Sgt. Adi Groman, 19: Music lover who was 'the best warrior'

Sgt. Adi Groman, 19, a fighter with the Border Defense Corps’s 414th unit, was slain on October 7 while battling a Hamas invasion of the Urim IDF base.

Her family and friends said that when the invasion began, Adi was on duty at the base next door, and volunteered to be among those to help defend it from the Hamas terrorists. The ensuing gun battle blazed for more than 90 minutes, during which the team neutralized several Hamas gunmen, and Adi was fatally wounded.

She is survived by her parents, Anat and Asaf, and her younger sisters Aya, Alma and Aviya. She was buried on October 11 in her hometown of Hogla.

“Adi was my close friend from the team,” her comrade, identified only as Cpl. Daria, told Channel 13 news. “She really, really cared, she never stopped, even when she was afraid of something. I’m very happy that she was with us, and that she helped us to operate. We needed her there.”

Sgt. Hadar said she went through training with Adi, “and from then until her last moment, she was the best warrior there was. She was incredibly professional, she was just [a source of] light. She was the best friend possible.”

Her family, who are raising money to dedicate an ambulance in her honor, described her on the fundraising page as loving history classes in school, and “loving music, and singing and dancing at every opportunity. Adi infused the atmosphere around her with smiles and joy.”

In an interview with Channel 14, her father, Asaf, said, “Adi loved the army, she would go back every Sunday morning with a smile.”

He said that she called them around 6:30 on that Saturday morning, but they were sleeping and did not hear the phone. Adi then called her grandmother, Batya, “and told her ‘Don’t worry grandma, I’m in a protected place.'” At 10:30 that night, the family got a knock on the door informing them that she had been killed.

“She was a girl who loved life, loved music, live concerts, was beloved by her friends,” Asaf said.