Yoav Vaspi

Yoav Vaspi was born in 1940 in Abadan

Vaspi was born in 1940 in Abadan, Iran, and immigrated to Israel at age 9. He attended the Hadar Yosef elementary school and the agricultural high school in Nahalal, and was a member of the Hashomer Hatzair movement. He postponed his enlistment to help support his family financially.

He enlisted in 1959 and stayed on in career service. He volunteered for the infantry, completed paratrooper and officer courses, and rose to deputy commander of the Shaked reconnaissance unit. He later moved to the Armored Corps, taught armor courses, studied at the Command and Staff College, and fought in Sinai with the 7th Brigade in the Six-Day War.

He began geography studies at Tel Aviv University. He married Sarah, and they had 3 children and lived in Yesud HaMa'ala.

In the Yom Kippur War he commanded the 39th Tank Battalion, which went up to the Golan Heights on October 7 and helped halt a Syrian battalion near Ma'ale Gamla. On October 9 he took the Tel Akasha position with 5 tanks. He was killed on October 16, 1973, near a-Rihaniya and was buried in the military cemetery in Rosh Pina.

He received the Medal of Courage posthumously in 1975 and is commemorated at 9 memorials, including Yad La-Shiryon in Latrun. His son Arnon was killed during military service in 1983.