SFIv la's
paperbacks. Although the
sun is strong, the exposed
position can be chilling.
Meanwhile, a round-the-
clock vehicle patrol responds
to calls of stone throwers,
roadblock builders, tire
burners, flag hangers and
"ninjas." No, Arab boys and
girls don't get dressed up as
stealthy Japanese warriors
for Purim, Halloween or a
Muslim equivalent. These
ninjas put out nailed planks
or PVC tubing for Israeli
vehicles to run over, in the
hope of shredding their tires.
Occasionally, we come
across strewn-about pam-
phlets published by the in-
tifada leadership which we
have to collect.
The time actually whizzes
by. I get to know the guys,
their backgrounds, both
army and civilian. Before we
know it, we're planing our
party for the final night in
Gaza. Ami, a confectioner in
civilian life, will make a
chocolate cake and baked
apples for the dessert. I plan
to introduce the guys to real
American pancakes, going to
great lengths to buy
American syrup.
As I combine the ingre-
dients I discover, to my
horror, that I haven't put in
enough milk. Making flap-
jacks for one or two people is
not the same as making
them for a whole company.
For obvious reasons, we
are forbidden to buy food or
drink from the locals, and
the army does not regularly
stock milk, even the
powdered variety. As I wat-
ch the batter coagulate like
cement, I play my only hand
by getting on the two-way
radio.
I tell HQ in plain language
that this is Commander
America speaking, that if
they want to have pancakes
at our party, we had better
get some milk, ASAP.
The milk arrives in time,
and four hours and two
bottles of oil later, I serve
five heaping platters of hot-
cakes and earn the
gastronomical gratitude of
all who had partaken.
We split up next day after
turning in all our equipment
and swapping telephone
numbers.
All the grunting and
groaning that accompanies a
call-up notice is, I believe,
just a macho cover-up for a
tender, nostalgic urge to see
one's buddies and have a few
laughs and good times. I'm
not ashamed to admit that I
look forward to my next
brown envelope because it
means being reunited with
my new extended family
here in Israel. ❑
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65