Staff Sergeant Zarviv's parents. Photo: Alon Meor, Medical Corps

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Two years after their son was killed in the Second Lebanese War, Staff Sergeant Yoan Zarviv's parents decided to honor his memory by donating medical equipment to the Shchem Batallion of the Nahal Brigade in which their son served.
 
A ceremony took place in Staff Sergeant Zarviv's honor on August 19th and was attended by Yoan's friends, fellow battalion soldiers, and family.  Gerard and Anna Zarviv donated the medical equipment during the ceremony, including arterial tourniquets and other equipment used by medical clinics and special units. 
 
Yoan grew up in France.  He immigrated to Israel at the age of 18 on his own and studied in a special program for new immigrants in Bar-Ilan University.  After a year in the country, he enlisted in the IDF and joined the Nahal Brigade as a combat soldier.

 
On August 12th during the second Lebanese War, Yoan's brigade entered Lebanon where they were attacked by five terrorists.  After the attack, the soldiers were able to enter a home in order to rest.  The home exploded and Yoan was seriously wounded.  He was airlifted from the site to receive medical attention in Israel, but unfortunately passed away shortly after at the age of 22.
 
The story of Yoan's tragic death, a lone soldier from France who was killed during the war, brought tears to Israel and the French Jewish community.
 
"This donation symbolizes for me the continuation and saving of lives,"said Gerard Zarviv during the ceremony.  "The first people that I want to see when I come to Israel are Yoan's friends from his battalion, those who were by his side during his last moments."