Danny Matt was born in 1927 and started his illustrious military career with the Palmach, the elite strike force of the Haganah.

During the War of Independence, he was one of the last defenders of the Gush Etzion block and fell captive to the Jordanians. 

After being released, Matt enrolled in officer’s school and was noticed by Ariel Sharon, who appointed him company commander in the newly formed 890th Paratroopers Brigade. During the Sinai Campaign, he led his troops in battle at the Mitla Pass and was wounded in the neck and shoulder. 

During the Six Day War, Danny commanded a brigade of reserve paratroopers and led them to victory in the Sinai and then in the Golan Heights. After the war was over, he was appointed commander over the Paratroopers Brigade.

During the Yom Kippur War, he commanded the same brigade of reserve paratroopers that liberated the Western Wall six years earlier during the Six Day War.

After fighting in five wars and countless battles, Danny retired from his combat career in 1974 and went on to hold numerous positions, including the head of Military Court of Appeals, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, and Military Ombudsman. 

After retiring from the IDF in 1992, Matt headed the LIBI Fund, a nonprofit organization that assists IDF soldiers, until he passed away on December 5, 2013.

May his memory be a blessing.

Pictured: Standing left to right: Lt. Meir Har-Zion, Maj. Ariel Sharon, Lt. Gen. Moshe Dayan, Capt. Danny Matt, Lt. Moshe Efron, Col. Asaf Simchoni; On ground left to right: Capt. Aharon Davidi, Lt. Ya'akov Ya'akov, Capt. 'Raful' Eitan