Yehuda Ken Dror

Son of Shlomo and Simcha. Born on 5 Adar I 5695 (8.2.1935) in Jerusalem. He completed his studies at an elementary school. His profession was kindergarten teaching.

He was drafted into the IDF in December 1953. During his service the Sinai Campaign broke out.

Yehuda was a wondrous hero, and his next deed, which was his last, will prove it: his unit commander announced that he needed a volunteer to drive into the wadi in order to draw the Egyptians' fire to himself and to locate their positions, which were hidden from view. Yehuda volunteered at once and set out on a hurried drive in a jeep. He charged forward without hesitation, for he knew that this could save the lives of others, and all that time he drew to himself the attention of the enemy hiding in the ridges and on the slopes, who were sending their fire at him from ambush. In the end their bullets struck his stomach, his hands and his legs until he lost control of the wheel, but the jeep kept racing forward until it stood still. Then Yehuda fell out of the riddled jeep and threw himself onto the hard ground while the fire still raged above him. Slowly he drew near the side of the road and dug in within a trench, and when night fell Yehuda was found almost without strength, writhing in his pain before the eyes of his comrades in the ranks, who had been certain that he had met his death during his drive and had thought him killed. But only about two months later, after a hard struggle with death, on 1 Shevat 5717 (3.1.1957), Yehuda drew his last breath and died of his wounds.

He was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Dayan, commended him for his volunteering, his courage and his extraordinary self-sacrifice under deadly fire in battle.

His memory was recalled in Uri Milstein's book "The Wars of the Paratroopers." In an investigation in 2017 it was updated that the Chief of Staff's Citation was converted to the Medal of Valor.