ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Louis County native is sharing the story of his son, who is fighting right now for the Israeli Defense Force.
Mike Greenwald was born in St. Louis and grew up in University City, but for the past 16 years, he's lived in Israel with his wife and four children.
Now, his 21-year-old son Tani is fighting on the front lines.
"We pray. We trust, we're together, we're family and we're going to get through this. God is on our side," he said.
Prayer. That's the only thing that's gotten Mike Greenwald through since Oct. 7, 2023.
"I'll never forget that day for as long as I live," he said.
It was the day Greenwald's beloved country got attacked and the day his 21-year-old son stepped into battle.
"That was the last night that he slept in this bed. That was 44 days ago," he said.
According to reporting from the Associated Press, tension has been rising along the Lebanon-Israel border since the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel that killed more than 1,200 people. More than 12,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the ensuing Israeli bombardment, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank, which coordinates with officials in the Health Ministry of Hamas-run Gaza.
Greenwald's son, Tani, has been with the IDF for a year now. Over the past month, he's been fighting in the commando unit as a sniper.
"My son for three days, no sleep, was fighting Hamas. They were shooting at his group. He was shooting at them. It's a miracle," he said.
Greenwald said his son has seen things at his age he should never see in his lifetime.
"He saw the decapitated bodies. He saw the burnt bodies. He saw the women that were raped. He saw everything," he said.
Tani putting his life on the line for his nation, while his parents and three siblings are just 25 miles away in Beit Shemesh feeling every strike.
"I'm having a tough time being a father. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells, I sleep on eggshells," Greenwald said.
While Greenwald and his family live in fear daily, there's a special feeling of pride for their brave soldier.
"We're scared. We're doing a lot of prayer, but he's a hero, and they all are. All the IDF, they're heroes. What they've gone through, what these boys are going through, what they're putting their lives on the line to defend our little country, our country made up of seven, eight million people, and they're so determined," he said.
For the past 44 days, it's been nothing but sleepless nights for Greenwald, as he continues to cling to faith and praying this war will end shortly and his hero will come home.
"We're not going anywhere. We're strong and this is our country, and there's no one out there that's going to stop us. Many have tried to hurt us, but we're still here, and we just pray and hope that this war would be over shortly, that all the IDF members will return back to their families healthy, and the hostages should return healthy to their family," he said.
Greenwald said he appreciates everyone in the United States for their support. He's asking people to keep Israel, and everyone involved in this tragic war in your thoughts and prayers.
When asked, Greenwald said there are certain things he wishes his native city of St. Louis would do for his country. First off, that elected officials would visit Israel and secondly, as a family full of proud Blues and Cardinals fans, that both teams would dedicate a game to the IDF.