NH Man Waits for Israel
By: John Clayton
July 31, 2006

The whole world is watching as rockets, war planes, artillery shells and accusations fly between Israel and Hezbollah forces within Lebanon, but no one is watching more closely than Adam Harmon.

For 13 years, the longtime Manchester resident served with the Israeli Defense Force.

Now, at the age of 37 -- even though he has a new job in Washington, D.C. and is anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child -- he stands ready to return to Israel and rejoin his reserve unit if it is activated.

"As the days pass, it's getting more and more likely," Adam calmly explained. "On Thursday, the Israeli cabinet decided not to expand the scope of the operation. They're going to continue with the pinpoint, targeted attacks in specific Hezbollah strongholds, but they may call up more reserves, so I'm keeping in touch with members of my unit, just in case."

His is a remarkable local sidebar to a story with global implications.

The stakes in the Middle East are as high as they've ever been, and this 1986 graduate of Manchester High School Central may soon be thrust into the midst of this timeless conflict.

There was a time when his involvement in such an event was unthinkable.

"Growing up in Manchester, I had this idyllic childhood," he said. "I'd open the door and there was a forest I could run through all day long with no worries. Every day was a wonderful opportunity to explore and have this level of independence that kids don't have today.

"You know, in New Hampshire, we're kind of known for being rugged individualists," he added, "and without question, that's a part of our culture I brought with me to Israel."

He first brought it to Israel in 1984.

The details are contained within his new book. It's called "Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army," and it details the visceral connection he felt from the moment he first set foot in Israel.

He was one of 33 teenagers accompanied by Rabbi Arthur Starr, then of Temple Adath Yeshurun. The five-week trip allowed Adam to explore two thousand years of Jewish history, with stops at the Western Wall, Masada, Ammunition Hill and the Golan Heights.

"Like most teenagers, I was prone to infatuation with new and exotic locations," he wrote, "but this was different. It's not rational, but Jerusalem felt more like home to me than New Hampshire. I didn't love the United States any less, but I felt like I belonged to Israel and the place belonged to me in a way that I'd never experienced before."

When he returned to Manchester for his junior year at Central, he did so with a new resolve.

He kept a Coca-Cola bottle on his dresser, filled with sand from Israel. He also had tiny shards of pottery from the ruins near Masada and he kept an Israeli flag in his bedroom, so it was only natural that he would return to Israel the following summer for two more months of travel and intensive Hebrew lessons.

By the time he completed his studies at Central, he was ready to move to Israel His goal was to enlist in the armed forces at age 18, just like his Israeli counterparts.

His parents had other ideas.

Phil and Carol Wilks wanted Adam to complete a college undergraduate program first. Adam balked at the need for a degree -- believing he would be too old to begin his military career at 22 -- but they prevailed upon him to enroll at American University in Washington.

He did, but he did it his way.

"I was accepted at American, but the school let me defer for a year," he said. "That enabled me to take part in a Reform movement program called College Academic Year."

The nine-month program enabled him to study in Israel and to work on a kibbutz and when it was over, his decision to return was unshakable. He completed his degree requirements at American University in three years and on June 29, 1990, he was bound for the Israeli Army.

"In America," he explained, "when people who were my age first meet, someone always asked where you went to college. In Israel, someone always asks where you served in the military, and serving in an elite unit is as prestigious as going to an Ivy League college in America."

Adam set his sights on the paratroopers.

He had reservations.

"I was concerned about my ability to acclimate to military culture because I wasn't one to do well with authority figures," he said. "Part of it was my family and part of it was the culture of New Hampshire, but I was taught to think for myself, to ask questions.

"When I got to the military, I thought it would all be about doing what you were told, but I was happy to see the Israeli military wasn't like that. There was more of a student-teacher relationship with the commander. Rather than a strong chain of blind command and obedience, there was decision-making by consensus.

"If the commander says 'We're going to run up this hill!' someone will say, 'Why?' That's completely unheard of in the American military, but in Israel, you're taught to question the plan. That's instilled in you because things change when you're fighting. If the plan you had in the staging area doesn't make sense on the ground, you speak up. It's about ensuring the success of the mission, and it makes people feel empowered to take command when necessary."

Such is life within one of the most effective yet uncoventional military forces in the world.

As a member of that force with no family members living in Israel, Adam was labeled a "chayal doded." The translation: "Lonely Soldier," which became the title of his book.

In it, he recounts the rigorous training and his knack for urban combat, called "la'shab." He tells of his 2002 call-up for Operation Defensive Shield, he addresses the boredom and tension that comes with manning border checkpoints -- "Sometimes more like a bouncer than a soldier," he noted -- and the chilling apprehension of a 13-year-old suicide bomber-in-training.

He also delves into the roots of today's conflict.

"People may not be fully aware that Hezbollah has been attacking Israel ever since Israel left Lebanon in 2000," he said. "Every three or four months, they target Israeli towns. Some third-party negotiations go on -- usually with Germany -- and things quiet down, but then there's another attack six months later.

"Even though this is all a direct response to what happened on July 12," Adam said, in reference to the Hezbollah-directed kidnaping of two Israeli soldiers, "it's really a response to what's been happening for the last six years.

"The Lebanese army hasn't done what it promised, to protect their own border. In some places, Hezbollah has gun emplacements within 30 yards of the Israeli border, so Israel is taking these actions because the government feels it has no choice."

Nor does Adam.

Because of his love for Israel, he believes he has no choice but to answer the call to arms, should it come.

If it does, he will leave the side of his bride, the former Jennifer Von Kaenal. He will take a leave from his new job as marketing director of a high-tech firm called Certicom and he will once again don the uniform of the Israeli Defense Force.

He will be a "chayal doded" -- a lonely soldier -- once again.

For more information on "Lonely Soldier: The Memoir of an American in the Israeli Army," go to www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/category/military/.

--John Clayton is the author of several books on Manchester and New Hampshire, including the recently released "You Know You're in New Hampshire When..." His e-mail is jclayton@unionleader.com

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