Families commemorate fallen medic sons

(JNS) - The Meisels did not know that their son was serving in Gaza when he was called up for reserve duty immediately after the outbreak of the war, but when the longtime volunteer medic fell in battle, they knew exactly how best to commemorate his memory: a bullet proof ambulance for Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

Master Sgt. (res.) Nitai Meisels, 30, served in an elite tank unit. He was killed in December, during a mission to locate hostages in a Palestinian refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Meisels, who was born in the U.S. while his father was doing post-doctoral research at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, served as a paramedic with Magen David Adom since the age of 16 and had provided first-aid training to his comrades in the battle zones.

It was natural that after his death, the family decided to donate the bullet-proof ambulance to the community in Eli where his brother, Aviad Meisels, who was also a volunteer medic, lives and whose only bullet-proof ambulance had been taken off the roads after 20 years due to wear and tear.

The memorial project, which has reached 65 percent of its $325,000 budget, was suddenly expanded by an unexpected and bitter turn of events: The head of the rescue service in Eli was also killed in the war, in March. 

The Meisel family immediately expanded the project to also honor the memory of Maj. (res.) Amishar Ben David, 43, who served as a commander in the IDF Commando Brigade and who like their son began his career at MDA at the age of 16. Ben David left behind a widow and five children.

"Saving lives and volunteering was most important to Nitai," his father, Eytan Meisels, said on Monday. "This is the best possible commemoration in his memory because it was what he loved to do."