In honor of Israel's Independence Day, fifty IDF officers received awards on Thursday night for excellence in service. Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi handed out the honors in a festive ceremony held in Glilot that has become an IDF tradition held before the two days in which Israel remembers those who sacrificed their lives for Israel and celebrates the achievement of the goal for which they paid the ultimate price. Ashkenazi spoke at the event. “The desire to guard and protect children in Ashkelon and Kiryet Shemonah, in Haifa and Sderot, in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria – this is the fuel that drives you onwards... By reaching this point, you have brought made us proud – not only your families, who are sitting here tonight, or your comrades in the military – but Israeli society as a whole,” he said. He added, “Excellence is not something that can be taken for granted. It takes sacrifice and perseverance, strength of will and personal character.” The following officers received awards. Some officers' full names cannot be made public due to the sensitive nature of their service: Technological and Logistics Directorate: Captain Moshe Shwartz Captain Amir Shleifer Manpower Directorate: Lieutenant Bat-Chen Steinmetz Captain Einav Avni Air Force: Captain Manfred Markovitz Lieutenant Vladislav Captain Assaf Yaakovi Captain Makonent Asya Captain Sagi Cohen Captain Yaakov Sasson Captain Yaniv Afrashi Captain Tomer Gallam Captain Maor Gavriel Lieutenant Elad Captain Nir Navy: Captain Yonatan Lieutenant Yotam Levi Lieutenant Y Lieutenant Etgar Intelligence: Captain Yael Lieutenant Ido Lieutenant Assaf Captain Yakir Captain Meital Lieutenant Yonatan General Command: Lieutenant Yaara Elazari Lieutenant Ala Halabi Southern Command: Captain Assaf Hamami Lieutenant Masada Reshef Captain Karin Logisi Central Command: Captain Eliran Avinaim Captain Yishai Rosilio Lieutenant Roi Lieutenant Stav Ben-Zev Major Amri Yoetz Homefront Command: Captain Meirav Kraus Northern Command: Captain Mishel Azriel Lieutenant Assad Hassan Captain Dotan Bakbani Lieutenant Moshe Pesel Captain Tomer Honigman Communications: Lieutenant Elinor Ecksterman GOC Headquarters: Captain Maayan Hakakian Lieutenant Yuval Captain Sami Kavas Lieutenant Ben Ginzberg Lieutenant Eli Spibek Lieutenant Roi Ben-Tzur Lieutenant Alex Szevszikov Lieutenant Shirli Sabag
