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January 7, 2009
In The Trenches
A conversation with Joshua Eastman, a Baltimorean in Gaza.
Phil Jacobs
Executive Editor
Joshua Eastman, 22, was able to talk to the BALTIMORE JEWISH TIMES via cell phone Tuesday night, Jan. 6, Israel-time. He had just returned from operations in Gaza and was, in his words, “looking forward to a hot shower and a warm sleeping bag.”
“Thank God, for right now, it’s been pretty slow,” he said. “It’s been pretty nice and quiet. I’m with a good bunch of guys and a good bunch of commanders. Our morale is good, and we know what we’re doing this time. We’re here to accomplish a goal, and everybody is confident.”
Mr. Eastman’s unit was called to the front after preparing through war exercises for this very event. Though it was quiet on this day, his unit had run into the enemy during operations.
What gives him confidence is a double layer of support from the sky. The double layer on the closer level is an airborne drone that scans the area that is directly in front of the soldiers for hostile.
“It’s an eye in the sky, and it makes me feel safer,” he said.
The “other” eye is Mr. Eastman’s deep conviction to God. He said that he knows that many people in Baltimore and at his home shul
of Tiferes Yisroel are praying for his safety.
“It’s been quiet, but there is a little bit of stuff,” he said.
“There’s a real direction here, and when you find yourself in a difficult situation, you do what you have been trained to do. That takes over. It all goes very quickly. Sometimes, we’re in for a while, sometimes we’re out to restock, to rest.
“But we only know what is in front of us, and we can only concentrate on that piece.
It is very tough for sometimes hearing the news that comes back to us. But thank God, it seems we caught them off-guard.”
Mr. Eastman lives with his wife, Chana, in Givat Zev. During the short interview, it came time to hang up, but Mr. Eastman extended the call for another minute. He wanted Baltimore and all of those to know one more thing.
“This is an army of kids, of young people,” he said. “Some of them have no family connections. You have no idea how you could help all of us by a gesture such as small as sending a soldier a note or a candy bar. When we come back and that is waiting for us, it lifts everyone’s spirits.”
Mr. Eastman has given the JEWISH TIMES permission to call him every other day to check in with his unit’s progress and his wellbeing.