The Sound and the Fury - a first hand account from the Yom Kippur War

This week we mark 50 years to the Yom Kippur War. Micky Bentov from Melbourne, was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Kibbutz Heftziba, one of the oldest, most beautiful Kibbutzim in Israel. We hear some stories about the war that changed the lives of many Israelis.

Miki (on the right) during the Yom Kippur war Source: Supplied / Miki Bentov

Micky served in the Armored Corps in the IDF, and participated in the development of the first Merkava tank. Micky never met his biological father, and the creator of the Merkava, legendary Major General Israel (“Talik”) Tal, treated him like his own son!

Just before the Yom Kippur War, in August 1973, Micky was on holiday in Kenya. When he and some good friends sensed that something was terribly wrong they cut short their holiday and rushed back to Israel.

Micky participated in some of the bloodiest battles in the Sinai desert. He and many of his close friends were injured, some lightly, some very badly. And he lost some of his best friends in that horrible war.

Micky tells us about the unimaginable bravery of the simple soldiers who saved Israel from total annihilation, and about the post trauma that stays forever.