Dan Shomron

DAN SHOMRON
OFFICIAL MEDAL 2009/5769
Ninth Medal in the “CHIEFS OF STAFF OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES” Series

Dan Shomron was born in Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov in 1937. He began his military service in 1956 in the paratroopers and participated in the Sinai Campaign of that year. He returned to the kibbutz briefly after completing his compulsory service but returned to active duty in 1962. During the 1967 Six Day War he commanded the reconnaissance division which were the first Israeli forces to reach the Suez Canal; for this he was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service.
Following the war Shomron commanded paratrooper brigades at the Suez Canal and in the Jordan Valley before being transferred to the Armored Corps. In 1974 he was appointed of the Infantry Division and Paratroopers. In this capacity he led the July 1976 hostage rescue mission to the Entebbe Airport which became known as “Operation Jonathan” in memory of Yonatan Netanyahu , an elite forces soldier who was killed during the operation.
As the head of Southern Command from 1978-1981 Dan Shomron was in charge of the dismantling of settlements and army bases in Sinai in the framework of the Camp David Accords with Egypt. In 1983 Dan Shomron became the first commander of the newly-established Ground Forces command. In 1985 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff and in 1987 he was appointed the 13th Chief of Staff of the IDF. His service as head of the IDF was marked by two major events: the outbreak of the first “Intifada” in 1987 and the first Gulf War in 1991. The IDF under his command was charged with fighting terror activities while maintaining the high operational and ethical standards for which it was known.
Dan Shomron retired from the IDF in 1991and became Chairman of the Israel Military Industries. He died in 2008.

Portrait of Lieutenant General Dan Shomron

Reverse:
Inscription in the center “Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Force" in English and Hebrew,
above the emblem of the Israel Defense Force, to the right, emblem of the Chief of Staff

Edge:
Smooth

Designer:
Igal Gabay

Engraving: Slovakia
Minting: Gold - ICMC Mint, Israel, Silver and Bronze - Slovakia