Citizen soldiers

Apropos the terror in Jerusalem, the story of the off-duty soldier who fired the shots that finally killed the man is interesting, not simply because he is not the first in his family to stop a terrorist cold:

Two police officers stationed nearby saw the attack unfolding, the female officer took out her sidearm and shot the terrorist. But though she managed to wound him, he continued driving the large earthmover, crushing oncoming traffic.

At this point an off-duty soldier fresh out of basic training, who asked not to be identified, rushed to the scene and jumped on the tractor, also shooting the terrorist. But he kept going.

“He yelled Allah Akhbar and hit the gas,” recounted the soldier, whose brother-in-law, Cpt. David Shapira, took out the terrorist who killed eight seminary students at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in March.

“I did what is expected of any soldier or civilian,” he said.

I like that last statement, which is a perfect summation of a self-reliant population: “I did what is expected of any soldier or civilian.”