Israeli Reservists Report To Duty

If you take a close look at some Israeli soldiers, you'll notice their hair isn't always exactly "regulation," CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reports. One even sports dreadlocks.

"I feel good. I feel good," he says.

They often call their commanding officers by their first names, some struggle with their weight and their helmets hide a few bald heads.

"Yes, it's certainly different from the days of basic training," a soldier says.

These soldiers are reservists and this weekend 2,000 were called to duty.

"I was called early in the morning and by lunchtime I was there," a reservist says.

Another reservist, Richard, is 40-years-old. He says he left not only his sweetheart at home, but his three young children. Now he's headed into battle — again.

Twenty years ago, Richard was one of the baby-faced soldiers fighting in Lebanon. There, the soldiers faced gunfire, lost friends and grew up together. Today, the old unit is returning to the front lines together.

"I wouldn't want to go into a difficult situation with anybody other than those guys," Richard says.

All Israeli men are required to serve three years in the military and stay in the reserves for another 25. So underneath their green uniforms, there's a colorful cross-section of Israel.

"We have everyone from taxi drivers to plumbers to lawyers to bankers," Richard says.

And they're not immune to the realities of war. After all, the two soldiers Hezbollah kidnapped were reservists. The enemy doesn't discriminate. Bullets don't care if you're just a part-time soldier.

Richard says he would "absolutely not" be able to sit home and watch the battle from his living room. He's not alone. Israeli defense officials say every single reservist called to duty answered the call, and thousands of others volunteered to fight.

They may not look the part, but they're all willing to play it.