Magen David Adom is the national Israeli emergency medical service in charge of all the pre-hospital ambulance services and blood donation stations. For the past 12 years, MDA has been running an Overseas Volunteer Program where volunteers from the ages of 18 to 27 are trained as first responders.

"It's just something you don't really get in the States," says one trainee interviewed here. "It's amazing to see the amount of teamwork and preparation that they have."

"It's a wonderful program ... and I'd love coming back because I have a lot of friends in the station, and it feels that every day when I go on a shift I make a difference in someone's life," says another trainee. "I guess that if you just hold someone's hand and the smile that you get... that's good for a lifetime."