GENE SIMMONS - SIMMONS' SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI SOLDIER

SIMMONS' SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI SOLDIER

Israeli-born rocker GENE SIMMONS has hailed a soldier wounded in the Middle East conflict his "hero". RON WEINREICH, an Israeli soldier and die-hard fan of Simmons' band KISS, was seriously wounded in Israel's 34-day battle with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon earlier this month (AUG06). Via a video message to the victim's hospital bed this weekend (26-27AUG06), Simmons praised Weinreich's efforts, which have left him paralysed from the chest down. He said, "I can't tell you how proud I am of you, and how much the world and Israel owes you a debt of gratitude. "From the bottom of my heart, you are a real hero, you are everybody's hero, you are my hero and I wish I could be there with you." Simmons, who born CHAIM WITZ in the northern Israeli city of Haifa before emigrating to New York as a child, also showed off his impressive grasp of Hebrew, adding in the language, "My name is Chaim, I was born in Haifa."