Teens commemorate slain soldier with combat fitness training
Duvdevan's Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky was pronounced dead after a terrorist threw marble slab at him during an operation near Ramallah; dozens of teens hold combat fitness training commemorating him; IDF still hasn't captured terrorist responsible for his death.
The combat fitness training was held on the dunes next to Ronen's hometown of Rehovot as part of the "Asa combat fitness training" group with which Lubarsky had trained prior to joining the army.
The teens who currently take part in the demanding combat fitness training program requested to hold a training session commemorating the deceased soldier. Yoav Asa, the group's founder, said, "Ronen was one of our alumni and this training is being held in his memory."
"Ronen was a special, modest young man who was willing to do what it takes to achieve his goal. We'll go up and down the hills 20 times—each lap for a year of Ronen's life," he explained.
Ronen's combat fitness instructor Daniel said, "Ronen excelled in his performances and was chosen to be among those who participate in additional trainings on Fridays."
"We would call (those who arrive on Friday) the 'elite team.' He used to talk with me a lot about Duvdevan since he knew I served there."
"He had gone to the unit's try-outs without telling me because he didn't want me to interfere, it was important for him to make it on his own," he recounted.
"Ronen was so modest that even after he had been accepted to Duvdevan, he didn't tell us," the instructor added.
"Ronen told us how much he loves his Duvdevan team. When he finished his training period in the unit, I went to speak on behalf of the Duvdevan Foundation just before he received his warrior pin," the instructor recollected.
"We spoke and hugged and I was so proud of him. I asked him to watch himself and that was the last time we spoke," he concluded.
Nir Meshulam, Ronen's best friend for the past 16 years, said Ronen was a very modest and quiet person.
"I remember that during combat fitness trainings the instructors would check the soldiers, and his equipment and military gear was always the most neatly organized," he said.
"He would take care of the smallest details in everything he did. When he arrived at Duvdevan I admired his as a younger brother admires his older one," he went on to say.
"When we were in the ninth grade, I passed out in the park on the way home from school. He didn't hesitate and immediately took care of me by bringing me water and accompanying me to my doorstep. He was only in the ninth grade but was very mature," Meshulam said.
Another friend, Stav Toledano, said Ronen was a descent, honest perfectionist.
"We were together during high school's most significant years. We joined the combat fitness training group together. Ronen wasn't a good runner but he was a person that goes home and works hard," he elaborated.
"Our last conversation was five days prior to his death. We talked about my big brother's wedding and he told me he asked his commander for permission to come to the wedding," he remembered sadly.
"Now he won't be attending the wedding. My heart breaks to know he's no longer among the living," he lamented.
One of Ronen's high school friends added, "Ronen wasn't like the rest of the children in school who are busy with nonsense. He didn't care what everyone around him thought. We were very good friends, he always took care of me."
"He would call me if I didn't come to school. He was like a responsible father and he was mature beyond his years," she remembered.
"He sat next to me during a school field trip and opened up to me despite the fact he had never shared anything with others. I was moved by the fact Ronen is sharing with me (his thoughts)," she concluded.
Meanwhile, the IDF operated on Monday in the refugee camp near Ramallah where Lubarsky was killed as part of its attempts to capture the terrorist responsible for his death.
IDF forces surrounded a house in the camp in order to capture all those involved in the soldier's murder, and 13 local residents were injured during skirmishes with the IDF forces.
Several men were detained during the IDF's raid, but the one responsible for Staff Sgt. Lubarsky's death was not one of them.
