Some 1,000 Israelis attended the funeral of Golani lone soldier Alex Sasaki on Thursday in Jerusalem after his friends made an online appeal on social media.
Sasaki immigrated from Laguna Beach, California in 2017 and insisted on joining a combat unit. The Golani Brigade soldier was found dead earlier this week.
Military officials did not specify Sasaki's cause of death.
His comrades in the Golani Brigade launched a social media campaign ahead of the funeral, asking strangers to come to the military cemetery on Mount Herzl to support his parents.
"Your friends and commanders saw you as an inspiration, as a loyal friend who performs his duties to the best possible extent," his battalion commander eulogized him. "You made aliyah, you enlisted and you decided to embark on a tough and meaningful journey. You are what Zionism is all about," he said.
His platoon commander said he "always had a smile on his face" and was "one of those rare individuals who did everything with modesty and humility."
His mother Shelly thanked the people who showed up and said: "He called me on my birthday … to say that he got Golani. He was so excited. He tried so hard to get in."
She added that "he didn't complain once, never. … He was on the border in the north and never complained that he was cold and lonely."
Tzvika Graiver, who runs KeepOlim, an organization that helps lone soldiers and other immigrants, wrote on Facebook that Sasaki's death was a result of "a lack of mental support in the army" and said it was imperative that officials do more to prevent similar tragedies.
"Thank you, Alex, for your big love for Israel and I'm so sorry we didn't do enough to keep you alive," Graiver wrote.
