A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

Sept 13, 2009 The Tragedy of the Ramon Family

Israel was united in tragedy this evening. Word spread that Asaf Ramon, the oldest son of Ilan Ramon, had died in the crash of his F-16. The same type of aircraft that his father flew. The cause of the crash is not known yet, but its seems very possible Assaf may have lost consciousness as his plane plummeted to the earth. Ilan Ramon was the Israeli astronaut, who died in the crash of the Space Shuttle Columbia, seven years ago. Ilan's oldest son planned and did follow in his father's footsteps becoming a pilot. He graduated just two months ago from flight school, as the number one pilot in the class, and in a break with the usual secrecy that accompanies pilot graduations, Assaf's accomplishments were shared with the people of Israel. A few minutes ago, I watched a previously taped interview with Ilan Ramon taken in 1984, soon after he was one of the pilots who had taken part in the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor. As the young Ilan describes the attack (now 25 years later), both father and son have died as a result of tragic accidents– one at the pinnacle of his career, as his spaceship was returning to earth, and the other at the beginning of, what no doubt, would have been a successful career. Events of the day remind us how so few, have given so much.