I’m not one to typically quote Haaretz but this story is worth sharing:
Searching among the bodies. "I needed a [protective] vest and a helmet, because I had crummy reservists' equipment. Items of dead soldiers, soaked with blood and covered with flies, were scattered along the roads. I went through them one by one, looking for the least blood-stained vest. I found one of a Golani Brigade soldier who had been killed. I couldn't bring myself to wear a dead soldier's helmet, so I let that go. The vest stayed on me until I was wounded."
The point of emphasis being “crummy reservists’ equipment” — it was an accepted fact that reservists would largely have terrible equipment. This was the starting point on 10/7. We must remember that.
