"Mostly, I want the Bedouin/Arab sector to
understand and internalize that military service will only do our
society good. Social distancing and separation will lead us nowhere,"
says Master Sgt. Marzuk Suaed, a Bedouin father of three.
Chief Sergeant First Class
Marzuk Suaed: "I really am very proud in what I am doing"
|
Photo credit: Hagai Aharon  |
Master Sgt. Marzuk Suaed, 37, a Bedouin father
of three residing in northern Israel, sees his job as a recruiter of
Bedouin, Arab, Christian and Muslim youths to the Israel Defense Forces
as a personal and Zionist mission.
"I really am very proud in what I am doing,"
says Suaed, who hails from a large family in which everyone enlisted
into the IDF, many of them serving in combat units.
"I am a citizen of the state, it doesn't
matter whether Bedouin or Jewish, and am proud to lend my country a
hand. Yes, this is my country, and I want to serve it; and, on the way,
mostly, I want the Bedouin/Arab sector to understand and internalize
that service in the army will only do our society good. Social
distancing and separation will lead us nowhere," he says.
Suaed enlisted into the IDF in 1995 and was
assigned to be a Gadna program instructor for Bedouin youth. The army's
Gadna program allows Israeli high school students to spend a week
experiencing military life before their compulsory service. He said his
only goal at that time was to encourage them to enlist.
In 1998, upon completion of his compulsory
service, Suaed transferred to the air force in an administrative
capacity. In 2002, while still in the air force, he discovered that the
enlistment numbers for the Bedouin reconnaissance battalion were very
low.
"I added the numbers up and I immediately came
to the conclusion that the battalion was the most important thing for
me. That's how I decided to try and help it and promote enlistment to
the battalion," he says.
Saued goes from door to door in the Bedouin
and Arab villages in northern Israel, while also working to increase
enlistment in the south of the country. He tells the youngsters he meets
of the importance of enlisting and contributing to the country's
security. Initially, Suaed's goal was to get all of the enlistment-age
men in his extensive family to join the army.
"At one time there was zero awareness in the Bedouin
community about enlisting, and if they did actually enlist, they would
go become trackers," he says. "Today the Bedouins serve in a
considerable number of combat units. I am proud to see them in senior
positions. From my perspective, I see this as a personal, social and
national success."
