St.-Sgt. Edward Korol

Mar 8, 2002 - St.-Sgt. Edward Korol, 20, of Ashdod, the medic of the Golani's Egoz unit, was killed by a Palestinian sniper in the Tulkarem refugee camp.

St.-Sgt. Edward Korol was killed in the course of the IDF operation in the Tulkarem refugee camp which led to the discovery of two weapons-making facilities, a weapons arsenal, and a large quantity of explosive materials, including 10 Kassam-2 missiles. Korol had been in the middle of a week's leave when he was summoned to return to his unit.

Edward immigrated to Israel from Moldovia with his parents, Roman and Irena, 11 years ago. His father is a pediatrician, and his mother works as a computer programmer.

Although Edward graduated from his Ashdod high school with honors and was accepted at the Technion in Haifa, he rejected an IDF offer to take part in the study-service program, saying that he wanted to be a combat soldier. Two years before he joined the army Edward began to prepare for the army, working on his fitness, in order to be accepted into an elite IDF unit. Although he was accepted into the navy captains' course, he chose to join the reconnaissance company of Egoz, serving on Mt. Hermon in northern Israel and later in the territories. In the course of his service, he passed a medics' course, and a snow survival course.

St.-Sgt. Edward Korol was buried in the military section of the Ashdod cemetery. He is survived by his parents and his five-year-old brother Ilan.