. My father always knew I had it in me to be a pilot – and now I suppose everyone else does, too,” G says, alluding to his father’s belief in him ahead of the Wings Ceremony of the 187th Israeli Air Force Pilot Course held on December 28.

UNFORTUNATELY, Lt. G’s father could not witness the momentous occasion, having been killed in a motorcycle accident in 2017. “This is one of the most profound events in my life,” G says. “My personality was transformed by him – and even today, I think about what he would think and what would he say.

“It is because of him that I am here today,” G explains, having lost his father at the age of 15. “I would look at him and think: ‘This is the kind of man I want to be’ – whether it was his intelligence, the way he spoke to others, or the respect he showed towards others around him.” Beyond the rigorous training and tactical mission of the Israeli Air Force, it is the qualities that G’s father instilled in him that make Israel’s combat pilots some of the most elite in the world.

The three-year Pilot Training Course is one of the longest and most arduous military training courses in the IDF, with hundreds of applicants vying to enter the prestigious program and only dozens receiving their wings this week. Trainees are required to complete five stages of training, which include basic training and officer’s courses, hundreds of flight hours, academic degrees, flight mechanics and ground training, and finally advanced combat piloting.

Only one out of nine trainees will eventually be able to count themselves among the ranks of the elite IAF combat pilots. “The hardest part about the course is the long process,” G explains, preparing to join his fellow pilots as they continue to protect the lives of millions of Israeli citizens throughout the ongoing war in Gaza. “Everything you do is a test, so you have to do everything in the best way so you can make it to the end. In my opinion, this is what makes the Israeli Air Force such an important part of the IDF and Israeli society.”

Shooting for the stars in the midst of war

THE POWERFUL impact of the IAF has become increasingly more evident throughout Operation Swords of Iron, with combat pilots carrying out incredibly precise, targeted airstrikes against Hamas strongholds, helping to save the lives of IDF infantry soldiers on the ground.

But that responsibility bears a lot of weight, soon to be squarely placed on the shoulders of Lt. G and his fellow trainees. “The amount of munitions that we operate and can use to help the IDF military efforts is enormous. If a pilot makes the slightest mistake or error, it means that lives are at stake,” G humbly states, adding a quote from Jewish comic book legend Stan Lee: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“I think this is really accurate,” G says. “We are responsible for massive [military capabilities]; but on the other side, if we are not careful, it could endanger the mission. At the end of the day, it is our responsibility to provide the support for our ground troops in the field.”

However, the meticulous care taken by the IAF to transform these trainees into elite combat pilots has made every aspect of aerial warfare second nature. For G, the completion of the course in the midst of such a monumental war is almost like a blessing. With IDF soldiers, reservists, and civilians alike stepping up to do their part to support Israel during its most pivotal time of need, Lt. G feels that he is taking up the mantle of a long legacy of Israeli heroes, fighting in defense of the Jewish state.

“In a war like this, we understand what it means to defend,” he says. “Sometimes we can forget why we get up in the morning and train so hard, but this period has shown us why we fight and has motivated the entire nation to stand up. For three years, we have received so much from the IDF and Israel, and we are ready to contribute our part to our country.”

DESPITE STILL being at the tail end of the Pilot Training Course at the outbreak of the war on October 7, G was only more determined to finish his training and rise to the ranks of an IAF combat pilot. Even with military offensives entering Gaza, G and his fellow trainees have continued to support on the ground however possible; but most importantly, they understand that the completion of the course was paramount to the next line of defense in Israel’s war efforts.

While attending a funeral for a close friend killed in Gaza, G paid a visit to his father’s grave site. Standing there in his uniform having come from the funeral, he realized it was the first time he had visited his father’s grave in his uniform, a moment that his father had dreamed of for his son.

This week, standing alongside his fellow combat pilots graduating in the 187th Israel Air Force Pilot Course, Lt. G embodies the valor of an Israel Defense Forces officer. Inspired by his father and with determination and pride in his country, he knows that although he is not there in person, his father is watching in spirit as his son dons the bars on his uniform.

“Although I cannot hear him, I know he is here with me,” Lt. G says with pride. “I know he would embrace me and tell me he is proud of me. He wouldn’t need many words, but I know what this moment means for him and for me.”