[Cabrera:] Hello again. I'm Ana Cabrera in Atlanta.
[Savidge:] And I'm Martin Savidge live in Jerusalem where a ceasefire is scheduled to come to an end in less than two hours. The violence between Israel and Gaza may be half a world away from the United States, but there are Americans that are caught right in the middle.
[Cabrera:] That's right. U.S. citizens who actually want to be part of the fighting, who risked their lives to join the Israel defense forces. Dan Simon has one soldier's story.
[Dan Simon, Cnn Corresondent:] Each year hundreds of U.S. citizens join the Israel Defense Forces. They're called Lone Soldiers. What makes them do it? Why not join the U.S. military? We spoke to a former member of the IDF. David Meyers is a 47-year-old who today is working in sales in Silicon Valley.
[David Meyers, Volunteered For Idf:] As much as I'm an American and a proud American, there's an incredibly deep and long connection that I personally have both to Israel, to its history, to its people, from relatives that survived the Holocaust to relatives that helped to establish the state of Israel, both from within and from outside of Israel, and that connection runs extremely deep. I was in the IDF from 1987 through 1993, so it was the period right after Israel's first Lebanon war. People are definitely surprised. Americans are surprised that I joined the IDF, because it is hard to digest that concept of how it is that you can love the United States and be a proud American and yet go fight in another army. You feel that if you don't do that, then who will? And that that state needs to be preserved and needs to be defended. And that the U.S. With its strength and size perhaps isn't quite as needing of your abilities and your efforts. Hearing the news of all of the soldiers who have been killed is heart- wrenching. The fact that they did volunteer, that they did leave the safe and secure life makes it just a little bit harder to digest. At the funerals of those guys, there have been literally tens of thousands of people who come to show their appreciation and love for those families.
[Cabrera:] Our thanks to Dan Simon for that report. I'm now joined by another former soldier who left Israel's military now just two years ago. Daniel Flesch is an American citizen who joined the Israel Defense Forces, or the IDF in 2010. He fought with them for 18 months. And Daniel, as we mentioned, you are an American, so why did you decide to go half way around the world to join the IDF instead of say joining the U.S. military?
[Daniel Flesch, Joined The Idf:] That's a very good question. I grew up with an idea of service to my mind. In my Last year in college, I felt a strong connection with Israel. I visited Israel. I learned about my family, survival through the Holocaust and as Jews that are persecuted throughout the world I wanted to make sure that there's a homeland for Jews to go to. Just in the last two weeks I believe, a thousand Jews have France and I want to make sure that they have a homeland they can go to and I wanted to defend and protect the Jewish state in Israel.
[Cabrera:] What's your take on what's happening there right now?
[Flesch:] It's tragic. It's very, very sad. Israelis and Israel want to have peace. They want to live side-by-side with Palestinians, but in the meantime, they'll do everything they can and they will to defend themselves and to protect themselves, and Lone Soldiers like myself, who go over to fight in the IDF, we're there, again, to defend everyone inside Israel Jews, Muslims, Christian, Jews, everyone.
[Cabrera:] You talked about this urge to serve and your maybe connection and sort of kindred spirit with the Israelis because of your Jewish heritage. When you got there, was it what you expected in terms of fighting with the Israeli army?
[Flesch:] Well, certainly no one know what's to expect when you join a military. It was absolutely similar to what I hoped for. There's certainly a brotherhood, or kindred spirits within Israel. It's a special place. I felt a lot of the other Lone Soldiers who come from across the world, certainly the Israeli soldiers were very appreciative that we there.
[Cabrera:] When you hear that there were two IDF soldiers who were U.S. citizens killed in the fighting, in just the past week or so, what it's your reaction to that?
[Flesch:] Max Steinberg and Sean Kremeli from Los Angeles and Texas, they're doing what they went there to do. They went there to defend the Jewish people, defend Israel and they answered the call of duty. And so from sitting here back in the United States with other Lone Soldiers we talk a lot, and we really sympathize with them, their families, they're our brothers but we understand why they went to fight and we know that they would rather be nowhere else than inside Gaza protecting Jewish people.
[Cabrera:] I want to get a better sense of what it's actually like there on the ground. We've heard a lot about the rockets flying overhead, the supplies, people moving through tunnels. Can you describe the scene or set the scene for me in terms of those who are on the ground actually fighting and what they're dealing with?
[Flesch:] Sure. So it's a very it's a very scary situation. Just a couple of days ago, some Hamas militants or terrorists were caught on the Israeli side the border through a tunnel with needles and essentially different equipment to try to kidnap soldiers and civilians. As an Israeli soldier you know the inherent dangers in combats and conflicts but you also have to always be vigilant even when you're on base or whenever you're in Israel. But, again, thank God to Iron Dome and other defensive measures that Israel does that many Israelis both civilians and soldiers feel much safer.
[Cabrera:] We don't have a lot of time. But do you feel like your service was worth it, especially given that the situation seems to be getting out of control there right now?
[Flesch:] 100 percent. Absolutely. I felt that it's something I had to do, as a Jew, and an American also, who really grew up learning about and loving freedom and democracy, and I felt it was incumbent upon me to do something to serve for other people.
[Cabrera:] And I know we were just talking during the break. You plan to perhaps even serve for the U.S. government someday as you're working on your graduate work there in
[D.c. Flesch:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] So thank you Daniel Flesch for your service. Thank you for your time today. We appreciate it.
[Flesch:] Thank you very much.
[Cabrera:] Back to our other big story today. The parents of a young woman who was on Malaysia Air Flight 17 are making a desperate pilgrimage to the crash site.
[Unidentified Female:] Find her. It's mom and dad. This is mom and dad.
[Cabrera:] They are holding out hope that their daughter could still be alive. We'll have the very latest on their quest, next.