An Israeli 23-year-old woman who grew up in the Bay Area and attended UC Berkeley said she left her family and the university to voluntarily serve in the Israeli military for nearly three years.
Now her tour of duty is over and the combat soldier, who asked NBC Bay Area to not reveal her name for security reasons, returned to Berkeley just before the terrorist attacks on her homeland. She wants to return to the fight, but has not been asked to.
"I'm not yet in the reserves system, but if I was called up right now I would get on a flight and do what needed to be done," she said. "I have a sense of survivor's guilt."
The former member of the Israeli special forces said during the first hours of the attack on Israel, Hamas terrorists killed her commanded and injured her comrades. She also believes militants stole a fellow soldier's phone and used it to send her hateful messages in Arabic.
She is now worried about her 19-year-old cousin serving on the front lines. As a member of one of Israel's elite military units, she knows firsthand the danger he faces.
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