Typically, the Israel Navy signs new recruits to join the naval command course from the start of their IDF service.
They then spend years in a mix of in-classroom, in-university, and out-at-sea operational training, in one of the military's longest and most complex courses, until they are given command roles on the navy's ships.
Nearly everyone except "O", who just recently graduated the naval officer cadets course, but only after he had spent a nearly unprecedented 18 months as a regular non-officer mandatory service navy combat fighter before being selected to join the course.
One of O's first supporters in making this highly unusual midstream career shift was Lt.-Cmdr. "Y.O.", one of O's two commanders, with around eight to nine years in the Navy under his belt, also serving as the deputy commander of a naval ship.
Y.O. told The Jerusalem Post that "for a navy combat fighter to go to attend the naval officer cadets course after already completing 18 months of mandatory service is unusual."
O described as exceptional, high-level combat fighter
"From the first day I saw him, I knew he was exceptional. You do not see a navy combat fighter of that high level every day," continued Y.O.
Further, Y.O. stated, "The truth about officers is that it does not necessarily matter how good the technology is, you need good people. So I pushed him. I knew he could be a great officer. He has already given four years and will give many more, including beyond three more years."
What was so unique about O?
According to his commanders, part of it was his own character, but part of it was timing and his readiness to step up at the right moment.
Y.O. noted that his entire naval career there had never been anything close to the operational stresses and complexities following October 7.
Yet, O early on in his service as a naval combat fighter participated in a "once in a generation" intense combat period of complexity and uncertainty.
Naval forces called up on Oct. 7 without knowing their mission
All of the interviewees talked about being called up suddenly on October 7 in the same fog of war that enveloped most of the country, quickly going out to sea, but not really knowing what their mission would be or what they would be up against.
Y.O. noted that an additional challenge in the navy is that the soldiers do not have access to their phones for days or sometimes weeks, and so will be much more disconnected than even the air force, let alone the ground forces.
Many naval soldiers had suspicions that friends and people they knew had already been killed during Hamas's invasion, but they had to hold down the feelings of wanting to find out until they returned to shore, so they could focus on their mission.
This is where O excelled the most said Y.O., with a maturity far beyond his age.
According to Y.O., O was one of the few on the ship who truly understood the significance of their mission and still volunteered for specific tasks, while many others were trying to navigate their way through the emotional turmoil they were feeling internally.
"He always understood what was required, whereas keeping the soldiers focused is one of my hardest roles as deputy commander of the ship, and having someone like him was a big advantage for this" for the whole ship.
Next, Y.O. said all of this operational experience in the hardest circumstances gave O a major edge over even some of the most talented course cadets, who simply lacked that life experience.
In fact, Y.O. went so far as to say that O will become a far better commander than he is at a much younger age, because in that short first 18 months, he had more operational experience than Y.O. had for most of his much longer career until October 7.
O praised for his calming influence
Likewise, Lt. Cmdr. "Y.A.", with more than 15 years of naval service under his belt and the chief of the ship where Y.O. and O served, complimented O on his broader influence to keep others around him calm and focused on the mission.
Y.A. added specifically about O that, "The level of how articulate he is is very unusual for someone who is only 20-years-old."
Moreover, Y.A. said O could always explain to others "why a specific task needed to be done, and now, and somehow was always extremely alert no matter how little sleep" he was functioning on.
O described the officer cadets course, which he started in February 2024, as highly challenging both in the classroom and physically. He said that he had to learn about a wide array of systems which the navy now employs on its ships.
He said that he felt the proudest that, "We helped the IDF forces in Gaza a lot. I knew friends who were fighting in Gaza at that time [in 2023], and they told me we could and were concretely helping them. We received calls from battalion and brigade commanders saying: please help us! Here, we go to see our impact and influence."
Y.O. added that later in the war O was involved not only on attack, as he had been versus Hamas in Gaza, but also in defending Israel's skies during Operation Roaring Lion as well as defending Israel's strategic assets, often a code word for the natural gas fields.
O said that his commanders "saw my potential when I did not see it yet."
He added that he was "very happy with my choice to go to the officer cadets course. I could have stayed in mandatory service and been released with most of my friends, but I believe in the navy and our ships. There are incredible people here and we have a very significant hand in the war."