transcript

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JEB SHARP: Most of the casualties in the conflict in Gaza have been Palestinians, but the conflict is not just a distant news story for Israelis. Thousands sleep in bomb shelters every night. Thousands more are being recalled to military service. Michael Normantovich is a reservist with the Israeli Defense Force. He lives just outside Tel Aviv. A lot of people in his unit have been recalled to duty and he's expecting his notice any day.

MICHAEL NORMANTOVICH: Actually, I get a phone call.

SHARP: Just like that?

NORMANTOVICH: If I'm getting called up urgently, like, let's say I have report in 24 hours, I get a phone call.

SHARP: So very straightforward?

NORMANTOVICH: Yeah.

SHARP: But does it literally come out of the blue or do you have some sense when your particular unit is coming up?

NORMANTOVICH: Mostly it comes out of the blue, but you know, when you hear on TV that the government has authorized a mass recruitment of your service, it gets in the back of your head that you might be called up.

SHARP: Have you made preparations?

NORMANTOVICH: What do you mean? Like I packed a bag or something?

SHARP: Yeah. I mean, you know, are your friends and colleagues being called up around you and do you have a sense that it could be any minute? And if so, sort of how do you prepare yourself for that?

NORMANTOVICH: Well, me personally, I'm not a very organized person. So I haven't prepared for that. But I know a lot of people that do keep a bag of clothes in the back of their car.

SHARP: So you've served before, is that right?

NORMANTOVICH: Yeah, of course.

SHARP: And you've been in active duty in battle?

NORMANTOVICH: I'm an Army medic. I've been in service in the combatant unit in the Gaza Strip. Actually, it was kind of quiet. There were no large operations, but there always was tension. It was kind of a tense quiet. It wasn't peace. I did witness some soldiers get hurt. I had to fix some of my friends and it's scary. It's not a pretty sight, and it's scary, actually. I mean, it's more scary to lose someone in your hands than actually being killed yourself. The feeling of the helplessness that you can't help your friends, it's not a pretty feeling.

SHARP: How do you feel about the prospect of being called up in the next few days or weeks?

NORMANTOVICH: I'm actually anxious about it. Nobody likes to go through – I don't know if I can call it a war, but to an army operation of this scale. It's kind of scary, actually. It should be. Any normal person would be scared to go and fight. But I do have a sense of duty to my country. I do feel that I will be protecting the civilians of the south that are being bombarded with the rockets and mortar. I do feel a sense of duty about it.

SHARP: And is the fear about literally about being hurt? Is it about what you might see? Is it about thinking ahead to what the cost may be, you know, sort of emotionally?

NORMANTOVICH: Well, I'm most frightened of first of all, not as much as being hurt but let's say to leave everything behind or not coming back is very frightening. It's, I'm more afraid for my family – for my mother, who will never recover from such a loss, for my girlfriend, for a lot of things. Not as much for myself, but on a basic level everybody has a sense of survival and, you know, self-preservation, but not as much as for my family.

SHARP: Michael Normantovich is an Israeli reservist. He lives near Tel Aviv. Thanks so much for talking to us.

NORMANTOVICH: Thanks a lot, and I hope it will be over soon.

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