Militaryגד רפן

Gad Reffen

Gad Reffen is a retired Israeli Armored Corps soldier who received the Medal of Valor for his fighting in the Battle of Dotan Valley in the Six-Day War.

born 1945Medal of Valor recipientBattle of Dotan ValleyWork on the Merkava tank

Occupation: military personnel
Rank: segen
Wars: Six-Day War

Gad Reffen was born in 1945 in Ein Harod

Gad Reffen was born in 1945 and grew up on Kibbutz Ein Harod.

In the reserves he was a platoon commander of Sherman tanks in Battalion 39 of the Armored Corps. In the Six-Day War his unit fought near Jenin, and he took command of the company after its commander was hit. In a later fight against Jordanian Patton tanks in the Dotan Valley he was badly wounded and burned, and doctors at Rambam Hospital in Haifa could not save his left hand.

Defense Minister Moshe Dayan awarded him the Medal of Valor for his actions. After 2 years of rehabilitation he completed his matriculation exams at a school set up on Kibbutz Eyal.

In 1970 he joined the Merkava tank project, where he helped build the hull and worked on field tests until 1978. In 1980 he joined the Natural Disasters and Agriculture Insurance Fund, where he worked for 20 years and became chief appraiser.

In 2023 he joined the protests against the judicial reform.

Gad Reffen's life in 5 milestones

1945
Born and raised on Kibbutz Ein Harod.
1970
Joined the Merkava tank project.
1978
Finished field tests of the Merkava and returned to the kibbutz.
1980
Joined the Natural Disasters and Agriculture Insurance Fund.
2023
Joined the protests against the judicial reform.

Gad Reffen served in Armored Corps

He was a reserve platoon commander of Sherman tanks in Battalion 39 of the Armored Corps. In the Six-Day War he took command of his company and was severely wounded in the Dotan Valley.

Armored Corps