Dan Shomron
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Lieutenant General Daniel Shomron (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: דן שומרון) (August 5, 1937 – February 26, 2008) was the 13th
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF), from 1987 to 1991.


Biography

Shomron was the eldest of three children of Tova and Eliyahu Dozorets-Shimron from Kibbutz
Ashdot Ya'akov Ashdot Ya'akov ( he, אַשְׁדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, lit. ''Ya'akov Rapids'') is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Originally founded in 1924 by a kvutza of Hashomer members from Latvia on the land which is today Gesher, it moved to its current lo ...
. He enlisted in the
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
in
1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...
, and volunteered for the Paratrooper brigade. He was assigned to Battalion 890. During his enlistment, his surname was mistakenly noted as Shomron. He underwent the paratrooper combat training, and then went to the infantry squad commander course, during which he participated in several operations, including the raid on the Jordanian police building in A-Rahwe, Operation Gulliver and Operation Lulav. Shomron was a squad commander during the 1956
Sinai campaign The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 W ...
. After the Sinai war, Shomron completed Infantry Officers Course and served as a platoon commander in his brigade. In 1959 he finished his military service and returned to his kibbutz to work as a truck driver until 1962. He re-enlisted in 1962 and was assigned as a company commander in the paratrooper battalion of the Nahal Brigade. In 1964, he served as deputy commander of the 202 battalion. In 1966 he was appointed as the acting battalion commander after the Yoav Shaham, the battalion commander, was killed during Operation Shreder in the As-Samu village. Later in the year, Shomron began his studies in the IDF's Command and Staff college ("PUM"). During the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
, he commanded a unit on the
Egyptian front The Egyptian Front ( ar-at, الجبهة المصرية, al-Gabha al-Masreya) is an alliance of political parties contesting the 2015 Egyptian parliamentary election in a joint list with the Independent Current Coalition, called Egypt. The allia ...
, and was the first
paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...
to reach the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
. He was decorated with the
Medal of Distinguished Service The Medal of Distinguished Service ( he, עיטור המופת) is an Israeli military decoration. The Medal of Distinguished Service is the third most important medal given by the IDF Chief of General Staff following an act that is done with co ...
for this action. In 1974, Shomron received the command over the Infantry Corps and
Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...
of the IDF. He planned and commanded
Operation Entebbe Operation Entebbe, also known as the Entebbe Raid or Operation Thunderbolt, was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week ear ...
in 1976, during which
Yonatan Netanyahu Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu ( he, יונתן נתניהו; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an American-born Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who commanded the elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal during Operation Entebbe, an operation to resc ...
(brother of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
) was killed fulfilling his duty as breaching force commander. Although Shomron was proclaimed a hero for that role, he did not always feel comfortable with that appellation, saying: When asked what he most remembered about Operation Entebbe and the rescuing of the hostages, he said, In 1978, Shomron was in charge of the evacuation and dismantling of
Yamit Yamit ( he, ימית) was an Israeli settlement in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula with a population of about 2,500 people. Yamit was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War until th ...
and army bases in the
Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...
, which occurred within the framework of the
Camp David Accords The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retrea ...
with
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. In 1983, Shomron established the ground forces command, to be in charge of the infantry, tanks, artillery and engineer corps. He was its first commander. In 1987, Shomron became the 13th Chief of Staff of the IDF, holding this position until 1991. After finishing his term, he served as the Chairman of the
Israeli Military Industries , former_name = Israel Military Industries , type = State-owned enterprise , industry = Arms industry , fate = Acquired by Elbit Systems , successor = Elbit Systems Land , founded = , founder = , defunct = , hq_location_city = Ramat ...
. Dan Shomron died on February 26, 2008 at a hospital in Herzliya, Israel from complications of a
brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
that struck him three weeks earlier. He was 70-years-old. Shomron was played by
Harris Yulin Harris Yulin (born November 5, 1937) is an American actor who has appeared in over a hundred film and television series roles, such as '' Scarface'' (1983), ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), '' Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), '' Looking for Richard' ...
in the film ''
Victory at Entebbe ''Victory at Entebbe'' is a 1976 American made-for-television action-drama film for broadcast on ABC, directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. The film starred Helmut Berger, Linda Blair, Anthony Hopkins, Burt Lancaster, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Dre ...
'' (1976). He was portrayed by
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and war ...
in '' Raid on Entebbe'' (1977). He was played by
Vincent Riotta Vincenzo Ricotta (born 14 October 1959), professionally known as Vincent Riotta, is a British actor. Career Riotta studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He went on to perform in various stage plays, such as Shakespeare's ''Romeo'', wh ...
in the 2018 film
Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. T ...
.


Recognition

In 1973, he received the
Medal of Distinguished Service The Medal of Distinguished Service ( he, עיטור המופת) is an Israeli military decoration. The Medal of Distinguished Service is the third most important medal given by the IDF Chief of General Staff following an act that is done with co ...
as a Maj. as a result of his actions during the Six Day War. In 1977, he received the Golden Plate Award of the
American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...
. In 2009, the Kinneret Center on Peace, Security and Society was renamed The Dan Shomron Center for Society, Security and Peace.


See also

* List of Israel's Chiefs of the General Staff of IDF


References


External links


Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 27 February 2008Obituary, ''The Times'', 27 February 2008Obituary, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 29 February 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shomron, Dan 1937 births 2008 deaths Chiefs of the General Staff (Israel) Recipients of the Medal of Distinguished Service Operation Entebbe People from Northern District (Israel) Neurological disease deaths in Israel Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery