The young female officer who fought in the Six-Day War without authorization

The story of Second Lieutenant Anat Kirshner, 19, who got off a bus on her way to a new posting in the south when she heard the Six-Day War had broken out, returned to her previous armored unit, and boarded a half-track against orders. She treated the wounded, lost a close friend, survived an anti-tank shell hit, and continued with the force to the Golan Heights. Upon her return, she was sentenced to 35 days in detention, but her sentence was commuted.

In September 1967, three months after the Six-Day War, the story of a 19-year-old female officer, initially unidentified, was published on the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth. On the morning of June 5, 1967, Second Lieutenant Anat Kirshner from Netanya was on her way to a new posting in the Southern Command. Mid-journey, she heard on the radio that war had broken out, got off the bus, and returned to her previous armored unit. Despite explicit orders from commanders to disembark, she boarded a half-track and joined the force heading toward the Jordanian border near Jenin. During the battles, she treated the wounded, lost her close friend Eitan, the brigade's operations sergeant, and survived an anti-tank shell hit. She continued with the force to the Golan Heights, barely sleeping for three days. Meanwhile, the IDF was searching for her, and her parents did not know she was considered missing. When she returned safely, she faced a disciplinary trial for absence and disobedience to orders and was sentenced to 35 days in detention. On the recommendation of the Chief Women's Corps Officer, Colonel Stella Levy, the Southern Command General Yeshayahu Gavish decided to commute her sentence, and she was released within about a week.