Pumpkin Flowers, A Soldier’s Story by Matti Friedman
Matti Friedman was but 20 years old when he was drafted and received his initial assignment in the Israeli military. Along with 19 other young recruits, he was sent into Lebanon to the border security zone outpost called Pumpkin Hill. His company’s mission was to protect Israel from Hezbollah’s guerrilla attacks. “Flowers” was the Israeli military code word referring to casualties. This is Matti’s story.
But before he shares his own personal experience, Matti tells the story of another young soldier who also served 3 years at Pumpkin Hill a few years earlier. In so doing, Matti traces the history of the conflict with Lebanon and schools the reader on the progression of terrorist activity in the region. “It was the very beginning of videotaped violence and the media war, which is a war not for territory but for consciousness.”
Matti’s story certainly confirms several previously learned facts:
Up until radical Muslims (in this case the Hezbollah group) interfered with Middle East politics, all people seemed to get along fine with each other. Even the displaced Palestinians were not so concerned with a “home land” until hatred was stirred up by the PLO and other radical groups.
Another fact confirmed is that the Muslim terrorist attacks are not so much about reclaiming land, but about their political and religious philosophies. After Israel evacuated the security zone in Lebanon… giving up the buffer separating their two countries, the guerrilla attacks only increased and became more and more violent.
The book however, is neither about politics nor religion. Rather, it is a heartfelt memoir of an ordinary young man. Matti serves his country with honor, often risking his life in the process. Those three years in the Israeli military changed his life forever. Matti faced the enemy over and over… never knowing when he awoke each morning if it would be his last day on earth. He watched the enemy die, and he also suffered losing some of his own friends and comrades.
His language is simple. His thoughts candid. He feels no animosity towards the Arabs. He naively imagined someday he could establish common ground with the Lebanese, and before writing this book, explored that idea. He talks of this experience too. And while he was simply doing his patriotic duty, Matti will forever more ponder the purpose of it all.
Pumpkin Flowers is a worthwhile read- not just to view life from the personal perspective of an Israeli soldier- but as a general barometer of the level of commitment, loyalty, and dedication many countries- including Israel- expect of their youth – especially their young warriors.
Rated 5 Stars April 2016
All contents © 2016 Lois Weisberg. All rights reserved.
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