Militaryמאיר כהן

Meir Cohen

Meir Cohen was an IDF paratrooper who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Courage for his actions on the first day of the Six-Day War, when he was killed in battle.

1947 to 1967Medal of Courage recipientBattle near Rafah, 1967

Born: 11 January 1947, Oujda
Died: 5 June 1967, Sinai Peninsula
Occupation: soldier
Rank: Rav-Turay
Wars: Six-Day War

Meir Cohen was born in 1947 in Oujda

Meir Cohen was born on January 11, 1947, in Oujda, Morocco. He immigrated to Israel as a child.

He attended the Anaf HaChaim elementary school in Jerusalem. After 1 year of high school, he began working in the mornings to help support his family and moved to evening studies.

Cohen enlisted in the IDF in May 1966 and volunteered for the Paratroopers Brigade. He was wounded in the Samu operation in November 1966. His parents asked him to seek a transfer, but he refused.

On June 5, 1967, his unit fought Egyptian forces near Khan Yunis close to Rafah, as part of Division 84. Cohen fired rifle grenades that hit an Egyptian truck and then an Egyptian tank 40 meters away, which caught fire. Later that day he was killed by an Egyptian tank shell in the battle at Sheikh Zuweid.

He was first buried in a temporary military cemetery in Be'eri and later reburied at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem. In 1973 he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Courage.