Dan Shomron

Who was Dan Shomron?

Gen. Dan Shomron was the 13th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, from 1987 to 1991.

During the Six-Day War he commanded a unit on the Egyptian front and was the first paratrooper to reach the Suez Canal. He was decorated with the Medal of Distinguished Service for this action. He also fought in the 1956 Sinai campaign.

In 1974 he received the command over the Infantry and Paratroopers Branch of the Israeli army. He had planned and commanded the Entebbe rescue operation. He was acclaimed a hero but did not always seem comfortable with people viewing him as a hero. He said, “I also felt some kind of envy from the military and it was not comfortable for me. Around the world, until today, they look at me like something from a different world, a super super-hero, something not natural. I don’t like that feeling of being an advertisement.”

When asked what was he most remembered about Operation Entebbe, which he planned and commanded, and the rescuing of the hostages, Shomron said, “When the hostages board the evacuation plane, are helped up, each one checking his family that everyone is present. That was a strong moment that I can’t forget.”