Michael Levin (soldier)

He spent a year in an ulpan studying Hebrew and volunteering on Kibbutz Tirat Zvi,[1][2] before joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

[2] When the war erupted, Levin ended his home leave in Pennsylvania and rejoined his unit stationed on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

[4] Omer Yaniv, from Levin's paratrooper unit, gave a graphic description of the chaotic circumstances surrounding his death.

A Hezbollah fighter managed to get close and fire straight into the small room, hitting Levin in the head.

[6] A local commander of Hezbollah guided Al Jazeera through Ayta ash Shab after the war and showed them the store where Levin was killed.

[4][8] Levin's death was credited with increasing interest from lone soldiers in serving in the IDF and improving the resources to support them.

[9] A memorial for Levin was erected at Ammunition Hill, Jerusalem, the site of a major battle during the Six-Day War of 1967.

On August 1, 2011, the 5th anniversary ("yarzheit") of Levin's death according to the Gregorian calendar, a flag was flown over the US Capitol in his memory at the request of a man from his local area, Johnson Reynolds, who considered him both an Israeli and American hero.