I am friends with someone at NJIT and he just forwarded this message to me.
I found it very touching and heartwarming. (btw the guy who was the head of project that developed Iron Dome is shomer shabbos)
Subject: FW: A message of gratitude
From: SACHER ARI [mailto:aris@rafael.co.il]
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 8:47 AM
To: Elliot Brandt; Brian Abrahams; Natalie Lascar; Alicia Mog
Subject: A message of gratitude
Elliot, Brian, Natalie, Alicia, hi.
Now that the bullets have stopped flying, I wanted to pass this message to as many people as I know, but especially to those who dedicate their lives to the State of Israel. The message is from me, and me only. Please feel free to pass it to anyone pertinent.
Without a doubt, Operation Defensive Shield would have looked very different had Iron dome not been operational. The system intercepted hundreds of rockets that were headed straight into the heart of residential areas. Iron Dome saved lives, protected property, and gave people a sense of security, something that they had been missing for more than a decade. Iron Dome was the product of the hard work of unbelievably dedicated and talented people. On Thursday I came to work only to see some friends of mine run out of the building, telling me they were "off to set up a battery in Tel Aviv". Turns out that they worked for 48 hours straight, into Shabbat, not pausing to change their clothing, shower, or even to eat, but they set up that battery. And three hours later, that battery shot down a Fajr-5 headed straight for Tel Aviv.
Since 2010, the people of the United States of America have given the State of Israel nearly 300 million dollars for the procurement of Iron Dome. Another 600 million has been allocated. You people should know that Iron Dome batteries that were funded with American money played a critical part in the conflict. Your money, your help, saved lives. There are people walking around today who are eating falafel, learning Torah, or just playing with their children, who would not be here today if it were not for the United States of America. To this end, no words will ever suffice.
But let me try: Thank you.
And may G-d Almighty bless America.
Cheers,
Ari
Ari Sacher
System Development
Short Range Missile Defense
Rafael