Jay Bielski tells his son not to be a hero.

These are the worried words of wisdom a Valley Stream family offers 22-year-old Matt Bielski, a Lawrence High School graduate currently serving in the Israeli Special Forces. Matt is part of a unit that lost nine men earlier this week in some of the bitterest fighting across the Lebanese border.

Matt is a third-generation Israeli soldier continuing a family tradition started by his grandfather, who helped rescue 1,200 Jews while fighting the Nazis during World War II. Matt?s father fought in the Yom Kippur War after serving as a U.S. Marine. Jay Bielski says just serving in the army was not enough for Matt, who decided to be a paratrooper before joining the Special Forces.