Along the Trail

First published in Hebrew, Along the Trail, tells the story of a young soldier serving in Sayeret Matkal, known as "The Unit," in the early 1970s. This elite, intelligence unit in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) became the spawning ground for three Israeli prime ministers and numerous business and social leaders.

In rich, evocative language, Ouri Tsafrir reveals his emotions and struggles during the demanding military training and operations. Taking readers on his marches, he allows them to experience the searing hot days in the Sinai and Negev Deserts; the freezing nights in the snow of the Hermon Mountain; the sharp, volcanic rocks of the Golan Heights; and dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Overcoming excruciating challenges and difficult memories, he shares in internal dialogues with his Holocaust-surviving parents and their haunting demons. Above all, he tells a powerful story of transformation of a second-generation kibbutz youth into an elite Israeli commando fighter.

In Along the Trail, he addresses such provocative questions as: How do you continue to perform when your strength is exhausted? How can you walk when your legs are collapsing? What drives the best fighters in the IDF? And what is the secret of the Unit etched into the character of so many of its distinguished former members?